Helping Our Kelp

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esure supported 5 kelp survey sites along the Sussex coastline in 2023

esure chose to take action towards protecting marine life in 2023, by sponsoring 5 kelp survey sites on the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project. esure worked with GreenTheUK to fund innovative research led by Blue Marine Foundation and University of Sussex. This report outlines the findings from the 2023 survey report and includes footage from esure survey sites, named by the team as: Squid Vicious, Lewis Carp-aldi, Rory Mackerel-roy, Beyon-sea and Harrison Fjord. In 2024, esure are continuing to support Sussex Kelp Recovery by protecting another 5 survey sites.

Sites 20 to 24 were supported by esure.

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esure supported 5 kelp survey sites along the Sussex coastline in 2023 to monitor the recovery of marine habitats and species following the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw using Baited Remote Underwater Video.

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Summary

The waters off the Sussex coast historically supported dense kelp beds of mixed seaweed with at least six different species of kelps and other large brown macroalgae. However, since 1987, over 96 percent of the kelp beds in Sussex had disappeared. To help protect essential fish habitats and remove one of the key barriers to kelp recovery the Sussex IFCA Nearshore Trawling Byelaw was introduced in March 2021, excluding trawling from over 300 square kilometres of seabed. The Sussex Kelp Recovery Project (SKRP) was launched to support and enable the natural recovery of kelp and essential seabed habitats in the Nearshore Trawling Byelaw area.

One of the aims of the SKRP is to understand the ecological, social and economic value of kelp and the Sussex IFCA Nearshore Trawling Byelaw. This will allow benefits from the Byelaw and associated impacts to be evaluated and quantified. This programme is undertaken in collaboration with research organisations, regulators, fishermen, conservation groups, marine user groups and local communities.

Annual monitoring aims to record any changes in species diversity and composition following introduction of the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw and the anticipated recovery of kelp habitat. This will inform a better understanding of the trajectory of ecosystem recovery and the value to biodiversity of the Byelaw.

Methodology

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the University of Sussex with support from Blue Marine deployed Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs) at 28 sites along the Sussex coast to assess diversity and abundance of mobile and benthic-associated species within and outside the Nearshore Trawling Byelaw area (Figure 1).

The BRUVs were equipped with GoPro HERO 8 cameras (Figure 2) to capture footage of the underwater fauna and flora at each site. Each BRUV was baited with one semi-thawed and one frozen scad (Trachurus trachurus), to attract animals.

The videos were subsequently reviewed to record the species observed (scientific name/common name), the time observed in the video, the number of individuals and the duration of observation.

Image Figure 1: Map of the 28 sites along the Sussex Coast that were sampled with BRUVs in July 2021, 2022 and 2023. Note separate deployments of 3 BRUVs were undertaken at Swanage (50° 44.272' N, 0° 29.077' W) in 2021 and in Pullar Bank in 2022 and 2023 (50°40.530’N, 0°48.828’W) for reference against existing kelp dominated ecosystems.
Image Figure 2: BRUV structure, including the two stereo GoPro Hero 8 cameras (A, B), the third GoPro Hero 8 camera set to time lapse for habitat (C) and the bait canister (D).

Preliminary Results for 2021-2023

  • Overall, species diversity remained similar between the years of 2021, 2022 and 2023.
  • A few species were identified in 2023 which had not been seen before, e.g. the Green Sea Urchin.
  • No marked difference was seen inside vs outside the trawling exclusion zone, but Black Sea Bream and Conger Eels were more frequently seen inside the Byelaw zone and in Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone.
  • As kelp and other essential fish habitats recover, the composition of mobile benthic species is likely to change and an increase in herbivores may be seen.

Appendices

Table A2: Species list, group and label

Group Scientific name Sp_Label Common name Group Scientific name Sp_Label Common name
Pelagic Ammodytidae sp. Ammo Sandeel Crustacea Liocarcinus depurator Lide Harbour Crab
Echinoderm Amphipholis squamata Amsq Brittle Star Demersal Lipophrys pholis Liph Shanny
Mollusc Aplysia puncata Appu Sea Hare Crustacea Macropodia rostrata Maro Long-legged Spider Crab
Mollusc Arctica islandica Aris Icelandic Cyprine Crustacea Maja brachydactyla Mabr Spiny Spider Crab
Echinoderm Asterias rubens Asru Common Starfish Demersal Mullus surmuletus Musu Red Mullet
Mollusc Buccinum undatum Buun Common Whelk Pelagic Mustelus asterias Muas Starry Smooth Hound
Crustacea Cancer pagurus Capa Edible Crab Crustacea Necora puber Nepu Velvet Swimming Crab
Mollusc Calliostoma zizyphinum Cazi Painted Topshell Mollusc Nucella labillus Nula Dog Whelk
Crustacea Carcinus maenas Cama Shore Crab Crustacea Pagarus bernardus Pabe Common Hermit Crab
Demersal Centrolabrus exoletus Ceex Rock Cook Crustacea Palaemon serratus Pase Common Prawn
Demersal Chelidonichthys lucerna Chlu Tub Gurnard Demersal Pollachius pollachius Popo Pollack
Demersal Chirolophis ascanii Chas Yarrells Blenny Demersal Pomatoschistus microps Pomi Common Goby
Pelagic Conger conger Coco Conger Eel Demersal Pomatoschistus minutus Pomi Sand Goby
Crustacea Corystes cassivelaunus Coca Masked Crab Demersal Pomatoschistus pictus Popi Painted Goby
Demersal Ctenolabrus rupestris Ctru Goldsinny Demersal Raja clavata Racl Thornback Ray
Demersal Dasyatis pastinaca Dapa Common Stingray Demersal Raja undulata Raun Undulate Ray
Demersal Dicentrarchus labrax Dila Bass Pelagic Scomber scomber Scsc Mackerel
Crustacea Diogenes pugilator Dipu Hermit Crab Pelagic Scyliorhinus canicula Scca Small Spotted Catshark
Mollusc Doris pseudoargus Dops Sea Lemon Mollusc Sepia officinalis Seof Common Cuttlefish
Demersal Eutrigla gurnadus Eugu Grey Gurnard Demersal Sparus aurata Spau Gilthead Sea Bream
Crustacea Galathea spp. Gasp Squat Lobster Demersal Spondyliosoma cantharus Spca Black Seabream
Pelagic Galeorhinus galeus Gaga Tope Shark Mollusc Steromphala cineraria Stci Grey Topshell
Mollusc Glycymeris glycymeris Glgl Dog Cockle Demersal Symphodus melops Syme Corkwing Wrasse
Demersal Gobiusculus flavescens Gofl Two-spot Goby Demersal Thorogobius ephippiatus Thep Leopard-Spotted Goby
Demersal Gobuis paganellus Gopa Rock Goby Demersal Trisopterus luscus Trlu Bib
Crustacea Goneplax rhomboides Gorh Angular Crab Demersal Trisopterus minutus Trmi Poor Cod
Crustacea Hyas araneus Hyar Great Spider Crab Mollusc Tritia reticulata Trre Netted Dog Whelk
Crustacea Inachus dorsettensis Indo Scorpion Spider Crab Mollusc Trivia monacha Trmo European Cowries
Demersal Labrus bergylta Labe Ballan Wrasse Mollusc Trochidae Trtr Topshells
Demersal Labrus mixtus Lami Cuckoo Wrasse - - - -

Acknowledgements

Thank you once again to esure for their support of the Sussex coastline and contributing towards this important research on an essential marine habitat for biodiversity.

Thanks to PhD student Alice Clark, Professor Mika Peck, Dr Valentina Scarponi and Masters students at University of Sussex for undertaking surveys, data analysis and collation of images and footage. Thanks also to Neville Blake, skipper of the New Dawn charter boat.

Thanks to all GreenTheUK sponsors for support of this research programme.

This case study was adapted from a report published in December 2023: A collaborative study between Blue Marine Foundation and University of Sussex as part of the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project. The report authors were Sam Fanshawe of Blue Marine Foundation and Alice Clark, Mika Peck and Valentina Scarponi from the University of Sussex, School of Life Sciences, Ecology and Evolution.

If you have any questions about the research, please contact Alice Clark (University of Sussex): ac831@sussex.ac.uk

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Species this project aims to support

Black Sea Bream : Spondyliosoma Cantharus

Black Sea Bream

All black sea bream are born female, but they can change their sex once they grow to 30cm long, and any fish over 40cm are male! Black sea bream spawn during April and May. Males build nests where females lay hundreds of thousands of eggs.

Bottlenose Dolphin : Tursiops

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins are very intelligent, sociable mammals that travel in small packs and communicate using squeaks and whistles. They can be found swimming in coastal waters all around the UK and can live for up to 50 years.

Common Lobster : Homarus Gammarus

Common Lobster

You might think of lobsters as being red, but in fact that only happens when it is cooked; in the wild, lobsters are blue! They have two pincers of different sizes: one to crush food and one to tear it. Lobsters have very bad eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell and taste.

Common Seal : Phoca Vitulina

Common Seal

The harbour or common seal is both smaller than the grey seal and less prevalent in UK waters. This seal’s blood contains much more haemoglobin than ours, allowing it to stay underwater for around 10 minutes at a time when diving after prey. Seal pups can swim and dive when they are just a few hours old.

Common Sole : Solea Solea

Common Sole

The common or Dover sole is a flat fish that feeds on small worms, molluscs and crustaceans. Both its small eyes are located on the right hand side of its smooth, flat body. In the 19th century, sole was found in abundance in Dover and was considered such a delicacy that special stagecoaches would transport it from Kent to London’s fashionable restaurants.

Cuttlefish : Sepia Officinalis

Cuttlefish

This remarkable creature can change texture and colour either to attract a mate or to help them blend into the background and fool predators. Like its squid and octopus relatives, the cuttlefish is a cephalopod with eight sucker- covered arms and two tentacles. Cuttlefish live in deep water, then move into more shallow areas to mate, and tend to die after they have bred.

Edible Crab : Cancridae

Edible Crab

If you’ve ever been rock-pooling on one of the UK’s glorious beaches, the chances are you’ve encountered the shore crab. This common crustacean can grow up to 9cm wide and is usually either green, orange or red. The edible brown crab, meanwhile, is around twice that size and thousands of tonnes of edible crabs are caught annually in the English Channel.

Grey Seal : Halichoerus Grypus

Grey Seal

Just under half of the grey seals in the world can be found in British coastal waters. Pups are quite small at birth but put on weight quickly as they develop blubber to help them deal with the cold. Their Latin name means “hook-nosed sea pig”.

Kelp : Laminariales

Kelp

Kelp is the general name for about 30 different types of large seaweed growing along cold coastlines in the Northern Hemisphere. Dried sugar kelp used to be hung up outside to help forecast the weather; if it went soft, it would rain and if it stayed crisp, conditions were likely to remain dry. Giant kelp can grow as tall as 30m, creating thick underwater forests.

Lumpsuckers : Cyclopteridae

Lumpsuckers

As the name suggests, this fish is so chubby that it is almost spherical and has suckers on the underside of its pelvis. Female lumpsuckers lay their eggs near the shore and then swim out to sea, but the males stay with the eggs for more than a month, guarding them from predators until they hatch. Lumpfish roe can be harvested and made into caviar.

Small-spotted Catshark : Scyliorhinus Canicula

Small-spotted Catshark

This small shark is also known as the “lesser-spotted dogfish” or the “rock salmon”, which is how it is listed on fish and chip shop menus.You’ll find it living close to the seabed in shallow waters all around the UK’s coastline. Its egg-casing is nicknamed “the mermaid’s purse”.

Sugar Kelp : Saccharina Latissima

Sugar Kelp

If you have ever ventured onto a British beach, you’ll almost certainly have come across the long, crinkly ribbons of seaweed known as sugar kelp. Sugar kelp grows all around the UK’s coastline and is particularly prevalent in rockpools. It is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and contains the natural sugar mannitol which is used as a low-calorie sweetener and in some medicines.

Whelk : Buccinum Undatum

Whelk

The common whelk is found all around the UK’s coast and is the largest sea snail found in British waters. It lives on sandy seabeds where it lays its eggs and uses its long proboscis to feed on other molluscs. Whelks have conical shells, which are often used for shelter by hermit crabs, or found washed up on our beaches.

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