Portsmouth Harbour

It is tempting to regard Portsmouth Harbour as the poor relation of Langstone or Chichester Harbours, at least in terms of value for wildlife. The commercial and naval docks, marinas and other installations mean that parts of the harbour have no obvious natural habitats. However, all is not lost.
Portsmouth Harbour covers an area of nearly 1250 hectares between Portsea Island to the east and the Gosport peninsula to the west. At low tide there are about 800 hectares of exposed mudflats, the basis of a massive food-chain supporting worms and snails through to algae, plants, fish and birds.
Developments around the harbour, and the lack of major islands, mean that at high tide there are very few natural roosting areas for birds. The result is that flocks tend to move backwards and forwards between the harbours, depending on the tides. This should, at least in theory, give us a better chance of seeing some of these birds. A number of unwanted naval ships are anchored in the harbour, probably acting as undisturbed perches.

Designations

The majority of Portsmouth Harbour, about 1000 hectares, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest , a Special Protection Area for birds , and a Ramsar site. Details of the SPA designation, which is based on the Brent Goose population, are available on the JNCC page.
See Designations for more general details.

Management

The Queen's Harbour Master has various statutory powers, principally to safeguard the harbour for the Royal Navy. These and other interests are represented through the Portsmouth Harbour Working Group, which has representatives from :

The Queen's Harbour Master
Crown Estate
Commercial Port Manager

Environment Agency
English Nature
Hampshire County Council

Portsmouth City Council
Gosport Borough Council
Fareham Borough Council

Islands

Pewit Island in the northern part of the harbour is owned by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. It is a valuable roosting area for birds.
Burrow or Rat Island, near the harbour entrance, has the remains of St James Fort. Here is a view at low tide from the Spinnaker tower.
Burrow Island

Whale Island and Horsea Island are occupied by the Royal Navy. Horsea Island was once separated by water but is now firmly joined to the new developments at Port Solent. Botanical surveys have revealed an interesting range of plants, although some species have declined in recent years, possibly due to competition from scrub.