Marine species battle it out for a place on Darwin's Beagle

Five species will be vying for the public vote in a family event designed to promote increased awareness of the plight facing marine wildlife.

The Beagle Debate, organised by Plymouth University’s Marine Institute, will see five internationally renowned experts championing a species close to their hearts.

At the end of what is expected to be a lively debate, the audience will vote for their favourite, with the winner being granted ‘safe passage’ on the Beagle, the vessel used by Charles Darwin for his epic global voyage which set out from Plymouth in 1831.

The free family event is designed to be both entertaining and educational and is being held on Tuesday 10 September at the National Marine Aquarium, forming part of Plymouth’s Ocean City Festival.

Professor Martin Attrill, Director of the Marine Institute, said: “Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle was the catalyst for his thinking into numerous aspects of evolution and marine life.

"This latest battle for a place on his ship will be a really fun event, but we also want people to think about the threats to marine organisms, how we conserve them and how we put a value on species if we have to make a conservation choice.

"We have one spot left on the Beagle for one of these organisms, but it will also be an opportunity for the audience to consider what it would mean to lose any one of these fascinating organisms.”

The Beagle Debate will be chaired by Alan Qualtrough, director of the interactive environmental website dotbydot.co.uk, and former editorial director of the Western Morning News and The Herald.

He will oversee a panel of experts comprising: Dr Richard Kirby (Marine Institute, Plymouth University) – zooplankton; Phillip Hoare (award-winning author of Leviathan and The Sea Inside) – whales; Dr David Gibson (National Marine Aquarium) – sunfish; Prof Kerry Howell (Marine Institute, Plymouth University) – deep sea coral; Richard Peirce (Sharks Trust) – sharks.

Dr Gibson, Managing Director at the National Marine Aquarium, added: “The debate is a really fun way of getting the audience thinking more about marine conservation, something that is one of our main aims here at the Aquarium.

"We’re all looking forward to it and to seeing which species will be selected to be saved.”

The debate will begin at 7pm on Tuesday 10 September, and anyone wanting to attend can visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beagledebate.

Plymouth’s Ocean City Festival runs from September 9-22, taking place at a range of venues across the city including Plymouth University, the Barbican, Sutton Harbour, The Hoe, the National Marine Aquarium and Royal William Yard.