Eric's story
Hi there,
My name is Eric, I am 76 years old and the sea has been my sanctuary since I was a kid, diving into the Sussex waters since I was 11. Back then, it was a magical garden of Eden —healthy kelp, clear waters, the best diving of my life.
But as years passed, I watched in dismay as my beloved sea suffered. Pair trawlers (a form of bottom towed fishing, which scrapes the sea floor) came into the area in the 1980’s leaving chaos in their wake, decimating our marine life. My diaries read like a horror story: our seas ecosystem was down to just 3% of what it was when I was a lad.
Enough was enough. I started writing letters and articles to highlight what I was seeing. For years these got ignored but eventually the right person read them, a man called Sean Ashworth. He worked for Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA). IFCA had seen the fish stocks decline at the same rate as the ecosystem. They set about trying to ban the trawling in Sussex to protect the inshore waters.
A wonderful film maker got involved called Sarah Cunliffe (Big wave productions) and an award winning film was made called “Help Our Kelp” with David Attenborough narrating it. The campaign was backed by Sussex Wildlife Trust, Blue marine foundation and other organisations to galvanise the public support. When the IFCA consultation went out instead of the usual 5 people, 2500 people wrote in to support the trawler ban.
We now have 300km2 of seabed in Sussex protected from trawling. The largest marine rewilding project in the UK. The Sussex Kelp recovery Project has now been set up by a group of organisations to monitor the recovery of the area.
Us local divers decided the sea would never be out of sight and out of mind again. Armed with cameras and determination, we formed Sussex Underwater. Our mission? To tell the sea’s story, to make sure everyone cares. So that is was never out of sight and out of mind again.
And you know what? It’s working. Over 20,000 people have joined us on our social media, hungry for glimpses of our Sussex Underwater. Fishermen, paddleboarders, sea lovers of all kinds—our videos open their eyes to the hidden wonders below and on our beaches.
We’re not just showing pretty pictures. We’re showing what’s at stake, right here on our doorstep. Because when people see what’s really happening, they can’t help but care.
We’re a group of sea enthusiasts with a shared dream: to protect this beautiful, blue planet we call home. And it’s incredible to see how many people are joining us. Because, let’s face it, a healthy ocean means a healthy planet for all of us.
So here’s to our underwater paradise. Let’s cherish it, protect it, and make sure everyone knows just how special it is.
I hope one day my grandchildren to see the seas of my youth.
Eric
The natural way
We along with The Sussex Kelp Recovery Project believe that nature based recovery is the best way in Sussex.
Why the natural way
Our mission is to show the recovery of the seabed since the trawler ban, in the hope that this success story will roll out trawler bans across all marine protected areas around the UK coast. We can only measure the success of this by documenting how nature restores itself, without any help.
As the ecosystem hopefully starts to build itself back it will naturally become more resilient to climate change and other human impacts.
Rewilding – Rewilding is a progressive approach to conservation. It’s about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes. Through rewilding, wildlife’s natural rhythms create wilder, more biodiverse habitats.
“Give nature a chance and she will return” – Jane Goodall