A TEAM from the University of Sussex have started to conduct the first survey of the Sussex coastline to explore the recovery of kelp forests following the recent trawling ban.

The Higher Education Innovation Fund is funding the survey as part of the university's Covid recovery programme. It has also partnered with the Greater Brighton city region.

The team, led by Dr Mika Peck and Dr Valentina Scarponi, will be gathering data from 34 sites between Shoreham and Selsey using three techniques:

• eDNA, which use a water sample to determine the species that are present.

• Baited underwater videos (BRUVs) dropped to the bottom of the sea to capture an hour of continuous footage.

• Bioacoustics which used sound recordings to establish species activity and overall ecosystem health.

The BRUV frames were built by Tim Crane, a lecturer in Physical Geography at Sussex University.

The underwater cameras have already captured images of butterfish, small spotted catsharks and conger eels, among many other species, however, the team says activity is much less than it should be.

The Argus: Life such as the undulate ray has already been spotted by the team. Credit - Stuart RobinsonLife such as the undulate ray has already been spotted by the team. Credit - Stuart Robinson

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 byelaw area that is previously known to have the 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 priority threatened UK species such as herring, mackerel, and common sole."

The surveys will be conducted annually for the next five years and will provide information to the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project on the impacts and benefits of the Nearshore Trawling Byelaw prohibiting trawling for over 300 square kilometres of the coast.

Kelp forests provide habitats for many marine species and have the potential to improve water quality and reduce coastal erosion by absorbing the power of the waves.

Since 1987, more than 96 per cent of Kelp forests have been lost, with trawling suspected to be one of the main factors stopping its recovery.

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.