Conservation
“The world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads. We are not just touching the web, we are tearing great holes in it …”
Conservation is increasingly the most important aspect of the work of any aquarium. With the ever expanding human population and the competition for both land and other natural resources, many species of plant and animal have already become extinct at the hands of man, while others are under great pressure from overfishing and other destructive human activities.
It is for this reason that Anglesey Sea Zoo has developed and is running captive breeding, release, conservation and education programmes. Education is as important as any other aspect of conservation as it empowers individuals and allows them to make decisions based on knowledge.
Currently, our conservation work includes:
We also support the following conservation organisations:
The Shark Trust
Marine Conservation Society
North Wales Wildlife Trust
Reducing marine litter
Beach Cleans
We organise regular beach cleans at Tan-Y-Foel Beach right on our doorstep. Data from the litter surveys is sent to the Marine Conservation Society – would you believe one of the most common items found on our beaches are plastic cotton bud sticks? If you’d like to make a difference and volunteer your time for a beach clean, send us an email. We’d love to hear from you!
We are also happy to provide equipment for schools or groups interested in doing a beach clean during their visit – simply mention this when enquiring about your booking!
Conservation is at the heart of what we do
Environmental Awareness
Environmental sustainability and conservation is at the heart of what we do here at Anglesey Sea Zoo – we minimise our impact on the environment by recycling and monitoring our energy use, as well as using and supporting local products and producers.
The water in our tanks is pumped directly from the Menai Strait creating a natural environment in the aquarium, and we strive to source any food, including seafood in our café, as sustainably as possible. Our café uses locally sourced ingredients, and instead of plastic bags which could be harmful to wildlife and the environment, we only use paper bags in our Gift Shop.
Furthermore, we are constantly working on different ways of reducing our waste production as much as we can, especially regarding single-use plastics. For example, we do not have plastic straws in our cafe, instead we sell reusable metal ones as well as reusable coffee mugs!
We are also working with Keep Wales Tidy and recycle our waste as much as we can. Recycling bins are available throughout the site, and we encourage visitors to make use of them.
Promoting sustainable tourism
The Green Key Award
We became the first Anglesey business to achieve international recognition by gaining the Green Key environmental accreditation promoting sustainable tourism!
The Green Key scheme is being offered right across Wales by Keep Wales Tidy. The programme allows Welsh businesses to celebrate the positive environmental changes they are implementing and market themselves to an audience that is increasingly aware of their environmental responsibilities.
We have been very pleased at the support shown by Keep Wales Tidy through this scheme!
The Sea Zoo aims to show you a little of the amazing diversity of life in our seas. If you enjoy your visit then please go a stage further and do something, adopt more environmentally responsible practices in your life, educate yourself and your families.
