Seagrass is the home to many creatures along our UK shoreline, from the very small to the very colourful…
Short-snouted Seahorse
Underwater seagrass meadows provide a safe habitat for seahorses, with plenty of prey and lots of places
to hide amongst the seagrass fronds. Seahorses are able to look in two directions at once. This means they can look out for predators and prey at the same time.
Sea Hare
This little creature is known for its wide range of colours and bunny-esque tentacles on its head. They clean the seagrass by eating the microscopic algae that grows on its surface, allowing more sunlight to reach the leaves. The seagrass also acts as a safe haven for Sea Hares to lay their eggs.
Snakelocks anemone
Snakelocks anemones are often easily identifiable with bright green tentacles and purple tips. They usually live around or on the leaves of seagrass, picking up prey as it floats by. These creatures have long, stinging tentacles so take care if you spot one in a rockpool!
Plaice
Like many commercial fish, plaice relies on seagrass as a nursery when in its juvenile stage of growth, providing shelter and camouflage. Plaice often tries to stay out of sight of predators by laying on the seabed, they can be best spotted however by the movement of their gills as the breath.
Stalked Jellyfish
There are several species of stalked jellyfish found off of the UK coast. They are usually below 5 cm in
size and live attached to a piece of seagrass or seaweed throughout their lives. They catch small amounts of food by stretching out their minute tentacles into the currents.
Learn more
Boat users can support the protection of seagrass by following best practice when anchoring and mooring and by avoiding landing in shallow waters. You can learn more about how to protect Seagrass habitats whilst on the water by downloading your free copy of The Green Guide to Anchoring and Mooring.
The Green Blue hosts webinars sharing best practice anchoring and mooring. The webinars focus on techniques which are both safe and effective, as well as more friendly to the seabed. Find out more and watch a webinar.
You can find out more about the seagrass restoration project by visiting the EU LIFE ReMEDIES website.
