I have wonderful memories of the coast as a child, of rock pooling where I found hermit crabs and bashful goby amongst the many and varied types of seaweed, from sea lettuce to bladderwrack. Nowadays, I dive the beautiful waters around the British coast, through forests of kelp, and alongside elegant spider crabs. Each dive introduces exciting discoveries that draw me back for more.

To mark National Marine Week across the length and breadth of Britain, the Wildlife Trusts are celebrating the diversity of wildlife beneath the waves and along our shores. Our seas are home to an incredible variety of weird and wonderful wildlife, from comb jellies and Bloody Henry starfish, to the grey seal and Goliath basking shark. Did you know that a staggering 50 per cent of the UK’s plants and animals live in our seas? However, the wildlife that can be found today is just a tiny drop of what we once had. From the ocean depths to the coastal shallows, our native marine wildlife is in drastic decline. During National Marine Week we also want to help people to understand more about the threats that wildlife faces and how they can get involved in protecting it. Overfishing, climate change and pollution are having devastating effects on the marine environment. Just two per cent of the UK’s sea area is designated with a level of protection for wildlife, with less than 0.001 per cent thought of as fully-protected from all damaging activities.

As part of a national Living Seas campaign, the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust is championing ‘Petition Fish’ — calling for as many people as possible to encourage the Government to make a network of Marine Protected Areas around the UK coast.

Experience from around the world shows that these protected areas, where damaging activities are restricted, can help fragile marine ecosystems and wildlife to recover — and with this the fish stocks. At College Lake Nature Reserve, near Tring, which millions of years ago was at the bottom of a tropical sea, (sharks’ teeth and ammonites were found in the chalk), on August 10-11 we are running activities to celebrate marine wildlife and raise awareness of its plight.

Seaside-themed activities for all the family include making an octopus and a ray, and taking part in quizzes and games. ‘Marine madness’ displays will show everyday products such as shampoo and toothpaste that use fish and seaweed. We will also encourage people to sign little ‘fishes’ as part of Petition Fish.

In our homes we landlubbers can all take small steps to make a big difference. Every product uses energy and has its climate-cost, which impacts upon marine life by raising ocean temperatures. We can all use less energy. We can also reduce the amount of rubbish we make and recycle as much as possible so it doesn’t choke up our seas. Choosing sustainable seafood caught by minimal impact methods and environmentally-friendly products is important too. If we don’t make the effort to protect our marine life now, our children, and their children, will be peering into empty rock pools.

With fewer plants and animals in the seas to neutralise chemicals that run off the land, the water will be too hazardous for them to swim in or dive. To find out more about your local Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas conservation work, sign Petition Fish, get details of events and to become a member of the trust please go to www.bbowt.org.uk or call 01865 775476.