Marine conservation under spotlight in new exhibition

But now Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is raising awareness of the work it does at sea in a display at Hull’s Maritime Museum.

The exhibition includes images of the seabed off the Holderness coast, showing the undersea landscape which has made the area the most lucrative fishery for lobster in the country.

YWT has been working with Withernsea-based fisherman John White, who has taken a number of steps to reduce the impact fishing has on the environment, including putting “V” notches into the tails of crippled or egg-carrying lobsters as a means of protecting local “broodstock”.

The trust, which is about to officially launch its Living Seas activity centre at Flamborough, has also been campaigning hard for a network of protected areas in the seas around the UK. Another project, supported by Heritage Lottery Funding, is to restore the lighthouse at Spurn and open it up to the public.

The YWT’s centre at South Landing, built on the site of a cafe which burned down after a vandal attack in 2009, will be officially launched on March 23 and 24. It aims to show the diversity and abundance of marine life on the chalk reefs off the headland through boat trips, snorkelling, beach cleaning and other activities.