Steve Hartley is the founder of Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, New Quay. He now runs Dolphin Survey Boat Trips, however previously fished the waters of Cardigan Bay.

A member of our Living Seas Team sat down with Steve, to discuss his memories of life in the Bay. Here, he discusses the origins of Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, specifically moving from angling into wildlife.

Recollection as follows:

"I didn’t like doing it (angling trips) for various reasons…The last lot of anglers I took in 1995, I left them in Wexford and told them to get the ferry home. I slept all the way back and was sleeping constantly as I was so relieved – I said: 'that’s it, I’m through with angling'. I was going to sell the boat and go back to commercial fishing which I had done before, and I was not going to do angling.

Then a mate of mine, who did the trips with me at the time, who knew I loved the research and survey work – I used to get chartered to do that - asked why didn’t I fund that through the paying public. That is why the trips I run are called Dolphin Survey Boat Trips, and that started in 1996."

To learn more about Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, please visit: https://www.welshwildlife.org/visitor-centres/cardigan-bay-marine-wildl…