WEB has been splashing for a solid five minutes, desperate for attention from one of the keepers. 

She’s already had her feed today, but with an audience so large, she can’t help thinking that by showing off her fin-flapping tricks, she will convince some of the helpful members of the crowd into dangling one last fish over the water to catch.

Looking on, it’s hard to believe that any immediate threat to the seal community exists. 

Yet, as the playful pup dives in and out of the water, spectators are shocked to find out that one of the biggest hazards to the seal population are in fact, humans. 

It is for this exact reason that Weymouth Sea Life centre holds its Annual Conservation Evening. 

Like many, the burden of saving the planet seems almost impossible. But, for everyone here, it is a cause worth fighting for.

Fiona Smith, curator of Sea Life Park said: “Tonight is the fourth annual evening. It’s helping to fundraise for charities we’ve supported such as the Dorset Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF), the Sea Life Trust and our Community Seagrass Initiative.

“One of the most important causes we care about here is preventing plastic pollution and it’s important to have these projects here to spark real engagement.”

Around the park, amongst the face-painting stalls and cake stands are ‘sensory boards’, dotted about to boost this engagement.

One board in particular attracts attention for its fluffy features – the otter.

With their family of otters being a major attraction at Sea Life, speaking with Chelsea Perrins about the IOSF, she explains that of the 13 species that exist, 12 are declining – and much of that is down to plastic. 

“At the moment, the major issues facing the otter community in Britain is habitat loss and pollution,” she remarks.

In the 1970s and 80s, there was a genuine fear among conservationists after populations of the elusive creatures dropped dramatically due to the increase in pollution and building of new roads. 

And, with five species of otters classed as ‘endangered’, it’s hard to stay positive about their species’ future.

However, Chelsea believes it’s not all ‘otter misery’.

“In the UK we’re actually seeing an increase of otters with more sightings across Britain and in Dorset alone, otters are now present in every river catchment. 

“The IOSF and Sea Life are helping to raise awareness by giving talks and running various courses in identifying otter signs and survey training.

“Things that the public could do to help keep numbers increasing is be careful of what you’re doing near the water, and most importantly, not littering.”

This seems to be the theme of the evening, with the next talk being held in the Turtle Sanctuary.

Above the crowd, two Green Sea Turtles stay firmly routed to the floor like carved boulders. Senior aquarist at Sea Life, Sarah Everett, admits they’re lucky to even be alive. 

“All seven species of sea turtle in the world are classed as either endangered or critically endangered and, whilst some of this is caused by natural reasons, a lot of the depletion is down to humans. 

“One of the biggest threats to turtles is marine litter. Younger turtles will often confuse a plastic bag for a jellyfish and, where they’re unable to digest the plastic, it may create a blockage causing them to either float or starve.”

From terrapins to tiny seahorses, it is evident that plastic has become a major factor for concern in marine biology.

SEA LIFE Trust champion, Daniel Jarvis, said: “Around 80 per cent of plastic pollution in the sea comes from land - SEA LIFE has already made great strides in reducing plastic across all its sites and will be doing even more as they move forward to prevent it ending up in the ocean.

“One of the things the SEA LIFE Trust is concentrating on now is championing the creation of marine protected areas to benefit marine habitats, wildlife and sea users to keep them healthy.

“The nearest area to here that needs looking at and protecting is in Studland but this will be a part of a network across the whole of the country to help species such as sea horses which are common to Dorset.”

Whatever the animal and whatever the cause, if there is one thing that was repeated throughout the night, it was reduce, reuse and recycle as much plastic as possible.

Whatever the animal and whatever the cause, if there is one thing that was repeated throughout the night, it was reduce, reuse and recycle as much plastic as possible.

It’s a hopeful mantra regarding conservation; with almost all products packaged in plastic, it’s hard to imagine a future where this isn’t an issue. But, with champions at Sea Life continuing to work hard at educating people from Dorset about threats to marine life, it’s a future that looks hopeful.

Raising awareness of habitats
The Community Sea Grass Initiative is a citizen science project set up to raise awareness of seagrass habitats across the UK led by the National Marine Aquarium.

The project stretches a total of 191m from Looe in Cornwall to Weymouth. 

Some of the top spots for looking at seagrass can be found in Portland harbour, West and East Fleet, Weymouth Pier and Ringstead.

The plants act as an underwater forest to provide food for many creatures and also act as a shelter for fish and invertebrates. 

Creatures best-known to hide out in seagrass are seahorses and cuttlefish.

Seagrass bed are very sensitive to disruption and pollution, an area which the projects aims to reduce.

One of the biggest concerns for conservationists studying seagrass is the increased amount of plastic pollution ending up in the water.

About 80 per cent of plastic in the sea comes from land.

Supporting Big Fish Campaign

Sea Life currently supports the Big Fish Campaign which aims to educate the public about purchasing certain species of fish as pets.

It also promotes responsible buying and selling of fish for food.

The initiative began in 2005 after public aquaria were being overloaded with unwanted fish that had outgrown their tanks.

The pet trade has been criticised for selling fish without detailing the full extent of their growth capacity on purchase.

Pangasius catfish, Red tail catfish and Pacu are some of the species bought unknowingly by fish fanatics.

Part of the campaign is preventing ‘juvenile’ fish, which are perceived as more colourful and cheaper to buy, from being sold off.