Shoresearch

Sunstar in hands - Kiff Hancock

Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts' national citizen science survey of the intertidal shore, the exciting world of extremes where the sea meets the land.

53 miles of coastline to explore ()

Home to internationally important birds ()

2nd highest tidal range in the world ()

Vital fish nursery ()

What is Shoresearch?

Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts' national citizen science survey of the intertidal shore, the exciting world of extremes where the sea meets the land. It's a great way to explore your local coast, learn more about the wildlife found there and add to our understanding of this important habitat.

Volunteers are trained to identify and record the wildlife on shores across the UK. The data collected by this project helps experts to monitor our fragile sea life and better understand the effects of pollution, climate change and invasive alien species. Shoresearch data has been key to designating many of our Marine Conservation Zones.

Mark Ward addressing a group of volunteers at a Shoresearch event at Dunster beach

Photo: Jon Barrett

Shoresearch - Jon Barratt

Shoresearch - Jon Barrett

Shoresearch Training and ID Videos

Here are some training videos by the Wilder Coast team, to help you get started with some identification of intertidal species and to explain more about the methods we will be using. These videos are great for getting you ready for Shoresearch or refreshing your memory.

Surveying

With standardised survey techniques used by Shoresearch volunteers across the country, we will be learning more about the wildlife on our shores than ever before. There are four types of survey involved:

Quadrat Biodiversity Survey

The Quadrat Biodiversity Survey is for shores of hard substrate (rocky, pebbles/shingle, bedrock) and involves collecting species abundance and habitat data at random points, in a selected area of the intertidal zone, using a quadrat.

Box Corer Biodiversity Survey

The Box Corer Biodiversity Survey is for intertidal sediment shores (sand, mud, silt) and involves collecting species abundance and habitat data at random points, in a selected area of the intertidal zone, using a corer.

Timed Species Search

During this survey a select list of species are searched for across an area of shore within a fixed time period to assist with the monitoring of their distribution around the UK.

Walkover Survey

The Walkover Survey is for shores of hard substrate (rocky, pebbles/shingle, bedrock) and involves collecting qualitative information on species found within a selected area of the intertidal zone.

Report

Over 2022/2023, the Somerset Shoresearch team was joined by Arthur Blackwood, a Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science undergraduate from the University of West of England (UWE), undertaking a placement with Somerset Wildlife Trust. Arthur has written a report using the data from the surveys, presenting detailed information and analysis of the species found in the Somerset Intertidal Zone.

Read the report