Pioneering Eco-Moorings Installed to Protect Seagrass in Seaview Bay

Published 00:21 on 26 Jun 2025

A groundbreaking project has begun in Seaview Bay with the installation of two environmentally friendly moorings designed to protect and restore local seagrass habitats—one of the most important and threatened marine ecosystems in the UK.

The scheme is a collaboration between Project Seagrass, Warren Boats, and local stakeholders, including the Club, aimed at reducing the damaging impact of traditional chain moorings on seagrass beds. Every summer, around 300 small boats and dinghies moor in Seaview Bay. The movement of their chains across the seabed has contributed to the decline of the areas seagrass meadows—vital nurseries for fish, natural carbon stores, and buffers against coastal erosion.

The newly installed "advanced mooring systems" (AMS) use a design that keeps chains from dragging across the seafloor, preventing further scarring of the seabed. The project is part of a wider initiative to not only halt damage but also to actively restore seagrass in the bay, with ambitions to recover at least two acres of habitat.

As part of the programme, volunteers from the local community are being invited to help monitor the condition of the seagrass beds and support restoration efforts. Training will be offered to those interested in contributing to long-term environmental data collection. Find out more here.

This work builds on successful seagrass restoration projects elsewhere in the UK and represents one of the first combined mooring-and-restoration schemes of its kind on the Isle of Wight.

For members of Sea View Yacht Club, the project is particularly relevant, as it focuses on areas frequently used by dinghies and RIBs. The adoption of sustainable moorings helps ensure that recreational boating and marine conservation can coexist in the long term.

More information about how members can get involved in monitoring or learn about the mooring systems will be shared as the project develops.