A rare pink sea fan colony (Eunicella verrucosa) has been discovered off of the south-west coast of England.
The discovery was made using camera tow imagery and data collected during CSM2026, a four-week joint survey back in April 2026 that brought together scientists from 11 organisations, including JNCC, to improve understanding of the marine environment.
Pink sea fans are a type of soft coral found in UK waters. They are nationally rare, classified as Vulnerable on the global IUCN Red List and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The newly discovered colony falls outside any existing pink sea fan designation and so prompts discussion around protection for one of the UK’s most vulnerable marine species. This is a strong example of how evidence from collaborative survey work could be used to directly inform practical action to safeguard vulnerable marine habitats.
James Albrecht, JNCC’s Marine Monitoring Manager said: “Pink sea fans are one of the UK's most vulnerable marine species. This finding, made possible by the joint seabed mapping survey, is an important step forward for the conservation of UK marine biodiversity and demonstrates that there are still plenty of surprises to be discover within the UK’s Marine Protected Areas."
Survey CSM2026 was a UK cross‑government, four‑week seabed mapping survey along the UK’s south‑west coastline, bringing together 11 organisations for a ‘collect once, use many times’ approach. Participating organisations included Cefas, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, UK Hydrographic Office, British Geological Survey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, The Crown Estate, Historic England, JNCC, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Natural England and Royal Navy.
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