Marine and coast
The counties of Kent and East Sussex both have long stretches of coastline and these have played a huge part in shaping the nature of the local economy of the Romney Marshes and its coastal towns and villages.
The towns of Rye, Winchelsea, New Romney and Hythe, known as the Cinque Ports together with other ports such as Hastings, partly developed as means of providing the country with a fleet to protect the coastline against invasion and to maintain transport links with the Continent. However, these ports would also have been active fishing ports.
There are still many active fishing fleets along this part of the coast, including those at Rye, Hythe, Dungeness and Camber. The fleets are regulated through a licencing scheme, which ensures that local fish stocks are exploited in a sustainable way.
The coastline is very popular as a tourist destination, not least because of the miles of beautiful sandy beaches and an abundance of camping and caravan parks. Hundreds of anglers come each year to the coast, attracted by the many species present in the deep waters, including cod, whiting, dogfish, Dover sole and bass.
The immediate coastline contains the largest shingle beach in Britain, together with nationally important saline lagoons and natural freshwater pits. The shingle is host to many rare species such as the endemic leafhopper Aphrodes duffieldi and the scarce Nottingham catchfly, as well as providing populations of common and little terns with breeding habitat. The extensive mudflats and sandflats provide invaluable feeding grounds for breeding and wintering waders.
Dungeness National Nature Reserve
www.dungeness-nnr.co.uk
Dungeness RSPB reserve
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/d/dungeness/index.asp
RX Wildlife Sightings
www.rxwildlife.org.uk
Rye Harbour nature reserve
www.wildrye.info/reserve
Shoresearch and Seasearch projects
http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/marine/
