Introduction

The town of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast has long been associated with fossils. In this programme, Rose Ferraby finds out about new geological research which sheds light on changes to the marine landscape of thousands of years ago - and asks whether it has lessons to teach us for the future. She meets a geologist and a marine biologist who tell her about the latest research, and talks to an expert on Whitby jet to find out how this unique type of fossil has become so linked with the town. She also visits the town's newly-established lobster hatchery, where work is underway to hatch out and release hundreds of thousands of juvenile lobsters in order to conserve marine stocks.

Producer: Emma Campbell