Hope for revival of marine life as seagrass seed-planting work is completed

WORK on England’s largest seagrass planting effort will draw to a close today as the last of thousands of seed bags are placed in Plymouth Sound National

Marine Park.

Experts estimate the UK may have lost at least 44 per cent of its seagrasses since 1936, 39% since the 1980s, and that the losses over longer time spans may be as high as 92%. Seagrass meadows provide homes for young fish and protected creatures such as seahorses and stalked jellyfish.

The plant also has an integral role in stabilising the seabed, cleaning the surrounding seawater and capturing and storing significant amounts of carbon.

The last of 16,000 seagrass seed bags and 2,200 seedling bags will be planted in Plymouth as part of a four-year project

Four hectares will be in Plymouth Sound and four hectares in the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation.

The LIFE Recreation REMEDIES project being led by Natural England, with the planting being carried out by the Ocean Conservation Trust.

Mark Parry, development officer at Ocean Conservation Trust, said: “Our first successful planting effort is only possible because of all the hard work of the partners in the LIFE REMEDIES project.

“These events have taken over 12 months of planning and include a combination of volunteers who have visited the National Marine Aquarium creating our planting units and our dive volunteers.

“It is incredible to see the support from communities supporting habitats for our animal coastal communities, a very proud moment.”