Rare sea slug discovered in Chichester Harbour for first time
The Warty Doris was among more than 80 species recorded off Sussex's coast this year
A rare sea slug is making a home in Chichester Harbour due to climate change.
The recording of a warty Doris sea slug, normally found further south in the English Channel, is the first discovery of its kind in the area.
They are normally found in warmer waters and have only been recorded in UK waters in the past couple of years, suggesting they are moving due to climate change.
A Wildlife Trusts report has found giant mussel beds, more lobsters, a tope shark and European eel were among 81 species recorded off the Sussex coast in 2024.
It comes three years after a byelaw protected more than 100 square miles of seabed from trawling.
Sea monitoring by volunteers and conservationists this year also revealed invasive species such as Pacific oysters and showed some wildlife making a comeback, including St Piran's hermit crabs along the south coast - which were wiped out by the Torrey Canyon oil spill of 1967.
The Trusts said volunteers clocked more than 46,000 hours of surveys and beach cleans in 2024, with numerous wildlife discoveries made during a national survey programme of shorelines and estuaries, Shoresearch, and volunteering days.
The UK became the first country in 2024 to map its "blue carbon" - the carbon stored in seabed mud and coastal habitats such as saltmarshes - thanks to a project by a number of charities, including the Wildlife Trusts.
The Wildlife Trusts is calling for better protection of the UK's seas, such as banning destructive "bottom trawling" fishing practices, which damage and destroy carbon and nature-rich seabed habitats.
In Dorset, a black bream caught at Poole Bay contained 38 seahorses - which have few predators as they are well camouflaged - in a case that baffled experts.
Numerous shallow pits were discovered in the Lyme Bay seabed, with investigations confirming the presence of porpoises thought to be foraging for sand eels.
Ruth Williams, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, said: "People are central to nature recovery and made huge contributions to our knowledge of UK seas this year.
"Wildlife surveys and monitoring have led to incredible discoveries, including new species on UK shores.
"Success stories demonstrate the enormous value of marine conservation and why robust protection is critical for nature recovery."
She said the seas were also the "unsung heroes in our fight against climate change" and urged:
"We need policies that stop damaging activities in protected areas, plus continued support for innovation, monitoring and work to improve coastal habitats."