The Deep unveils new seagrass sculpture funded by wilder Humber

An exciting new seagrass sculpture has recently been installed on The Deep’s grounds, funded by Wilder Humber. A pioneering partnership between Ørsted and Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Wildlife Trusts, Wilder Humber has an ambitious 5-year plan: to return 40 hectares of lost biodiversity to the Humber estuary through sand dune, saltmarsh, seagrass, and native oyster restoration. The Deep supports Wilder Humber through exhibition, education and interpretation of this important conservation action.

This beautiful woven sculpture, which also doubles up as a plastic bottle recycling station, is situated beside the popular Millenium footbridge which connects The Deep to Humber Street and other city centre links. It is hoped that many passers-by learn more about seagrass and local conservation action, as well as making use of the recycling station for their plastic bottles.

Martin Slater, Deputy Chief Executive at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:

“Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to support the installation of the seagrass sculpture and recycling bin at The Deep, as part of our Wilder Humber restoration project.”

“Through the new sculpture, we hope to highlight the importance of healthy seagrass for our marine ecosystems, and raise awareness of seagrass in the Humber estuary both as a valuable habitat for marine species and as an incredible ally in the fight against climate change."

The Humber estuary once supported vast seagrass meadows across both banks, with records of dwarf seagrass covering over 500 hectares at Spurn Point, and vast swathes from Grimsby to Cleethorpes. Due to industrialisation of the estuary, and subsequent decline in water quality, disease and coastal squeeze, the expansive seagrass beds deteriorated almost completely, between the 1930s and 1980s.

Seagrass is the world’s only flowering plant capable of living in seawater and, globally, captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, accounting for 10-18% of total ocean carbon storage despite covering less than 0.1% of the seafloor. Seagrass can also help protect our coast from damaging storms and erosion through dampening the force of waves and is very effective at removing pollutants from our waters. In the UK, seagrass meadows are a vital habitat for marine life. They support biodiversity by providing essential nursery habitat for important fish species, such as bass and sand eel, and bird species such as Brent geese. 

Emma Stothard, the artist behind the seagrass sculpture, was born in Hull but grew up in Kilnsea, a tiny village situated at the northern end of Spurn Point. Emma’s work is often influenced by the wildlife she encountered in the countryside and around the Holderness coastline where she grew up. This particular sculpture represents a native seagrass species, Zostera noltii.

Commenting on the sculpture, she said:

“Creating SEAGRASS for The Deep was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and celebrate how important our seagrass meadows are. The sculpture represents the little bags of seeds that are planted in the Humber estuary, which over time grow to create swathes of seagrass meadows that capture carbon and restore vital feeding grounds.”

“We too can help the environment by recycling our plastic bottles in SEAGRASS and at the same time learn a little bit more about this amazing plant.”

Ben Jones, Director of Husbandry & Exhibition, said:

“We are excited to announce the unveiling of the new seagrass sculpture and recycling station on our site, and look forward to seeing plenty of visitors and passers-by alike learning more about the important conservation action that is taking place on our doorstep.”

“Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans each year, which has a significant impact on our marine ecosystems. Together, we can work to change this shocking statistic and protect the environment by choosing to reduce the use of single-use plastic.”