The Fleet Study Group (FSG) was founded in 1975 when the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) set up working parties for many of the important estuaries, such as the Clyde and Liverpool Bay. The aims of the FSG are:

• The collection and collation of scientific, historic and other relevant information about The Fleet and Chesil Beach
• The identification of gaps in our knowledge and suggestions for future research.
• The consideration of environmental effects of natural and, especially, man-made change.

At any one time there are 15-20 members of the FSG drawn from a wide range of backgrounds—including the Ilchester Estates, local and national conservation bodies, local councils and individual scientists. The group meets three times a year in a variety of venues. The Group is voluntary and non-political.

The Fleet Study Group has assembled a large archive of material related to the Fleet and Chesil Beach and this is held at Weymouth College.

The current chairman of the Fleet Study Group is Ed Harland.

(Words précised from an article by J FitzPatrick in the Proceedings of the Third Symposium of the Fleet Study Group, October 1993.)