Our Sea Forest documentary
Eric’s story was made into a BBC documentary in 2023. The programme starts by re telling Eric’s emotional eye witness account. Describing how he saw the destruction of the sea bed in Sussex by trawlers, and his letter writing campaign to get them banned. It then takes you on a journey with Eric, local divers and his daughter Catrine setting up Sussex Underwater, recording the recovery they are starting to see in Sussex bay.
One scene shows Sussex Underwater rallying supporters to rescue the cuttlefish eggs from the beach and Dexter (a expert in cuttlefish) taking some eggs back to hatch. Eric and Catrine then release the baby cuttlefish into the sea.
At the end of the programme the viewer gets to witness Eric and Catrine driving in the remaining kelp forests at Bognor in Sussex. They come across a majestic sea creature many would not believe you could see in Sussex.
The making of Our Sea Forest
The documentary was filmed by Big Wave Productions over a 2 years period. Film producer Sarah Cunliffe first heard about Eric’s story when she made a film called Help Our Kelp in 2020 to help ban the trawlers in Sussex. She understood how the public would take Eric’s story to their hearts and be inspired by it.
The underwater scenes in the programme were filmed by the Big Wave production team and Sussex Underwater divers. A collaboration of professional aqua lung divers and free divers with go pros.
Chris Packham narrating the documentary was the icing on the cake.
The documentary has spread the news about the trawler ban in Sussex far and wide. Sussex Underwater got hundreds of fantastic positive messages on our facebook page, all giving their support for the work we are doing.
To promote Our Sea Forest, Eric and Catrine took part in many different TV and radio appearances, including South East news and had various news paper article written about the story.
The highlight was being on BBC Breakfast with John Kay and Tina Daheley. ” We had 30 seconds to get onto the set and sit on the big red sofa, they tell you they have 3 million people watching, it was great fun” says Eric.
Eric has also been on various local news programme talking about the trawler ban, further trawler ban consultations in East Sussex and the recovery we are starting to see. Sussex Underwater divers Dominic Liddiard and Paul Boniface were also delighted that their footage of Sussex sea creatures and kelp has been featured on BBC Spring Watch.
Eric was delighted when Charles Clover co founder of Blue Marine Foundation asked if his story could be part of his book Rewilding the Sea. You can find the story in Chapter 9; Saving the forests of the sea. The book is an inspiring read about various different project around the world and how we can save our Oceans.