Scientists have identified 81 different marine species along the Sussex coastline, including the tope shark and the European eel – which are both critically endangered.

Researchers from the University of Sussex recorded the different creatures living under the water across 28 survey sites between Shoreham-by-Sea and Selsey, which also includes a 300-square kilometre area of local coastline where a trawling ban was imposed in 2021.

The researchers said that while these species are not unique to UK waters, some of them “are quite rare and of high conservation concern”.