Rare Underwater Meadows Returning To Isle Of Wight Waters After Record-Breaking Restoration Year

Rare seagrass meadows are making a comeback off the Isle of Wight, following a record-breaking year of restoration work by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

During 2025, more than 58,000 seagrass seeds were planted along the Hampshire and Isle of Wight coastline, with key restoration sites including Seaview, where underwater meadows are now beginning to expand.

Once fully established, these plants will help restore one of the UK’s rarest and most important marine habitats right on the Island’s doorstep.

The milestone follows an extraordinary year of community involvement.

Over 180 local volunteers, many from the Isle of Wight, gave more than 1,000 hours of their time across 41 field sessions and additional lab work.

Thanks to their efforts, a further 180,000 seagrass seeds have been collected, carefully sorted and safely stored, ready to be planted in spring 2026.

Seagrass meadows were once widespread in the Solent, including around the Isle of Wight, but have declined dramatically over the past century due to pollution, dredging, coastal development and disease.

Nationally, up to 90% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost, making restoration work around the Island and the Solent a project of national significance.

Seagrass plays a vital role in keeping seas healthy.

It supports a wide range of marine life, improves water quality, captures carbon and helps protect coastlines from erosion — benefits that are especially important for an island community.

Ellie Parker, Marine Officer for the Solent Seagrass Project at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said bringing seagrass back to Island waters has been particularly special.

“Restoring this rare habitat in the Solent is incredibly special, especially because it’s being driven by local people from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,” she said.“

"Collecting and planting seagrass takes real dedication — working around tides, early and late starts, and long days sorting seed back in the lab.

“I’m so grateful to all our volunteers. Seeing these meadows begin to grow gives me so much hope, and I’m really excited to plant even more seeds next spring.”

Seagrass is a flowering underwater plant that forms dense green meadows and provides a home for species such as pipefish, cuttlefish, sea slugs, stalked jellyfish and thornback rays.

It also acts as a nursery for commercially important fish including sea bass, which can spend up to seven years growing in the Solent before migrating as adults.

Encouraging signs of recovery are already being seen close to the Island.

At Seaview, volunteers recently spotted a European eel within a seagrass meadow — a critically endangered species that has declined sharply in recent decades.

“Many people don’t realise that this wonderful underwater habitat exists right here in the Solent,” Ellie added.

“Seeing a European eel in seagrass at Seaview really highlights how important these habitats are for marine life and why this work matters so much for the Isle of Wight and beyond.”

Once seeds are collected at low tide, they are stored in seawater tanks before being carefully sorted and prepared at the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Portsmouth.

Only fully mature seeds are selected and monitored over winter, before being planted using an innovative technique called Dispenser Injection Seeding, which gives them the best possible chance to survive.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has been restoring seagrass in the Solent since 2021, with Island sites including Seaview, alongside locations such as Calshot and Langstone Harbour.

Each site presents unique challenges, from tidal conditions to seabed differences, requiring careful planning and local knowledge.

The work is supported by the Solent Seagrass Restoration Project and the Solent Seascape Project, which aim to restore marine habitats and protect wildlife across the Solent.

With continued help from Isle of Wight volunteers and partners, the Trust says it is hopeful of securing a healthier, more resilient future for the Island’s seas — with seagrass meadows once again thriving beneath the waves.