Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

The North Sea, our living sea
Kirsten Smith, North Sea Marine Advocacy Manager, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
The Michael Clegg memorial lecture

This talk aims to introduce to some of the weird and wonderful wildlife of the North Sea and the protection it is currently afforded, the Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas Vision and hopes for the future of marine life and the emerging Marine Protected Area network of the North Sea.
Living Seas. What picture does this phrase conjure up in your mind? A rocky reef bursting with brightly coloured fish, corals and sponges? A boat trip in the company of leaping dolphins and playful seals? Fishermen hauling nets brimming with big, tasty fish? Living Seas are all these things and more, but your help is urgently needed to bring them back. The next five years are critical. With new laws and Government commitments in the offing, we have a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity. If we make the very best of it, our seas will turn the corner, and start to recover their health. If we do not, they will continue on their downward spiral. This talk will introduce you to The Wildlife Trusts’ vision for Living Seas and the North Sea Marine Protected Areas project as a case study, and will update you with the progress in identifying protected areas.

Report
by Margaret Leonard
Kirsten is the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Advocacy Manager for the North Sea, and she used this as a case study for the work of the Wildlife Trusts in protecting sea areas around the UK. In an extremely well-illustrated and informative lecture, she presented a picture of all aspects of the North Sea – its physical geography, different habitats and marine life, the industries which depend upon it and its recreational value. After explaining the damage to marine habitats caused by some of the ways we use these resources, she outlined the efforts of the Wildlife Trusts to protect and allow them to recover. A recent achievement is the Marine and Coastal Access Act, which provides the means to create different types of Marine Protected Areas. The ongoing challenge is to select suitable areas and raise public awareness.

Sponsored by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust