A project launched to help restore the Sussex coastline back to a former glory – a time when its waters were abundant with seabream, mackerel, eels, otters and sharks – has over the last year, received financing to the tune of more than one-million-pounds, used to support initiatives including the Sussex Dolphin Project and a scheme to collect, reuse, and recycle discarded fishing nets.

The project has been spurred by Sussex Bay, a local project created to catalyse the natural recovery of Sussex’s seascape. Hosted by Adur and Worthing Councils, it is an independent project launched in June 2024 and aims to inspire far reaching nature recovery projects between the Sussex’s Selsey and Camber Sands. It includes the rivers, coast, and marine space up to 12 nautical miles offshore.

Industrial trawling, overfishing, and pollutants in the water have each contributed to the decline and ‘devastating loss of nature’ across the region in recent decades. There was a time when the Sussex were filled with marine life, including forests of kelp and seagrasses.

In recent decades, West Sussex has lost 98% of its kelp beds, and, as sea temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, it’s anticipated that the region’s intertidal rivers, coastlines, and inshore waters will face increasing environmental pressures too.

A total of £1.2 million has now been pledged to Sussex bay’s ‘Blue Natural Capital Lab’ and is being used to support a number of local projects, including the Sussex Dolphin Project, the Worthing-based Fishing Net Reuse and Recycling scheme, the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme, marine research at the University of Sussex itself, and the revamp of the Windsor Lawns rotunda, an initiative that will enable small-boat fishers to sell their fish on Worthing seafront.

All part of Sussex Bay’s ‘blueprint’ for seascape recovery – part of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy – sources of the funding so far includes the likes of Rewilding Britain, Sea Changers, Natural England, and Innovate UK.

The Blue Natural Capital Lab is the first in the UK and it aims to wash away barriers for marine recovery projects which are looking for funding from ethical sources.

“The £1.2 million that has so far been pledged over the past year by our innovative and forward-thinking funders is already making a difference to Sussex’s seascape recovery. We are humbled by the support received to date,” said Dean Spears, head of Sussex Bay.

“This funding is an injection not just of cash but also of hope for our counties and communities. This is the first step towards a coastline abundant with life once more.”

The ambition is to raise £50 million in what it calls ‘ethical funding’ to aid with marine recovery projects alone the coastline by the year 2050.

“We are still at basecamp of the mountain we need to climb, as Sussex’s sea and wetlands have been seriously degraded in recent decades and face escalating risks from our changing climate,” continued Spears. “But this is an optimistic start.”

Thea Taylor from the Sussex Dolphin Project, added: “Creating meaningful change in the marine environment requires meaningful collaboration. Sussex Bay is uniquely positioned to unite and support the many organisations along the Sussex Coast in a transformative partnership that has the potential to positively impact both the local marine ecosystem and the community.

“We are grateful for Sussex Bay’s support of our educational program, which provides young people with valuable training and direct access to the marine environment, inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards.”

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