Photo by Jack B
A colony of nationally rare pink sea fans (Eunicella verrucosa) has been discovered off the south-west coast of England during a joint government seabed mapping survey. It was identified from camera tow imagery and data collected during CSM2026, a four-week survey in April and May involving scientists from 11 organisations.
Pink sea fans are a slow-growing soft coral found in UK waters. They are classified as Vulnerable on the global IUCN Red List, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and listed as a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
Found in the wrong kind of protected area
The colony sits outside any existing designation for pink sea fans. According to Anna Downie, the Cefas lead scientist for CSM2026, it lies within an area currently protected for subtidal coarse sediment and subtidal sand, rather than for rocky reef species.
“Seeing the high numbers of pink sea fans on the rock features was remarkable,” she said. “Our findings show why thorough, systematic surveying matters and how you cannot protect what you do not know is there.”
JNCC and Cefas say the discovery “prompts discussion around protection” for the species. They point to it as an example of how evidence from collaborative survey work can directly inform practical action. James Albrecht, JNCC’s Marine Monitoring Manager, said: “Pink sea fans are one of the UK’s most vulnerable marine species. This finding, made possible by the joint seabed mapping survey, is an important step forward for the conservation of UK marine biodiversity.”
A new model for seabed survey
CSM2026 was organised by the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping, a group of more than 30 public sector bodies administered by the UK Hydrographic Office. The survey ran on the RV Cefas Endeavour from Lowestoft to Falmouth between 20 April and 19 May. It brought together 26 scientists from Cefas, JNCC, Natural England, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the UK Hydrographic Office, the British Geological Survey, Defra, The Crown Estate, Historic England, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and the Royal Navy.
The survey followed a “collect once, use many times” approach. Hydrographic, geological and ecological data were gathered in a single voyage to serve purposes ranging from navigation safety and offshore energy to marine protection and defence. Andrew Colenutt of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, who chaired the project team, described it at launch as “the first time that such a large-scale, multi-agency, collaborative survey has been undertaken in the UK.”