New mooring system trialled in Jersey

Traditional moorings, which are made up of significant lengths of chain, have been scouring bare patches in the seagrass beds

A new mooring system will be trialled in Jersey which it is hoped will help to restore the island's seagrass.

Ports of Jersey is deploying moorings on Tuesday which are designed to be more environmentally sensitive.

The new system will be trialled in St Catherine's Bay and will be monitored using a camera to see how it interacts with the sea floor.

Head of maritime operations Louise Stafford said they would be "watching its impact carefully".

She said: "Our project aims to prevent the damage caused by traditional moorings and anchoring by trialling new mooring systems which protect the seagrass and prevent erosion."

Traditional moorings, which are made up of significant lengths of chain, have been scouring bare patches in the seagrass beds.

Once the trial has been completed, it is hoped the system can be rolled out to all boat-owners in St Catherine's Bay.

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