Shelter Shells
Art In Blyth, Northumberland
Explore the Shelter Shells at Blyth Estuary, a creative coastal installation boosting marine life and biodiversity beneath the boardwalk near Commissioners Quay.
Blyth, Northumberland (not Suffolk) has a 415-acre estuary with many interesting features. One is the Shelter Shells by the Commissioners Quay Inn. Locals may look at you oddly when you ask where the Shelter Shells are, but if you say the pots under the boardwalk, they will direct you to the correct area.
Here is passive science at work. To get the best view, go at low tide.
The boardwalk could be a nod to the old staithes that were used to load ships with coal and hanging underneath are the Shelter Shells. They are in a variety of different colours, and as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each weighs about 12kg, which is approximately a case of wine.
Groundwork [Groundwork NE & Cumbria] commissioned ecological engineers, Biomatrix Water to design and create the Shelter Shells, which are hand moulded and sculpted, then cast in fine concrete. The surfaces of the artificial shells are intricately textured and ridged to replicate surfaces that would appear in nature and will hopefully attract plant and animal life to live, feed and rest to improve biodiversity and water quality in the estuary. The Shelter Shells have been moulded and cast in different coloured concrete to attract different species. The colour palette ranges from reds and yellows, which are known to attract fish to dark brown, orange, light grey and off white.
British Ports Association
Groundwork has made efforts to try to restore some marine life. with support from the Environment Agency, Port of Blyth and Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The Shelter Shells were installed in 2023 and have now seaweeds and algae covering them. They also have other projects in the area. Collaborating closely with Artecology, a company that designs and purpose-builds artificial rock pools called Vertipools, we now have 100 of these structures installed at Blyth's East Pier, Sunderland Marina, South Shields Marina and Whitby Harbour. These unusual triangular structures are fitted onto the sea and harbour walls and other coastal structures to create new, artificial marine habitats and to improve biodiversity. The Vertipools look more like an art installation than an ecological intervention and have attracted considerable attention. Another amazing, eye-catching project has been the creation of 76 fish refugia, known as 'Shelter Shells', that have been installed in Blyth and Whitby Harbours. The installation at Blyth is the largest of its kind in the world. Again, the installations look like beautiful, sculptural artforms but deliver major ecological benefits. The Shelter Shells are being closely monitored by marine scientists to assess their impact and the biodiversity and water quality improvements it is anticipated they will deliver.
Groundwork NE & Cumbria
Our thanks to our Fabulous North friend Pauline Martin for the capture below.
Our estuaries, coastline, and rivers need help because they face habitat destruction from industrial-era waste, sewage, pollution, plastics, household waste, fishing debris, and toxic chemicals. What are we doing to our water? Factual reports are not a happy read.
Blyth Estuary polluted by sewage 206 times in 2024 lasting 1,255 hours on average 4 times a week.
Top of the Poops/Waterway/Blyth Estuary
My thanks to Helen at Groundwork NE & Cumbria, who kindly answered my questions and gave permission to use the photograph of the Shelter Shells when first installed.
Are there enough Shelter Shells to make a substantial difference?
'No, they wouldn't make a substantial difference to water quality or overall species abundance in the estuary at present because this installation was a small trial of a new product to see how well they performed but there is scope to extend the project should funding become available.'
What have been the successes and failures of this project? What happens next?
'The successes have been that the Shelter Shells have been well colonised by different marine life including barnacles, seaweeds, mussels and keel worms. They will continue to be monitored in 2026 using cameras to establish what marine life is using them. At present we don't have any additional funding to extend the scheme and add more to Commissioners Quay.'
Can the increase in marine life be put into a percentage change from when you started?
'I could do a rough percentage of colonisation as a whole not as individual species, essentially they went in as bare structures and are now covered in barnacles/seaweeds etc. It certainly will be near 100%. Photos show the coverage of species.'
What is Groundwork NE and Cumbria now doing with this project, and what happens next?
'The monitoring is ongoing and any additional learning informs the next of our projects. We are seeking funding to expand the use of Nature-based Solutions on the Blyth.'
Do you have any input/sway/lobbing to stop the polluting/ sewage outage/fishing equipment dumping/chemical failings eg dissolved nitrogen?
'No we are not directly involved in lobbying, our efforts focus on delivering habitat / environmental improvements as we are not experts in other issues affecting water quality on the Blyth.'
Cute faces, eh?
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How To Find Shelter Shells
Where To Park For Shelter Shells?
On street parking along Quay Road.
Contributed by Rosalind Parker
Thank you for reading. I hope it sparks your interest. It’s always a pleasure to get out and explore, whatever the weather. I enjoy uncovering little snippets of information, especially when they’re obscure, amusing, or meaningful. All photos were taken on a mobile phone.
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