South West Marine Fest Conference 2022

We invite you to join our inaugural South West Marine Fest Conference. Conservation Chat UK LTD are a specialist in organising events in which the environment is always at the heart.

We are passionate about the marine environment, especially in our local area, the southwest of England. This will be the first of a reoccurring annual event that celebrates marine life from the region and beyond.

The day will be filled with presentations, discussions and networking opportunities and will be aimed at those who work in the marine/conservation sector, students, early career researchers, and anyone with a passion for the marine environment.

Light refreshments will be provided, but to keep ticket prices low, this is a ‘bring your own lunch’ event. We challenge you to go plastic-free!

This event will be an exclusively ‘in person’ conference, however, we can guarantee full refunds if we must cancel due to the Coronavirus.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates on speakers etc.

Confirmed Speakers*

• The impact of marine vessels on the presence and behaviour of harbour porpoises in Brixham, SW England. – Laura Roberts, Operation Cetacean.
• An introduction to Operation Seabird. James Thomas, Marine Management Organisation.
• Solving the puzzle. Monitoring and identifying seals in South Devon. – Sarah Greenslade, The Seal Project.
• An introduction to Lyme Bay’s marine life. – Sam Cunningham, Dolphin Watch UK.
• The cultural lives of Icelandic sperm whales. – Karl O’Neill, Láki Tours.
• The condition of UK rivers and the impact on the marine environment. – Ellie White, Richard Green Ecology.
• You are what you eat? Well, let’s hope not! – Stuart Collier, Conservation Chat UK.
• Into the sea, I go! How sea swimming can improve our relationship with the ocean and ourselves. – Rhian Manley, Devon Sea Swim.
• Jellies found around local coasts – where do they come from, where do they go, and are they reproducing here? – Jeanette Sanders, Juliette Jackson and Michele Kiernan, The South Devon Jellyfish Survey.
• Novel methods for monitoring biodiversity, with a particular focus on the marine environment. – Sebastian Mynott, Applied Genomics.
• An impartial adoption model for new technologies and how they would impact different stakeholders in the UK commercial capture fisheries. – Matthew Prowse, University of Plymouth/University Centre South Devon.
• The use of eDNA strategies for marine conservation in the UK. – Jessie Brice, Southampton University.
• Preventing Ocean plastic pollution from fishing gear. – The INdIGO Project
• Why everything matters. – Gary Jolliffe, Til the Coast is Clear (CIC)
• An introduction to ocean literacy. – Amanda Brown, Brixham Coast.
• This is a rubbish talk! – Hannah Beaumont, Me and the Plastic Sea.

*All speakers are subject to change.

Other events to enjoy throughout the festival include:

Marine Mammals of the UK Workshop

Cetaceans of the South West UK Webinar