25 August 2026
Dean Spears
The ocean is always changing. What does that mean for Sussex Bay?

A fascinating recent piece in The Guardian explores how marine heatwaves are increasingly becoming part of life in British waters, including here in Sussex. Warmer waters are already influencing which species we see, the habitats they depend upon and the pressures facing our marine environment.

It is also a reminder that restoring our ocean isn’t simply about looking backwards. It is about thinking carefully about what a healthy, thriving and resilient seascape could look like in a changing climate.

The article brings the story particularly close to home for Sussex Bay. It opens with Brighton based charter skipper Kurt Lander, who describes seeing more sunfish in the Channel and a striking change in the fish he catches. Where he once caught hundreds of cod a year, he says summer catches have fallen to perhaps one or two, while warmer water species such as bass, comber and triggerfish are becoming more common.

The wider message is particularly relevant to Sussex Bay: as ocean temperatures change, the species, habitats and fisheries around our coastline may change with them, making long term recovery planning, monitoring and adaptation increasingly important.

That question sits at the heart of our work at Sussex Bay.

Over the past two years, organisations, communities, researchers, fishers, environmental groups and many others from across the region have helped shape Sussex Bay’s Blueprint for Seascape Recovery. Along the way, we’ve also been learning by doing. From native oyster restoration in Littlehampton to innovative work with communities across Sussex Bay, we’re exploring what seascape recovery can look like in practice, rooted in local places, local knowledge and the people who care about them.

The Blueprint has been funded without public funds, through the Blue Natural Capital Lab in Sussex Bay, enabling us to bring together evidence, expertise and voices from across the region to think about the future of our shared seascape.

At the end of September, we’ll publish Part 2 of the Blueprint.

Importantly, that won’t be the end of the conversation. It will begin a region wide conversation about the actions within it. We want to hear from everyone who cares about the future of our coast and sea, before the Blueprint is finalised and published in early 2027.

In the meantime, you can explore the work already underway across Sussex Bay. Our publications page brings together Part 1 of the Blueprint for Seascape Recovery, our latest Delivery Plan and our Annual Report, showing both where we want to go and what is already happening on the ground.

👉 www.sussexbay.org.uk/publications

Our coastline stretches for around 100 miles, from Selsey Bill to Camber Sands, and is home to around 1.7 million people.
The ocean around us is changing. The question is what we choose to do together in response.

More soon. Look out for Part 2 at the end of September and, most importantly, tell us what you think.