Overview
 
 

June 2008
A rare female Marbled Electric Ray, Torpedo marmorata, was captured in a trawl net by Worthing fisherman Brian Davey about eight miles off Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex. The ray which was about 60 cm long and can deliver a 220 volt electric shock. It was kept alive found a home at Brighton Sea Life Centre. 

15 June 2008
A seal was spotted in the River Adur lower estuary, first of all on the Sussex Wharf side of the river in the early evening from 8:30 pm. It then swam over to the scrapyard side (east of Monteum, where the fishing boats moor up and unload fish) and was seen for 45 minutes chasing after the fish in the river. The most likely species is the Common (or Harbour) Seal, Phoca vitulina. The tide height at 8:30 pm was 4.4 metres.

14 June 2008

Venue: Coronation Green, Shoreham-by-Sea
Admission: FREE
 
 

Adur was one of the UK leaders in presenting an environmental exhibition of World Oceans Day on Coronation Green, Shoreham-by-Sea, as part of the Adur Festival

12 May 2008
Even more perfect conditions, a bit cooler and no breeze and only the occasional rogue swell from a passing ship, my Brown Shrimp, Crangon crangon, haul at Southwick Beach was about two pints. Other notable captures in the shrimp nets not recorded before this year were one large fully grown 5-Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela, (which looked very much like a 3-Bearded Rockling, Gaidropsarus vulgaris, until the beards were counted), one juvenile Dragonet, Callionymus lyra, a few very small swimming crabs Portumnus latipes, one South-clawed Hermit Crab, Diogenes pugilator, in a Sting Winkle shell, and a colourful Little Cuttle Sepiola.
Full Report
BMLSS Crabs of the Seashore
BMLSS Shrimping

11 May 2008
 

Perfect shrimping conditions were encountered on the morning low tide at Southwick Beach (1.2 metres at 10:40 am) on a sunny hazy day with an air temperature of 22.1 °C and a gentle swell. The haul included plentiful Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, with all three shrimpers getting more than enough for a meal each in under an hour, one fully grown Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, and a few small ones, a few small Solenettes (Slipper Soles), Buglossidium luteum, a few Vernal Crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis, one damaged (missing a claw) Masked Crab, Corystes cassivelaunus, and  two green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas.

5 May 2008
On Bank Holiday Monday, it felt warm for the first time this year as the temperature reached 20.0 °C at midday. The wind was from the north, veering to the south-east and falling to Force 2 by the low spring tide. 
Shoreham Weather

My first shrimping expedition of the year at Lancing produced a moderate amount of Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, plus one Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, one small Solenette (Slipper Sole), Buglossidium luteum, two Vernal Crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis, and two South-clawed Hermit Crabs, Diogenes pugilator, amongst more weed than is usual at the beginning of May. 

24 April 2008
A Short-snouted Seahorse*, Hippocampus hippocampus, was discovered on the filtration plant at Shoreham Harbour. It was alive when found but died shortly afterwards. (*assumed to be this species)

21 March 2008
A summer plumaged Black necked Grebe was seen offshore at Ovingdean in the early evening with the first winter female Surf Scoter still present at dusk. Also a couple of Red throated Divers and Great Crested Grebes were observed on the sea.

The Birds of Sussex web site (hosted by Ian Barnard) is dedicated to all aspects of Birds and Birding in the County of Sussex. It contains a database of birds seen in Sussex. For the commoner species a link is provided to photographs where available.

17 March 2008
After the storms and the report of a mass stranding of Common Starfish, Asterias rubens, on Brighton Beach, I inspected the strandline on Shoreham Beach. All along the strandline there was a greater number of hundreds of thousands of Slipper Limpets and tens of thousands of Whelk egg balls amongst the usual mixed shell collection including Whelks and Oysters and frequent lumps of Tertiary Lignite (sea coal). One Undulate Ray eggcase looked in good condition and was placed in an aquarium in case the embryo was still alive.  There were a few dozen dead Starfish at the Old Fort, but not the hundreds reported from Brighton beach. 

Starfish on the beach in Kent (March 2008)
BMLSS Common Starfish
BMLSS Oyster & the Slipper Limpet

5 March 2008
Two Ravens were seen in the smaller car park at West Breakwater, Newhaven (TV 447999)
attracted by the gulls creating a commotion following a man emptying a bag of bread onto the ground. The Kittiwake colony to the west of Newhaven Fort contained about 40 birds.
Raven Image
Kittiwakes Image

February 2008
Up until now it has been assumed that the Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, that we see along the Sussex coast are either from the Wash area or from the Chichester colony. Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus, have been assumed to come from either further west or east. However a Common Seal tagged in 2007 by the University of Rochelle crossed the English Channel and swam east along the Sussex coast.

23 January 2008
 

Two 'Mermaid's Purses', containing the eggs or young of the Lesser-spotted Dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula, were found lying amongst the timber and seaweed debris on the strandline of Shoreham Beach. 

22 January 2008
 

A dead Short-snouted Seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus, was discovered by Craig Vernoit on Brighton Beach just to the east of Brighton Marina amongst tonnes of timber from the Greek-registered Ice Prince.
BMLSS Seahorses

21 January 2008
 

Timber from the Greek-registered Ice Prince, which sank about 26 miles (42 km) off Dorset after a storm on 15 January 2008, began getting washed up on Worthing Beach in the evening of 18 January 2008 and and tonnes of pine planks littered the Sussex beaches from 20 January 2008. The usual debris was on the strandline including the eggcase of an Undulate Ray, Raja undulata. It measured 67 mm long and 48 mm wide. 
A Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was washed up dead west of Brighton Marina. 
BMLSS Eggcases
BMLSS Whales & Dolphins (by Steve Savage)
Adur Coastal 2008

6 January 2008
A Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, was spotted in the River Ouse near Lewes.

 Link to the Sussex Marine Life Reports for 2007

Marine Life of Sussex 2006

Sussex Sea Fisheries District Committee

Adur Coastal 2007