Bangor University urges UK citizens to become coastal “citizen scientists”

14 Jan 2016

North Wales’s Bangor University is one of seven institutions taking part in the Capturing our Coast project.

The £1.7m project calls on volunteers to become coastal “citizen scientists” in order to develop and improve general understanding of the country’s marine wildlife.

Bangor University and the public collect information about marine species along our stunning coasts #CitizenScience

— Cyfoeth Naturiol (@NatResWales) January 14, 2016

Newcastle University will lead the programme alongside the Welsh university. The project is said to be funded by the Heritage Lottery fund.

The project calls for more than 3,000 people across Britain to be trained to collect seaside samples that marine scientists can then investigate.

Take part #CitizenScience project @CapturingRCoast officially launching this week https://t.co/UVG0QdklEj #CoCoastNE pic.twitter.com/0G1MRZ2mBg

— NCL Marine (@newcastlemarine) January 14, 2016

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the public to get involved in hands on marine science on rocky shores and, at the same time, find out more about the research activities of marine scientists in the UK,” Bangor University’s Professor Stuart Jenkins told BBC News.

“We aim to build a long-lasting relationship with volunteers which we hope will be mutually beneficial.”

Capturing Our Coast – join a new #CitizenScience project to map the UK ‘s marine life: https://t.co/AjRzVsp1Qo pic.twitter.com/hUhlNXBxaA

— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) January 13, 2016

Dr Heather Sugden, another scientist participating in the scheme, notes how it is the “first of its kind” in the UK.

“What this project aims to do is develop a network of citizen scientists who can help us build an accurate picture of marine life all around the UK – a baseline against which we can better understand the impact of climate change and other environmental and human factors,” she said.

Other Capturing Our Coast partners include the Marine Conservation Society, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Natural History Museum.

Additional reporting by BBC News.