On the 18th March 2025, the UK’s largest marine rewilding initiative, Sussex Kelp Recovery Project (SKRP), is marking the four-year anniversary of the project and the introduction of the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw.
The milestone comes as SKRP researchers report encouraging signs of recovery, including increased marine life and changes to life on the seabed along the Sussex coastline.
Historically, Sussex’s kelp forests covered vast areas from Selsey to Shoreham, but 96% of kelp forests had been wiped out by 2019, largely due to The Great Storm of 1987 followed by ensuing destructive fishing practices known as bottom-trawling, which devastated the seabed and the wildlife which inhabited these underwater havens. As kelp forests provide crucial nursery habitats for fish and invertebrates, their loss significantly impacted local fisheries and marine biodiversity.
To address this, a landmark fisheries management byelaw was introduced in March 2021, officially known as the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) Nearshore Trawling Byelaw. This measure banned bottom-trawling across more than 300km² of Sussex seabed, allowing essential fish habitats, including kelp forests, the chance to recover.