A NEW four-year project to encourage Wightlink customers to appreciate, understand and support the Solent has been launched.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust were awarded £640,300 in 2018 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create ‘Secrets of the Solent’ — interactive and educational sessions onboard Wightlink ferries delivered by staff and volunteers.

Community engagement officer Emily Stroud, leading the initiative, has a team of volunteer 'marine champions' to help her along this journey.

Emily said: “Very few are aware of the incredible, hidden life under the surface, including beautiful seagrass meadows, seahorses and cuttlefish.

“We will also be telling them how birds like cormorants fish for their supper and more about unusual visitors to our shores such as dolphins and sharks.”

The ‘Secrets of the Solent’ campaign aims to achieve less pollution in our seas and more information about local underwater wildlife gathered through ‘citizen science.’

This is said to secure better legal protections and management of areas within the Solent and for more sustainable seafood to become available.

Sessions have already been held on Wightlink’s Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Lymington to Yarmouth routes and Wightlink’s own environmental officer Nicole Craig said: “Our customers and staff are keen to know more about the marine wildlife beneath the waves and I’m delighted that the trust is working in partnership with us.”