JERSEY must prepare its sea defences for more storms like the one which battered the Island this week, according to marine biologist Andrew Syvret.

He has warned that climate change will lead to an increase in the storms that hit Jersey and has said that it will cost millions to guard against flooding.

Speaking at the Societe Jersiaise, Andrew Syvret said that rising sea temperatures and sea levels were responsible for rougher seas.

‘Conditions in the north-east Atlantic have become much stormier in the last 50 years,’ he said. ‘The average wave heights have increased, which is good news for surfers but bad news for everyone else. The ocean is becoming rougher and though Jersey has just about coped with it up to now, we must start thinking about our sea defences.’

Mr Syvret said that the problems started when the Island decided to build on reclaimed land.

‘The decision to borrow some of the land is beginning to backfire,’ he said. ‘Basically, some of the walls are too close to the sea.’

The reclamation of land has left Jersey struggling to cope with the natural action of the sea, he said.

‘Wharf Street in St Helier is a prime example,’ he said. ‘The tide used to reach there naturally but we are now trying to hold it back. The Town Church still features metal rings where fishermen used to moor their boats, which shows how we have built without considering a change in tides or sea levels. It is too late to attempt managed retreat in St Helier or St Brelade but we could still achieve it in St Ouen.

‘It might still be ten generations away but we need to be thinking about measures to protect these areas from future floods.’

Mr Syvret, speaking to the Societe on Thursday, said that coastal erosion and rising sea levels were issues all over the world, highlighting examples in the Pacific where whole islands have disappeared under water.

‘We can’t escape this problem,’ he said. ‘We have large areas of low-lying coastal land that are below sea level. We must rethink our sea defences.’

Mr Syvret had previously been a vocal commentator on marine issues in Jersey and explained his absence from the public eye.

‘I have been silent for two years because I had become disillusioned with the States’ attitude towards marine environment. I am now a lot more encouraged by their efforts, including the creation of the coastal zone management plan. It seems that at least the States are showing a willingness to tackle these areas and an interest beyond money-making purposes.

‘Hopefully, the coastal zone management will deliver better practice in a marine environment. It is a marine equivalent of the Island Plan and essential to the conservation of Jersey’s marine life. The dry part of the Island where we live is a very small part of the Bailiwick of Jersey and we should take note of the whole area.’