CHASM

CHASM: Crustaceans, Habitat And Sediment Movement.

The CHASM partnership aims to identify causes behind the decline in crab and lobster catch, the decline in sea water and habitat quality, and the increased quantity of marine sediment on the UK south coast initially observed by the fishermen of Selsey Bill. These are questions that first emerged well over 15 years ago, but to which we are only starting to gain insight now. The work of CHASM includes acquiring and processing environmental samples and establishing correlation with other environmental and geospatial data from the region.

CHASM is an informal partnership with a large number of stakeholders. The key partners are Universities of Brighton and Southampton, Channel Coastal Observatory, Chichester District Council, Project Portunus, and Mulberry ME. It is a pleasure to also work closely with the Selsey fishery, the University of Portsmouth, Environment Agency, Meteor Communications, and Sussex Wildlife Trust Seasearch.

The fishing grounds near Selsey Bill, West Sussex, have traditionally been well managed and productive. Fishing in the area has been shown to date back to the Bronze Age, while individual fishing families can trace their roots back centuries. The Selsey fishery was first recorded by Bede in 730AD and, typical of most small inshore UK fisheries, is of huge cultural significance locally.

Many local fishermen are traditionally potters whose main catch is comprised of edible crab (Cancer pagurus) and European lobster (Hommarus gammarus), while other species includes fin fish, common or edible whelks (Buccinum undatum), and cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) according to season.

The sea surrounding the Manhood Peninsula and within local harbours should be healthy. The Selsey fishery should thrive here alongside the marine plant and animal inhabitants. These are key components in the marine ecosystem and food web, and alongside tourism, contribute heavily to the blue carbon economy whose significance is increasingly being recognised. Instead, the Selsey fishery together with many UK inshore fisheries is in a state of sharp decline.

Initial investigations into the seabed and water column, the factors most likely to impact crustaceans, appear to show that reduced crab and lobster catch is an indicator of many changes currently taking place in coastal seas (crabs and lobsters are the canaries in the coal mine in this respect). Similar observations have also been made in other parts of the UK and elsewhere in the world. Previous overfishing cannot be discounted but reasons such as contaminants in sediment, water quality, and changes in other environmental parameters also need to be considered.

Something has affected the marine environment, but it isn't clear what that is. Observations indicate a huge range of potential environmental stressors making the issues extremely complex. Some are likely to be seen globally, others will be local. A key feature is that environmental stressors are normally examined on an individual rather than a holistic basis. However, this approach fails to consider the combined effects, a potentially damaging omission. CHASM hopes to address this.

Key partners have undertaken preliminary work in an early attempt to identify the relevant causes. As described before, this included acquiring and processing environmental samples and correlating findings with other environmental and geospatial data from the region. Work to date is summarised in the following pages.

Key CHASM Aims:

• To understand the changes that have taken place on the south coast as initially identified in the Selsey crab and lobster fishing grounds, particularly within the Selsey Bill & Hounds MCZ.
• To determine whether the fishing grounds have been impacted by recent environmental inputs including sediment increase, sewage discharge and contaminants in land runoff.
• To understand whether the negative effects on the Selsey fishing industry can be mitigated to ensure the sustainability of both the industry and the nearshore marine environment.
• To gain greater support and understanding of the marine environment from local communities, visitors and authorities by improving understanding of the benefits and challenges of the open coast through partnerships and education programmes onshore and underwater.
• Develop affiliations with other local and national initiatives including Sussex Bay, the Solent Seascape Project,  Sussex Kelp Restoration Project, CHaPRoN, Clean Harbours Partnership, Three Harbours Partnership, and BLUECO.  

CHASM’s reports and project documents were sent to David Attenborough, who kindly found time to reply. He extended his best wishes the CHASM project and hoped the work would enable protective measures to be based not on theory but facts.

We’ll do our very best!

 

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

   

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