Fronds of Hope

By Henri Brocklebank

Director of Conservation Planning and Policy

Look at this grin!

This is Eric. Eric is a local free diver who, along with other members of the community group Sussex Underwater, spends much of his time exploring Sussex seas and sharing footage of the magnificent marine species he encounters.

This week, Eric, and other members of the Sussex Underwater group, have been finding kelp washed up along a 10-mile stretch of the Sussex coastline. This is a genuinely exciting find, as it’s the first time Eric has observed kelp washed up along this particular stretch of Sussex coast in…12 years!

Kelp forests were once abundant along the Sussex coastline, but years of destructive trawling and other human pressures have decimated this valuable marine habitat. Over 96 percent of kelp in Sussex has disappeared since 1987.

In 2019, a ban on trawling along the Sussex coast saw 300km2 of seabed protected - that’s an area more than three times the size of Brighton and Hove. It has only been 20 months since trawling was excluded from the Sussex coastline and change on the seabed is already afoot. This summer whilst out swimming, Eric observed a remarkable expansion of the mussel beds (Mytilus edulis). This particular bed was a whopping kilometre wide. As well as filtering huge quantities of water every day, mussels also stabilise the seabed which, in turn, may provide a more solid surface for kelp to attach on to.

Although we don’t yet know the extent of kelp recovery in Sussex, as monitoring is ongoing, washed-up kelp fronds are a positive sign that the expansion of our depleted kelp forests could be underway. Today Eric popped samples of the kelp he found into the post to send to our colleagues at the Zoological Society of London, who will take a look at the genetics of what we are finding washed ashore, and feedback what we are learning.

The story of Sussex kelp recovery is one of people coming together, of statutory bodies, researchers and environmental organisations; but most incredible is the huge amount of support and engagement from local communities. Eric and the Sussex Underwater community have shown non-divers, like me, how remarkable our marine life is and are helping to document the recovery of Sussex kelp forests as it happens. What Eric has found may seem like just a few fronds, but what they represent is hope!

Read more about the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project