Surveys assess marine life off coast

University staff and students have begun an in-depth study of underwater habitats off the Sussex coast as part of a project to restore some of the most biodiverse habitat in the world.

The team from the UniversityofSussexhasbegun conducting the first baseline survey of Sussex coastline to explore the recovery of kelp forests, following the recently implemented trawling ban.

Funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) as part of the University of Sussex’s Covid Recovery Programme, in partnership with the Greater Brighton city region, the team will be gathering data at 34 sites between Shoreham and Selsey.

Underwater cameras have already captured footage of butterfish, small spotted catsharks, conger eels, undulate rays and a shoal of Atlantic Mackerel on camera, but the team said activity was far less than it should be.

Dr Mika Peck, senior lecturer in biology, said: “The Sussex coast has an opportunity here to recover from years of damage, and welcome back high levels of biodiversity. Some of our monitoring sites are inside the byelawareathatarepreviously known to have dense presence of kelp beds. This is a unique opportunity to understand how marine systems might recover following removal of trawling pressure.

“We are hoping to find that, over time, kelp will recover and we’ll begin to welcome back healthy populations of prioritythreatenedUKspecies such as herring, mackerel, and common sole.”

Surveys will be conducted annually for five years, providing scientific evidence to the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project.