A GREENPEACE ship has docked after campaigners built an underwater “boulder barrier” to stop fishing in a protected area of the channel.

The Ship Esperanza was seen in the Shoreham Port shortly after 2pm this afternoon.

Greenpeace have been dropping boulders from the vessel in the offshore Brighton marine protected area to close off nearly 55 square nautical miles of the sea from bottom trawling.

The Argus: The names of celebrities and other Greenpeace supporters were written on the boulders in non-toxic paintThe names of celebrities and other Greenpeace supporters were written on the boulders in non-toxic paint

The environmental group says bottom trawling, in which heavy weighted nets are dragged over the seabed to catch fish, is ploughing up the sensitive seabed habitat for which the area is protected.

The gravel and rock seabed of the conservation zone 28 miles south of Selsey Bill, West Sussex, is home to wildlife including starfish, hermit crabs and anemones and is a rich hunting ground for skates, rays and other fish.

Celebrities including Thandie Newton, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Paloma Faith, Bella Ramsey, Mark Rylance, Jarvis Cocker and Ranulph Fiennes have signed their names to boulders dropped into the sea.

The Argus: Boulders have been dropped off the coast of Selsey BillBoulders have been dropped off the coast of Selsey Bill

It comes after a dead dolphin was found on Southwick Beach on Wednesday afternoon with rope wrapped around its tail.

Members of the Brighton Dolphin Project - an organisation which aims to “inspire and engage the local community to learn about the incredible marine wildlife off the Sussex coast” - said they believed the dolphin had been a victim of by-catch.

This is where fish and marine creatures become trapped by fishing nets, but they are thrown back due to being unwanted.

Thea Taylor, the Brighton Dolphin Project's co-lead, said: “This is a sad end for this common dolphin, which has clearly been the victim of by-catch.

"Pods of common dolphins have been sighted more regularly over the last few years in the Sussex area and are a great indicator of the health of the local marine ecosystem.

"We need to find a solution to the unnecessary deaths of these marine mammals."