On the 25th and 26th October, the team from Project Seagrass attended Swansea Science Festival to launch new VR experience: My Seagrass Adventure. The experience has been created as part of an innovative partnership between Project Seagrass, Proper Good Films, and Onyva Studio and takes users on a mesmerising journey
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The small spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) is a small shark species growing up to 1 meter long and can be seen around European and North African coastlines. They
In an article for Halloween, Grace Cutler, one of Project Seagrass’ Interns for the 2025-26 academic year, explores the frightening reality of continued seagrass loss as a result of anthropogenic activity and how this in turn threatens seagrass’ role in supporting people and planet. Werewolves are struck down by silver
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The snakelocks anemone is a funny looking creature commonly found around the UK. They have up to 200 long, wavy tentacles and can grow on average to about
The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The Brent Goose Branta bernicla is of a similar size to a Mallard duck, making it one of the smallest goose species in the world. They are a
On the 25th and 26th October, the team from Project Seagrass attended Swansea Science Festival to launch new VR experience: My Seagrass Adventure. The experience has been created as part of an innovative partnership between Project Seagrass, Proper Good Films, and Onyva Studio and takes users on a mesmerising journey through the UK’s seagrass meadows. Featuring music from Project Seagrass’ patrons Coldplay and narration from Simon Pegg, My Seagrass Adventure allows users to explore a variety of creatures that call seagrass meadows home and learn about the importance of the UK’s seagrass habitats. The experience aims to widen awareness of seagrass habitats and allow communities who wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to see seagrass to connect with the habitat. Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, CEO of Project Seagrass said: “This project has been a fantastic opportunity to create an immersive experience that allows anyone to explore the sights and sounds of our incredible UK seagrass meadows. One of the key challenges we face with seagrass, as with many marine ecosystems, is that it largely exists out of sight. By giving people virtual access to these underwater habitats, we can connect with many more people and plant the seed of seagrass appreciation. After all, we need to know about something and understand its value before we can truly care about protecting it.” Andrew Brown, Creative Partner at Onyva Studio said: “It’s been great working with the team at Project Seagrass to bring this experience to life. Seeing people put the headset on at an event and feel like they are really diving down to the ocean floor is thrilling. We’re super proud to have been part of such an important and exciting project.” Ben Mann, Managing Director at Proper Good Films said: “This was a fantastic collaboration between Project Seagrass, Proper Good and Onyva. We loved being part of such a meaningful project, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass for marine habitats. Having Coldplay and Simon Pegg involved really elevated it to a really impactful, meditative and inspiring immersive experience.” Held at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, over 250 people had the opportunity to experience My Seagrass Adventure as part of its official launch. The VR experience has been made possible due to the generous support of a range of funders and partners including Project Seagrass’ patrons Coldplay, Simon Pegg, Swansea University, ERM Foundation, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue: North Wales programme, Richard Unsworth, Rebecca Cullen, and many members of the Project Seagrass team who have contributed to this project.
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The small spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) is a small shark species growing up to 1 meter long and can be seen around European and North African coastlines. They generally live in shallow coastal areas and rarely go deeper than 100 meters around the British Isles, but in areas such as the Mediterranean they have been spotted swimming down to 400 meters deep. They love sandy, muddy or rocky seafloors where they feed on crab, molluscs and fish which they detect with their strong sense of smell and electrical sensors located in its snout. Sharks have really interesting skin. Tiny teeth-like structures called dermal denticles cover their whole body, giving the shark a course, sandpapery texture. These provide the shark with an armour like protection from other predators, but also from parasites, algae and barnacles that might think a sharks body would make a good home. Each denticle has a blood flow and is covered in dentine – the same thing as human teeth – to make them extra solid structures and are discarded and replaced throughout the sharks lifetime. Denticles also reduce drag whilst swimming, allowing the creatures to swim at high speeds. This particular property has been of interest to companies, who have mimicked the structure of the denticles with synthetic materials for human use. One such example is Speedo, who created a material called “Fastskin” for swimsuits that was so good it was banned from competitions, including the Olympics! Small Spotted Catshark egg in Seagrass Spotted catsharks are oviparous – meaning they lay their young in eggs to develop outside of the body. The female will lay her eggs in pairs in sheltered, shallow coastal areas. To keep the eggs safe during development, the female will attach the egg case to a solid structure – usually seaweed or seagrass. Once ready to lay the eggs, long tendrils at each corner of the egg will appear first. These are attached to a seagrass shoot or seaweed by the female swimming in tight circles around it. Once these tendrils are attached, the female will circle faster, pulling the rest of the egg from the cloaca and making sure it is firmly attached to the chosen structure. The eggs will develop for 8-9 months, depending on the sea temperature and then hatch into small versions of the adults. It is common to see spotted catshark egg cases washed up on beaches around the UK. If you’ve come across a small, roughly 5 -7 cm long, thin case with curly tendrils at each corner, chances are it was a spotted catshark egg case! Usually these are empty, but sometimes they will have been dislodged and wash up with the embryo inside. If you find one of these – made sure to put it in a deep rock pool and anchor it down so it doesn’t float back onto the beach! What is a spotted catsharks relationship with seagrass? This catshark uses seagrass mainly as a nursery for its young. As mentioned before, the females will wrap the tendrils of the egg cases around a solid structure such as seagrass, ensuring it doesn’t get washed away in currents and keeping the developing embryo safe. Dense seagrass meadows make perfect nursery’s once the sharks hatch from their eggs too. The meadows provide shelter from predators as well as a wide variety of food for the baby spotted catsharks to practice hunting. Adult spotted catsharks may also be spotted around seagrass meadows as a lot of their prey likes to hide between the shoots, such as crabs and small fish. Why is this species important? Unlike some of the other species mentioned in this blog series, spotted catsharks have little commercial/ human use. Some communities eat them but on a large commercial scale, they have little value. However, within ecosystems it has a couple of important roles. It is a mid-level predator, meaning it eats a wide variety of smaller creatures as part of its regular diet, but also can be prey for other bigger species, like other sharks and seals. The role of a predator is vital in maintaining healthy populations. For example, the spotted catshark loves to munch on crab, which can be quite destructive animals when their population grows too large. By keeping crab numbers at a healthy level, catsharks help maintain functioning ecosystems and happy seagrass meadows. Also, scientists can use spotted catsharks as indicator species. If they are present, it means the habitat has a healthy number of different species as the sharks wouldn’t stick around an area that doesn’t have enough food to support them. Reference : https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/science/small-spotted-catshark
In an article for Halloween, Grace Cutler, one of Project Seagrass’ Interns for the 2025-26 academic year, explores the frightening reality of continued seagrass loss as a result of anthropogenic activity and how this in turn threatens seagrass’ role in supporting people and planet. Werewolves are struck down by silver bullets, vampires are defeated with wooden stakes; the environment is protected by seagrass. While it may not be as dramatic, the narrative that aligns seagrass as the ultimate solution to combating the environmental crisis is popular. As someone studying this remarkable habitat, it’s easy to see why. The only marine flowering plant in the world, seagrass offers numerous ecological benefits, supporting both our planet and humanity. Despite this, we risk ignoring the crux of the issue by relying on these green solutions. We keep polluting. It is because we continue to pollute our environment, be it through greenhouse gases, plastic pollution, or general waste production, that the very things that help to prevent the environmental crisis, are dying. A Natural Water Filter? While seagrass may not clean water bodies, it increases particle deposition rates by slowing the speed of waves and allowing more time for particles to sink to the ocean floor. Particles can then become trapped in the seagrass meadow and are prevented from ending up elsewhere in waterways. This process has been shown to capture excess nutrients, waste products, and even pathogens. A study conducted in the greater Seattle Metropolitan Area showed that mussels placed in seagrass habitats had 65% less relative abundance of some pathogens when compared to mussels placed in habitats without seagrass. Yet, the most apparent threat to seagrass, identified by UK researchers, is water quality. Like most plant species, seagrass can function in polluted water quality up to a point or ‘threshold value’. Similar to how humans can eat a certain number of toffee apples until it becomes too much and we get a sugar crash. Once this threshold is exceeded, seagrass will decline and, in some severe instances, disappear from the environment entirely. One such instance can be seen in the Chinese province Hainan, where researchers found that a dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration of 8μM or above will cause seagrass meadows to disappear. This is because an excess of nutrients in water bodies, like nitrogen, stimulates the production of algae which blooms on the surface of the water and prevents sunlight from reaching seagrass beds. Additionally, some nutrients like ammonium and sulphides can have direct negative effects on seagrass growth. Fortifying our Coastlines Imagine a castle that is under attack. If it is strong and maintained, the castle will be better at defending itself against intruders. However, the next time it is under attack, there are holes and weak points left in it from the previous battle. Over time, this castle falls into disrepair and becomes a ruin, leaving it unable to protect its inhabitants. Seagrass is similar. Its inhabitants are our coastlines. Coastlines today are facing threats on all fronts. Sea level rise, extreme storms, and erosion are just some of the problems they experience. With that said, some have considered using seagrass as a way of minimising the impact of storms causing erosion in these areas. Through their matted root systems, called rhizomes, seagrass meadows have been shown to improve the stability of sediments and reduce wave energy before it reaches the shore in some hydrodynamic systems. Yet, seagrass is also harmed by these storms. Meadows that are struck by intense physical disturbances can be uprooted or die back, initiating a positive feedback loop where meadows in decline are more vulnerable to disturbances. This means when the next storm hits, seagrass not only will be more susceptible to decline, but they are also less able to protect our coasts. What About Carbon? Carbon storage is a phrase often thrown around. It may be the key reason why people are interested in seagrass as an answer to climate change. With anxiety surrounding our warming planet on the rise, this isn’t unprecedented. However, seagrass may not be quite the antidote we think it is. Recent evidence has shown that following disturbances, carbon stored in the soil of meadows may be re-released into their environment as carbon dioxide. Such disturbances can range from direct physical effects, such as dredging and construction work, or indirect global threats stimulated by climate change. A 2011 marine heat wave struck the West-coast of Australia, causing the reported loss of over 1000 km2 of seagrass in Shark Bay. Another instance of mass seagrass loss occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, where two seagrass species (Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiform) disappeared following sea level rise in 2014. Without seagrass, the carbon stored in these soils is easily remineralised and released back into the environment. What’s Next? Thankfully, the main factor contributing to seagrass decline appears to be anthropogenic impacts such as dredging, overfishing, and agricultural runoff. This means that with changes in how we do things, we can stop the death of seagrass. However, this means seagrass mustn’t be painted as a plaster to patch up the pollution of the planet. To help seagrass, we must reduce pollution, reduce nutrient runoff, protect seagrass so it can protect us! References Ranking the risk of CO2 emissions from seagrass soil carbon stocks under global change threats Extreme climate events lower resilience of foundation seagrass at edge of biogeographical range Too hot to handle: Unprecedented seagrass death driven by marine heatwave in a World Heritage Area Rapid sea level rise causes loss of seagrass meadows Seagrass ecosystems as green urban infrastructure to mediate human pathogens in seafood Toxic effects of increased sediment nutrient and organic matter loading on the seagrass Zostera noltii Losses and recovery of organic carbon from a seagrass ecosystem following disturbance Continual migration of patches within a Massachusetts seagrass meadow limits carbon accretion and storage Mediterranean seagrasses provide essential coastal protection under climate change
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The snakelocks anemone is a funny looking creature commonly found around the UK. They have up to 200 long, wavy tentacles and can grow on average to about 8cm wide. These anemones are common in rock pools as they like to attach themselves to a solid surface in sunny spots, however they are also commonly found attached to seagrass leaves. Their diet generally consists of plankton, tiny crustaceans, and small fish. To catch live prey, they use sticky stinging cells in their tentacles called nematocysts which emit a paralysing, sometimes lethal, venom on contact. This venom is mostly harmless to humans, generally only causing a small rash on contact. Snakelocks anemones in the Isle of Wight Snakelocks anemone tentacles are usually a deep green with purple tips. A symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae located in the tissue helps the anemone to survive by producing essential nutrients like glucose via photosynthesis. In return, the algae receive a safe stable environment to live. Due to this need for photosynthesis, the anemone needs light so generally won’t live more than 12 meters deep. Unlike other anemone species, the snakelocks rarely retracts its tentacles, allowing them to make the most of any sunlight. A recent study discovered that snakelocks anemones move their tentacles throughout the day to follow the sun whilst its body remains in one place, similar to sunflowers! This is commonly seen in plants, but never before in animals. It is thought this movement is caused by the algae living within their tentacles. You can read more about this here. The snakelocks anemone is a Cnidarian – a group of aquatic invertebrates also including jellyfish and corals. Cnidarians have a fascinating life cycle but to put it simply, they generally have 2 body forms – a swimming medusae and a sessile polyp stage and can reproduce either sexually or asexually. However, the snakelocks anemone completely lacks the free-swimming medusa stage. This means once the sperm and eggs are fertilised, which happens externally in the water column, the larvae drop down to create another polyp from which tentacles will grow. A more common method of reproduction is longitudinal fission. This asexual method involves the anemone splitting in half to create 2 identical individuals. This process can take between a couple of minutes to a few hours. So what is a snakelocks anemone’s relationship with seagrass? These anemones are commonly found in seagrass meadows around the UK. They attach and live on the leaves, providing the anemone with a stable, sunny habitat. The seagrass protects the anemones from drying up at low tide, meaning the anemone can be in shallower waters and get more sunlight without the risk of desiccation. Are snakelock anemones an important species? Of course! Every species has an important ecological niche, i.e. a role it plays within its environment that helps maintain a healthy functioning ecosystem. Some small creatures like to live within the tentacles of the snakelock anemone, such as the incognito goby, shrimps and Leach’s spider crabs. The tentacles of the anemone provide shelter and protection from predators. Human populations also use snakelocks anemones. For example, in southwest Spain and Sardinia it is a common dish, served marinated in vinegar and deep fried.
The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never been greater. The United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework both set ambitious targets: restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems, including those underwater, by 2030. So the question is: if the will, the science, and the funding are building, what’s holding us back? According to a team of 25 scientists and practitioners from 18 countries, one of the biggest obstacles isn’t just the technical challenge of restoration itself, it’s the licensing and regulation systems designed to govern it. In their recent paper, Rethinking Marine Restoration Permitting to Urgently Advance Efforts, they argue that outdated, overly complex permitting processes are unintentionally slowing down the very projects needed to restore the oceans. Marine Restoration Is Still Young Unlike reforestation on land, which has centuries of trial and error behind it, marine restoration is still in its infancy. Early projects in kelp, oysters, and seagrass go back decades, but systematic science-based restoration is relatively new. Failures are common, often because methods are untested or ecological dynamics are poorly understood. But those failures are not a reason to stop—they are opportunities to learn. Unfortunately, knowledge sharing is patchy, with unsuccessful projects often going unreported. This means mistakes are repeated instead of avoided. When Regulation Backfires No one disputes that regulations are essential to protect fragile ecosystems. But the paper highlights a paradox: the very laws meant to safeguard marine environments can also block or delay restoration. Permitting processes are frequently designed for terrestrial development projects, not marine habitat recovery. This mismatch means approvals are expensive, slow, and sometimes impossible to obtain. For instance, restoration within marine protected areas is often heavily restricted, even when the activity would clearly benefit the marine ecosystems and its biodiversity. The result? Practitioners may choose suboptimal sites just to avoid regulatory headaches, or abandon projects altogether. In some cases, frustrated groups even take matters into their own hands through “covert restoration,” risking legal trouble to get reefs or seagrasses replanted. Why “Business as Usual” Won’t Work Complicating matters further is climate change. Even if the world manages to stay under the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, marine ecosystems face enormous risks. Marine heatwaves, shifting species ranges, and rising seas mean that simply recreating past habitats is no longer realistic. Instead, the authors argue for a forward-looking approach: restoration must aim to create resilient ecosystems for the future, not replicas of the past. That may involve controversial tools like assisted gene flow, assisted migration, or even repurposing invasive species to provide ecological functions. While these approaches raise ethical questions, the authors stress that clinging to outdated baselines is more dangerous than carefully exploring new ones. The Case for Innovation “Sandpits” One of the paper’s most intriguing proposals is the creation of innovation sandpits, dedicated spaces where scientists and practitioners can test new restoration methods under flexible permitting conditions. The idea is to encourage creativity and experimentation, similar to the culture of innovation that drove the U.S. “moonshot” program. Such sandpits could allow restoration at meaningful scales, where failures are expected but also monitored and shared, building collective knowledge. Crucially, this would need to be done with free, prior, and informed consent from local communities, ensuring equity and transparency. Scaling Up Takes Time Another bottleneck is time. Most restoration permits are short-term, three to five years at most. But successful marine recovery often requires decades of continuous effort. Seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, and mangrove forests don’t mature overnight. Short permits create interruptions, forcing projects to restart and making funding insecure. For large-scale recovery, licensing must align with ecological realities: long-term horizons, continuity, and scale. Small, scattered projects will never be enough. Strategic national and international coordination is needed to identify suitable areas, streamline approvals, and pool resources. Equity and Responsibility The paper also highlights the importance of equity. Restoration is not just about biodiversity; it directly impacts the people who live alongside these ecosystems. Indigenous communities, local fishers, and coastal residents must have a say in how projects are planned and implemented. Otherwise, well-meaning initiatives could unintentionally restrict access to resources or sideline traditional knowledge. The authors emphasise that urgency must not become an excuse for ignoring equity. Social inclusion, fairness, and justice are essential for lasting success. Six Steps Toward Better Restoration Licensing The authors conclude with a six-point agenda for change: Embrace novelty: Use innovative tools (genetics, assisted migration, new technologies) to prepare for future conditions, not past baselines. Establish sandpits: Create safe zones for testing and scaling new methods. Strategic restoration zones: Designate areas where permits are streamlined and projects are protected from future disturbance. Transparent reporting: Mandate open sharing of successes and failures, so the whole field can learn. Streamlined, long-term permits: Align licensing with ecological timescales and assume restoration is a positive activity by default. Remove fees, add incentives: Instead of charging for permits, reward landowners and stakeholders who enable restoration. Looking Ahead Marine restoration has the potential to be a cornerstone of the “blue revolution” needed to sustain life on Earth. But to succeed, governments, regulators, scientists, and communities must rethink how we design the systems that enable it. As the authors argue, the goal is not deregulation, but smarter, more adaptive regulation. The ocean is changing rapidly, and restoration must change with it. By fostering innovation, embracing uncertainty, and prioritising resilience and equity, we can give our seas a fighting chance.
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The Brent Goose Branta bernicla is of a similar size to a Mallard duck, making it one of the smallest goose species in the world. They are a highly social species and form strong bonds within the groups they live in. If you spot a group of Brent Geese, look out for the ‘compass’ goose – this is the leader of the group and will lead the way between foraging areas. Depending on the species of Brent Goose, individuals may have a dark or light belly, along with a dark head and body, with adults having a small white patch on their necks. They can be seen throughout the UK during the autumn/ winter months in marine, intertidal or wetland areas. Dark bellied Brent Geese. Photo Credit Emma Butterworth Migration Just like many other bird species, Brent Geese carry out an annual migration. They spend summer months breeding and raising chicks in the Arctic and migrate to Western Europe for more temperate winters. Generally, the individuals we get overwintering here in the UK are from Siberia. Due to these long migration routes and small body size, Brent Geese have a high food demand meaning they heavily rely on stopovers to refuel. Their most popular stopover sites tend to be Zostera marina meadows. Large numbers of Brent Geese have been spotted for several weeks each year in Izembek Lagoon (Alaska), lagoons in Baja California, the German/Danish Wadden Sea, the Golfe du Morbihan (France), British estuaries, and the White Sea (Western Russian Arctic). Diet Brent Geese are heavily herbivorous and mainly consume seagrass. They have relatively short necks and lack the ability to dive so can only reach plants at low tide or in shallow water. Interestingly, during breeding season the geese will consume a wide range of plant species but show a strong preference for Zostera species throughout non-breeding seasons due to the high digestibility and nutritional value compared to other options. They have been observed eating both the leaves and rhizomes of the plants. Importance of seagrass for Brent Goose populations As mentioned previously, Brent Geese rely heavily on seagrass during their migrations. This can be seen in population trends. In the 1930s, Zostera species across the North American coast were heavily affected by wasting disease and there was a significant population decline. At the same time, a steep decline in Brent Goose population was also observed on both sides of the Atlantic, with estimates ranging from 75 – 90% of populations lost. During the 1950s, there was a good recovery of seagrass beds in the areas previously affected, which was followed by a recovery of Brent Goose populations from around 15,000 to over 100,000. Similar smaller scale events like this have been observed, showing just how important healthy seagrass meadows are for species like the Brent Goose that rely so heavily on them. Are Brent Geese bad for seagrass restoration? It could be argued that Brent Geese are bad for seagrass and bad for seagrass restoration due to their consumption of the plants. However, there is a bit more to it than that. Seagrass provides services for many species, and a food source is one of those. Anecdotally, there have been instances where restoration has occurred only for geese to come along and eat all of the freshly planted shoots, which really isn’t ideal. In the scientific literature, there is mixed evidence about how much the geese will consume and how this affects the meadow’s health, which makes it difficult to quantify their impact. Some research notes that the percent the geese eat out of the whole meadow is actually quite small and a healthy meadow should have no issue recovering from any damage. The geese could even be useful in seagrass restoration. They tend to only be seen where food is available and as such are an indicator species for the health of an ecosystem. Like all birds, they are useful for their ability to spread nutrients and seeds through their faeces, helping to spread plant species more widely than they would on their own. Additionally, they are an important food source for predators such as foxes and raptors in their Arctic breeding grounds. Brent Geese, like any other species using seagrass, are carrying out behaviours that have evolved over thousands of years. Therefore, the question of whether geese are bad for seagrass restoration is not a straightforward one. What do you think? Sources: Ganter, B. (2000). Seagrass ( Zostera spp.) as food for brent geese ( Branta bernicla ): an overview. Helgoland Marine Research, 54(2–3), 63–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s101520050003 Find out more the role that seagrass plays for migratory birds here.
