Marine Life

Jersey’s rocky coastline is host to a wide variety of marine life. The seawater around the island is of a high quality due to the UV treatment Plant, which is reflected in the health and abundance of underwater life. The shallow rocky bays are home to many types of wrasse, as well as Pollack, mullet and bass with pipefish hiding amongst the kelp. Green and purple snakelocks anemones cling to pebbles, with pink and mauve cleaner prawns often hiding within their tentacles. Tube-worms, sea squirts and nudibranchs can be found amongst the rocks.

Divers may be able to find ormers hiding under rocks and boulders as well as crabs and lobsters. From summer onwards cuttlefish and John Dory are a common sight. In deeper water the rock faces are covered in anemones, fan corals and dead men’s fingers are also common. Sea urchins and starfish cling to the underwater cliffs and flatfish, rays and dogfish lie on the seabed.

In the summer there are also occasional sightings of basking sharks, seahorses, sunfishes and dolphins. Although local game laws prohibit the taking of ormers, lobsters and crayfish to protect stocks, divers are allowed to bring up fish and crabs and permits can be obtained to gather scallops.

Jersey has one of the largest tidal movements in the world. Care should be taken at all times and dive centres will give advice and provide dive tables.

Beachcombing along Jersey’s shores is excellent at any time of year, Washed up on the beach are all kinds of sea shells including cowries, egg cases of whelk and dogfish (mermaid’s purse), cuttlefish bones, jelly fish as well as an assortment of seaweeds from vraic to kelp. The seashore is a unique environment consisting of a narrow stretch of land submerged twice daily by the tides. Jersey has the third largest tidal range in the world after the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada and the Severn Estuary.

Seashore

The forty five miles of coastline around Jersey is arguably the Island's greatest natural treasure. Unlike many land based habitats, the areas between high and low water mark surrounding the Island have remained relatively unchanged since the sea reclaimed the land around the Channel Islands thousands of year's ago. Even at the height of the summer, few Island residents venture away from the soft sands of the upper shore to explore the huge areas which are exposed at low tide. The seashore in Jersey is subjected to dramatic change every six hours due to the Island's unique position within the Bay of St Malo. Over the spring tide periods, which occur approximately every two weeks throughout the year, the tide can rise and fall in excess of 40 feet twice a day.

Life forms vary dramatically throughout the various habitats found on the Island's shores. From the extreme upper range of maritime influence - the splash zone- wet only on the highest spring tides - down to the lower shore - exposed only on the lowest spring tides. Conditions can be extremely hostile in these areas and many creatures and plants are well adapted in their own ways to survive the rigour of life on the shore. Well over 100 species of fish, 80 species of worm, 100 species of crustacean, 30 species of green seaweed, 60 species of brown seaweed and 140 species of red seaweed have been found on Island shores.

"On the great attractions of Jersey for the naturalist, one word will suffice: there is no such spot in England for marine zoology." George Elliot 1857.

Dolphins

The Dolphins most frequently seen off the Coast of Jersey are Bottle nosed Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).  There is a resident viable group with an estimated population of 100 individuals.  There have been over the years, in local waters, regular sightings of Bottle nosed Dolphins in small groups with young animals in attendance. To maintain this population, clean water and an abundant of food are needed - these conditions still exist around Jersey.

Dolphins have been observed throughout the Bay of Mont St. Michel and as far west as the Molene Archipelago near Brest.  Local observations are within the area bounded by the Echrehous and Minquiers Reefs and around the coast of Jersey.

Other Dolphins

White Beaked Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris). These are similar in size to the Common Dolphin, being up to three meteres long. They differ in colouring from the Common Dolphin by having a distinctive short thick white beak, and a single diagonal grey or white stripe on the flanks. The last record of these was in February 1982 when 100+ were seen off Archirondel.

Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) is also resident in the Bay of St. Malo, but has only been recorded far to the south of Jersey.

Whales

There have been sightings of Pilot Whales (Globicephala melaena) in Channel Island waters for many years.  Most of these are in the winter from fishing boats, but they do occur in summer.  Pilot Whales are much larger than dolphins and have a rounded head without a beak.. They also have a low blunt dorsal fin, distinctive from the erect sickle shaped fin or dolphins.  Usually seen in groups of up to twenty swimming slowly near the surface with their dorsal fins showing. 

Seals

Atlantic Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) have been observed mainly at Les Ecrehous, and Les Minquiers.  Most sightings are of single animals. Observations have also been made from the south coast of Jersey, mostly from Le Hocq and La Rocque.

Top of the Shore

At the top of the shore the level of exposure influences the types of animals and plants found.

On very exposed rocky shores the seaweeds can rarely survive the battering of the waves and so are only found in the relative shelter of the rock pools. Instead, these rocks are usually covered by barnacles, limpets and mussels, all of which are firmly attached to the rock surface. Other creatures found here include dogwhelks, which feed on barnacles and mussels, red and green beadlet anemones, which retract their tentacles when out of the water, as well as the tiny rough periwinkles which hide in empty barnacle shells or rock crevices. In more sheltered areas the brown seaweeds (wracks/vraics) are able to attach to those rocks more protected from the waves. The movement of their fronds across the rock surface stops young barnacle larvae being able to settle. The weeds also provide food for browers and shelter for an assortment of other soft bodied animals which would otherwise be in danger of drying out at low tide.

Further down the shore the predominant weed is spiral wrack living together with toothed winkles and edible periwinkles. Towards the middle of the shore there is a mixture of knotted and bladder wrack. usually found browsing amongst these weeds are purple topshells and a variety of different coloured flat periwinkles. At extreme low water, the kelps are exposed for a short while. These are home to an assortment of animals such as brittle stars, scale worms, ribbin worms and blue-rayed limpets.

Rock Pool Species

The most interesting pools are usually from the mid shore downwards, as having the most variety of life, they can be extremely colourful with a variety of red, brown and green seaweeds all living together. The common prawn is usually in abundance sheltering under rock overhangs or under weed. Hidden under small rocks are brittle stars, cushion stars, assorted sea squirts, squat lobsters, various crabs, worms and maybe even several species of fish. Please remember any upturned stone should be replaced in its original position thus protecting the animals and ensuring that the seashore in all its splendour can be enjoyed by others.

When the tide is out, sandy and muddy shores appear almost lifeless but this could be deceiving for, on closer inspection, there may be many signs of life. Look for tiny trails, holes and depressions in the sand, mounds on the surface and spouts of water, all of which show the presence of many animals living beneath the surface.

In fairly clean sand lugworms are common - these are easily identified by their wormlike cast left at the surface. Sandmason worms are found mid-shore downwards, the attractive peacock fan worms are common towards the lower shore, together with cockles and razor shells. At the water's edge, sand shrimps, sand gobies and sand eels dart about in the shallows.

See also: Rockpool Rambles