Sussex Kelp

Kelp is the name given to several species of large brown seaweed. It has a similar structure to a plant, but instead of roots it has a branching holdfast which roots it to the seabed. It has a thin hard stalk (called a stipe) and fronds that spread out like leaves.

In areas of the globe where conditions are ideal, kelp can form dense underwater forests, which are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet!

Of the 13 species of kelp found in European waters, three are present along the Sussex coastline, in southern England; tangleweed (Laminaria hyperborea), oarweed (Laminaria digitata) and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), whichcan be seen below. (1)

Kelp communities provide nutrition for grazers and increase habitat complexity, supporting species of high ecological and commercial value such as the Atlantic cod. (2)

Other regulating ecosystem services provided by kelp forests include carbon sequestration, wave attenuation, and water filtering. (3)

Kelp also provide provisioning ecosystem services such as fertilisers, fuel, and food sources.(4)

Kelp forests were highly abundant within the west Sussex coastal area up until the later parts of the 1980’s, encompassing a vast area of roughly 177km². (5) An increase in trawling and fishing activities, as well as a reduction in the quality of water and the 1987 Great Storm have resulted in the loss of roughly ninety five percent of the kelp forests within this area.(6) A bylaw area of approximately 4km along the Sussex coastline, banning trawling, originally proposed by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA), was recently approved by the UK government, will finally allow for the active recovery of kelp forests within this area. A useful tool for the monitoring of kelp distributions is the use of remote sensing technologies.(7)

The Sussex Kelp Restoration Project, which is part of the Sussex Wildlife Trust has formed a "The Help Our Kelp" partnership, which has helped to bring together an number of key organisations , who will assist in getting the restoration project off the ground , as well as supporting it in the long term. The group includes a number of research institutions who bring crucial expertise in kelp ecology, oceanography and social sciences, together with strategic stakeholders, who will provide assistance in the more practical elements of the work. One of their key supporters is Sir David Attenborough, who helped them to increase awareness regarding the plight of kelp. What his video below!