Shore Watch is a scheme started on a trial basis in January 1995 under the current title. It was operated without a title from about 1986. The title was chosen by John Dawes and Andy Horton.

The object of the scheme is to record wildlife on the seashore around the British Isles. The results will be published in the marine wildlife journal Glaucus and in computer database accessible by contributors and the public for a nominal charge.

The aims of the project are:

1) stimulate interest in the seashore as a valuable wildlife habitat.
2) educate the public in the sciences and art of the intertidal zone.
3) give naturalists the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and observations.
4) identify and record any marine wildlife trends.
5) give a commonsense supplement to proper scientific surveys.
6) publish the merits of British seashore life to the uninitiated and foreign students.

The public can help in the following ways:

a) Recording their marine wildlife observations on the forms provided and sending them in.
b) Recording their marine wildlife observations on paper in their own way form and sending them in.
c) Sending in photographs of wildlife observations for identifying species.
d) Sending in photographs of wildlife and habitats and general coastal scenes for publication in the database if the picture is suitable and of sufficient quality.
e) Recording the dominant fauna, visual description and shore topography.

Types of pictures wanted:

f) Panoramic views of the seashore; rocky coasts, sandy coasts etc.
g) Animals: jellyfish washed up, dolphins, seals, sea birds, sharks, turtles, sunfish, and the smaller animals, underwater shots if the photographer is good enough.
h) Photographs of marine and estuarine angling catches (these photographs may be included on a different database).
i) Scale maps of intertidal areas with the topographical features marked. The 1:1250 (50": 1 mile) OS maps can provide the starting points.

For this you need to log on to the Smart Groups registration area and become a full member to go to:

British Marine Wildlife Forum (commenced 1 August 2000)
Group Home:  http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Glaucus
 
 

Rockpooling	Seashore
MARINE WILDLIFE of the NE ATLANTIC  FORUM PAGE  Hints on Joining	NOTABLE DISCOVERIES  SHOREWATCH BIOLOGICAL RECORDING  Any unusual discoveries on the shore can be entered by the Recorder on the database on the British Marine Wildlife Forum. You need to join the Forum. Then you have to look for the menu item Database and choose Shorewatch Biological Recording.
Coastal Code	Behaviour and Conservation

Identifying species correctly.
This should be overcome by the new Collin's Guide to the Seashore, although there will always be tricky identifications of species that are similar in appearance to each other (e.g. sea anemones, spider crabs, gobies).
 

Biomar (for further information)
Grid References (a few notes)
Guidelines for Completion of the Report Forms
National Marine Aquarium Request for Fish Records
Report Forms: Instruction Page
Marine Aquaria for Biological Recording
  

Etymology of the word 'shore'