Solent Seascape Project

12/06/2026

Great to see our Solent Seascape Project seagrass planting featured on Isle of Wight News from On The Wight.

More than 175,000 seeds and transplants have been planted at Priory Bay and Thorness this spring by Project Seagrass, while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have had more volunteers than ever before help them on the other side of the Solent at Calshot and the River Hamble.

More opportunities to get involved can be found on our website www.solentseascape.com

Record seagrass planting across Solent sites marks the project's most successful restoration season yet

11/06/2026

This , we’re celebrating the incredibly important relationship between saltmarsh and the Solent’s internationally renowned bird populations. ⁠
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Sitting on the upper edges of shores, these areas between land and sea offer safety, a source of food and a place to nest for thousands of wading birds, wildfowl and migratory species.⁠
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Sadly, saltmarsh across the Solent is declining due to coastal development, rising sea levels, lack of sediment supply and damaging activities, but on both sides of the water people are working hard to stop this decline. ⁠
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The Solent Seascape Project is actively restoring sites along the Medina, in the Hamble and in Chichester Harbour using innovative new techniques, while at Newtown on the Isle of Wight, National Trust rangers protect this delicate habitat from further damage⁠
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Want to know how can you protect saltmarsh and the wildlife that calls it home? Follow along with the Bird Aware coastal code:⁠
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🪶Stay on paths ⁠
🪶Keep dogs alongside you⁠
🪶Look out for birds ⁠
🪶Move further away if birds become alert⁠
🪶Follow requests on signs⁠
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Together we can give saltmarsh, and the birds it supports, the best chance of survival now and in the future. 💚⁠
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10/06/2026

Great to see Barny and Jo from our Solent Seascape Project Team on That's TV Solent explaining the benefits of native oysters, why we're building new reefs and the incredible work of volunteers.

08/06/2026

The ocean. A vast, open place of sometimes unfathomable depths. Giver of life and home of unimaginably diverse creatures.

For some, the ocean may feel distant, a place that only a select few can explore.

Yet luckily, we have the ocean right here, on our doorstep. It laps at our feet as we spend summer days with sand between our toes. 🏖️

Despite the pressures it faces, our Solent coast is rich in marine life and as vitally important as the wider ocean for those that call it home. That's why we're working to protect its future.

Here, on our Solent Seascape Project team explain why the ocean, and particularly the Solent, is special to them.

Over to you Louise, Wez, Lily, Luke, Mark, Casey and Barny.

What makes the ocean, and the Solent, special to you? 🌊

Blue Marine Foundation
RSPB England
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

📷 Matt Jarvis/ Casey Spry

05/06/2026

We made the evening news! 📺️⁠
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It was great to have ITV News Meridian visit us for our oyster cleaning at University of Portsmouth Institute of Marine Sciences and then brave the weather out on the water with Chichester Harbour Conservancy ⛈️⁠
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They had a chat with our team and interviewed some wonderful volunteers, then helped as we placed 10,000 native oysters on the newly created reef.⁠
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Missed it live? Catch up at https://youtu.be/aQP_Kep-5d0🔗⁠
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Blue Marine Foundation

05/06/2026

A very special friend of the Solent Seascape Project is celebrating his 105th birthday today. 🥳🎉⁠
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Isle of Wight resident Bill Smith spent more than 50 years swimming in the sea off the Island, something he firmly believes has contributed to his long and happy life. ⁠
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You might remember him as the star of the award-winning ‘Bill’s Story’, a film we released last year on his 104th birthday.⁠
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Many congratulations Bill on this incredible milestone. We hope you have a wonderful birthday and year ahead. Here’s to 106!⁠
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You can catch Bill talking about his experience of swimming in the Solent and fish ‘as tall as a man’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It8_5wOWCNY&t=25s 🔗⁠
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With thanks to Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme and Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries for their support.

04/06/2026

Thanks to volunteer power, Project Seagrass, as part of the Solent Seascape Project, were able to prepare 1,154 seagrass transplants earlier this spring for planting in the Solent. 🌱⁠
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We wouldn’t be able to restore such an extensive area without the help of volunteers, who give their time to save this vital habitat. 💚⁠
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This , thank you to everyone that has helped to restore almost 5 football-pitch-sized seagrass meadows across the Solent so far, as part of the Solent Seascape Project. 🙏⁠
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Want to know why we do it? Watch our latest film and sign up for summer planting via our website www.solentseascape.com🔗⁠
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With thanks to Sea View Yacht Club for their support.⁠
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28/05/2026

💡 Easy wins for keeping the kids busy this half term holiday:⁠
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🔍 Search for this amazing image by Francesca Page at Portsmouth Hard, discover how tall you are in seahorses and take your photo with the seal. Why not post and tag us too?! 📸⁠
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🌊 Visit your local Solent beach or coastal nature reserve and see how many of the animals you can find from the image - seals, terns, oystercatchers, corkwing wrasse, cuttlefish, crabs, curlews...this list goes on.⁠
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Going on a Solent safari is a great way to observe wild animals up close, learn about the ocean, and spend time outdoors, and best of all - it's free!⁠
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Everything you see in this image can be found right here in the Solent, whether on saltmarsh, in seagrass meadows, shingle beaches or rockpools. What will you find?⁠
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23/05/2026

Native oyster reefs and birds aren’t the first thing that come to mind when you think about coastal habitats that support each other. The former is hidden under the water and the latter are often flying high in the sky, and yet native oysters and their reefs have surprising benefits for seabirds. 🦪⁠
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Sadly, oysters and seabirds are both under threat and facing decline. Native oysters are now considered lost in the Solent and although the area is an internationally renowned seabird breeding colony site, many of our seabirds are amber listed.⁠
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The sometimes-hidden connectivity between habitats in the Solent is incredibly important, which is why at the Solent Seascape Project we’re working at a seascape scale to reconnect and support multiple marine and coastal environments. ⁠
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We’ve just created a new reef in Chichester Harbour which, through the power of connectivity, will hopefully support nesting seabirds here too. You can find out more at https://solentseascape.com/20000-oyster-find-home-in-chichester-harbour/ 🔗⁠
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Want to know how you can help birds? ⁠
🪶Look out for birds that are sharing the coastline with you and avoid the area completely if you spot them.⁠
🪶Move further away if birds become alert⁠
🪶Keep dogs alongside you⁠
🪶Follow any signage⁠
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Chichester Harbour Conservancy
RSPB England