The seas around the UK host a wealth of wildlife. You might be surprised to learn that the UK's seas cover an area three times that of the land, and host half of our national bio-diversity. It's a strange world beneath the waves, one that we know little about, but one that is increasingly under pressure from human activity.

The local area group is active in surveying wildlife in Morecambe Bay and the North West Coast of the UK. We organise beach cleans, guided beach walks and talks about marine wildlife. We are part of The Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading marine charity. We work to ensure our seas are healthy, pollution free and protected.

Latest News:

Plankton of the Irish Sea: Above: Some plankton of the Irish sea - see how many you can identify! (Note the photos are not to the same scale). Photos BK from Knott End. Most of the Irish sea is vertically mixed by waves and currents throughout the year, and has relatively little contact with the Atlantic. In addition, the... >> More

Cnidaria and Ctenophores: Above left, counter-clockwise: Alcyionium glomeratum, Gymnangium montagui, Caryophyllia smithii, Aurelia aurita and Urticina felina photos by Mark Woombs. Is it a Coelenterate, Cnidarian or Ctenophore? A close up look at corals, sea anemones, jellyfish and comb jellies with Mark Woombs (Lancashi... >> More

Events in December 2025: Our Christmas beach clean (like a beach clean, but usually with worse weather;-) will be on the 6th December at 14:00. Meet as usual at the Half Moon Bay Cafe car park. This is followed by our Christmas quiz at the Maritime Museum on Wednesday 10th December. Our annual brain-teaser returns to r... >> More

See the MCS Lancashire diary for updates on public events.