You may be astonished to find out that half of all the UK¹s wildlife either lives in, or depends upon, our coastal waters. Among the millions of seabirds that breed on our shores are internationally important populations of gannet, manx shearwater and great skua. And Europe¹s most important colonies of puffin, kittiwake and guillemot can also be found around the UK¹s coasts. Below the waves is an equally thrilling mix ­ from cold-water corals to sea horses and turtles, we are privileged to enjoy such biodiversity.

Few people forget their first encounter with amazing creatures like the basking shark ­ at up to 11 metres long, the world¹s second biggest fish.

Our local inhabitants include some of our most engaging mammals, such as exuberant dolphins, and think of a moment when the sight of a playful seal¹s head bobbing above the waves made you smile. Yet these wildlife-rich waters are also among the busiest and most exploited seas in the world. And while there are some laws in place to protect wildlife on land, the legislation to protect the variety of creatures that depend on our marine environment is either non-existent or woefully inadequate. There isn¹t enough being done to prevent dolphins from getting tangled up in fishing gear, seabirds from dying as a result of swallowing man-made litter or shellfish from absorbing pollutants from the waters around them.

The RSPB believes this is a situation crying out for change. In an increasingly profit-driven and exploitative world, wildlife will always suffer unless we act to protect it. And that is why the RSPB is campaigning vigorously for the Government to introduce a Marine Bill that would help to save the extraordinary variety of creatures on our doorstep that we have, until now, taken for granted: from seahorses to seals, from corals to kittiwakes.

But fighting for the future of UK wildlife and its habitats ­ not only by campaigning, but also, for example, through research into the impact of offshore fishing and the decline of bird populations, or by mobilising staff and volunteers to deal with oil spills ­ is only a small part of what the RSPB is about. The work of the RSPB reaches from seabird reserves at Bempton in Yorkshire to the fishing ports of Brazil and South Africa, where the Albatross Task Force works with fishermen to try to prevent the deaths each year of tens of thousands of these magnificent birds through longline fishing.

We are all of us enriched by the presence of nature around us: a gannet¹s bullet-like plunge into the ocean made you gasp; or the cry of a gull high above a cliff made your heart soar. These are the moments we live for, and the moments the RSPB protects for the benefit of all of us today, and for our children tomorrow. So why not join the RSPB, and help to save our sea life? That way, we can all look forward to more of those uplifting memories.

Join the RSPB at www.rspb.org.uk/joinus quoting AD09 for a free gift.

Create your own ‘moments’ by entering our competition to win an eco-friendly family weekend for four at Strattons, the eco-hotel in Norfolk. The prize also includes free entry to Go Ape!, the award-winning high-wire forest adventure course with rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zip slides, plus £100 spending money.