Sussex Wildlife Trust and Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) are working together on a project with the Environment Agency, to help improve the health of the Adur and Ouse coastal water body. This stretches from Selsey in the west to Beachy Head in the east and out to 1 nautical mile.
The SCHIP project is part of the Environment Agency’s Adur Ouse Catchment Pilot, which is developing a community led approach to achieving Water Framework Directive Objectives, namely reaching good ecological status of our water bodies. SCHIP offers a real opportunity to feed into this for the catchments coastal water body. The aim is to develop a common understanding of our coastal waters between decision-makers and stakeholders.
All of the information collected will be available to everyone, including the habitat map, which will be far more accurate and detailed than anything currently available. As part of this project we need to gather the wider marine community’s views and knowledge on the pressures facing this water body, priorities for action and the environmental data collected.
From a Recreational Sea Anglers perspective at least one question suggests that angling is a problem. Makes sense for Sussex sea anglers (or those who fish the Sussex shoreline) to complete the survey and ensure that their views are heard.
There is more information here: Sussex Wildlife Trust
There is a questionnaire here: Sussex Coastal Habitats Inshore Pilot Questionnaire
Responses need to be completed by Friday 23rd November 2012 at the latest.