Sea Trust Wales

Sea Trust Wales

01348 874737

Local people taking care of their marine wildlife

Sea Trust Wales is a marine conservation charity that focuses on issues within the local area of North Pembrokeshire and beyond. Our oceans produce 70% of the world’s oxygen and are home to 95% of all life on Earth. They are vital to the survival of the planet. Each marine environment is made up of complex ecosystems, when something is removed from these systems such as a species or a habitat, the entire system becomes unbalanced. Too much of this will have devastating effects on the Earth. Our top priority is the conservation of marine environments and the best place to start is local.

We believe the best way to achieve conservation goals is to involve the community as much as possible. The more we know and understand about our marine environment, the more we take pride in it and want to protect it from threats.

Sea Trust is currently undertaking a number of research projects that will increase our knowledge and understanding, from marine mammal surveys to plastic alternative studies, all of which involve the community in one way or another. We are currently the only organisation monitoring the marine mammals in the North Pembrokeshire area on a regular basis and we are the first in the UK to have a dedicated harbour porpoise photo-ID project.

The majority of our projects rely on volunteers. We have taken on hundreds of volunteers over the years, adding to the area’s environmental volunteer options. We also take on interns and students. Providing the much needed experience any budding environmental scientist needs for their future careers.

We run a catch and release aquarium which is open to the public. We are the only aquarium in South Wales and one of the biggest attractions in the area. As well as bringing visitors to the area, the aquarium provides us with a fantastic education tool for visitors and school groups. Our location and presence in the community allows us to hold several community events throughout the year reaching wide audiences and spreading our message of marine conservation.

Our involvement of the community in all our endeavours, has resulted in positive impacts in all aspects. The marine environment is better off, as more people know about it and understand how to conserve it. The community has a place for volunteers, education and entertainment. As a result community health increases as volunteers reap the mental health and well-being benefits of volunteering in nature and conservation roles. Many of our volunteers have noticed a big change in their mental health, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I didn’t really appreciate the impact that volunteering had on my mental health until lockdown, I was aware of the mindfulness of being outdoors (especially by the sea), but this aspect is heightened during surveys. There is a 'reward-factor' in seeing wildlife which is definitely addictive; I also find the learning aspect about marine life and conservation extremely interesting. ” Quote from volunteer Hannah Wiggins-Jefferies

It is so important for both the local marine environment and the community that we continue this vital work. With your help we can truly focus on our goals. More funding will allow us to survey more, recruit and train more volunteers, take on more interns and students, develop more projects, collect more data, achieve more results, upgrade and maintain our aquarium, educate more people, display our work, visit more schools and community groups, reach more people and ultimately conserve our marine environment.

What your gift could provide

£5

Feeds the animals in our aquarium for a day

£30

Pays for beach cleaning equipment for 3 people

£80

Pays for a full day marine mammal boat survey for one person

Fundraise for us!

Charity Information

Telephone: 01348 874737

Address: Ocean Lab, Goodwick Pembrokeshire SA64 0DE