Sussex Underwater’s First Year - A Wave of Awareness

Sussex Underwater are a group who are “passionate about the sea off Sussex and bringing it back to its former glory.” - Catrine Priestley, Admin of Sussex Underwater, who very kindly consented to update me about the wonderous work her collective has been doing this past year.

The group was started by local diver Steve Allnut back in March, and it is now being run by a few local divers, including Catrine, pictured below.

They campaigned for the introduction of the Nearshore Trawling byelaw for over 20 years, having witnessed first-hand the destruction of the sea bed. This byelaw was finally passed on 24 March this year, a hard-fought victory for the ocean lovers of Sussex. The law made it illegal to use bottom trawling fishing practices between Shoreham and Selsey.

So, what is all the fuss about? Bottom trawling is an incredibly destructive way of fishing which has been used extensively in