PRESS REPEASE Monday 5rd October 2015
COASTWATCHERS SPURRED ON BY EARLY FINDINGS IN THE
ANNUAL SHORE SURVEY.
Contact survey@coastwatch.org Karin Dubsky + 353 (0)86 8111 684 Coastwatch at Civil &
Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 TCD office +353 (0)1 896 2599 Email:
kdubsky@tcd.ie Web: www.coastwatch.org
‘Walking the shore and scrutinising its qualities and woes is useful and exercise in sea air’,
commented Karin Dubsky international Coastwatch coordinator. How useful has not only
been shown in previous years, but also in the last few days as survey results are starting to
roll in.
A few dozen surveyors turned up for training on the north shores of Carlingford organised
by the energetic ‘Lough Your Lough’ group. After surveying one badly littered stretch at The
Narrows a clean-up yielding 30 bin bags of marine litter. Once it was collected sources were
discussed and action to address these. The trained surveyors have since fanned out, and
covered an impressive length of the lough already, posting photos of intertidal riches like
colourful peacock worms, sponges and sea squirts, birds and fish along side concerns like
sea bed disturbance from mussel dredging
At Hook head, Co Wexford - a group of German University students who used the
Coastwatch survey as a methodical field audit method came across a blue rayed limpet
nursery on sea spaghetti. Given that limpets have become extinct along the German shores,
finding a nursery with these gorgeous pin head sized fluorescent animals all lined up was
like finding truffles commented one student .
Larger training and survey events run alongside the activities of many long term
Coastwatchers who survey their shore most years. The information returned often has extra
notes and pictures and forms a most valuable citizen science information time line.
Apart from marine litter, findings of wider concern include invasive alien species at the
shore edge like New Zealand Flax carried by the sea or thrown down cliffs with garden
waste. While in the intertidal new sites have been identified where Japanese seaweed
Sargassum and the wax like sea squirt Didemnum have spread.
Coastwatch is calling on more volunteers to join ‘This is your chance to contribute to Citizen
Science and your jigsaw piece in a huge coastal picture’ said Karin.
‘We are delighted with the uptake All Ireland especially in Dublin, Waterford estuary, Kerry,
West Cork and Co Down said Patrick Brady a keen surfer in the Coastwatch coordination
team.. ‘If this continues, the coverage will be as least as good – perhaps better than any of
the last 3 years’. He has high hopes that the surfers he met at the Lahinch surf competition
will survey a few shores of their home grounds.
------------------------ Please see Overleaf for Survey information ------------------------
All Ireland Coastwatch Survey 2015 (Sept 15th – Oct 15th)
WHAT IS ENTAILS:
1. (i) Find an area to survey on the Coastwatch Map –Zoom in to your area and click on
one of the blue or white lines, each denoting a 500 meter’ survey unit’. The clicked on area
turns red and an ID code will pop up. Note the code on the survey form question A1. Take a
camera photo of the map so you know exactly where it is. If in a hurry to get out, now jump
to point 2, otherwise read 1 (ii)
(ii) Book your survey area. using the online form. (NB- the survey unit you chose
above will only stay red while you click on it. But if you book it with us, we mark it
orange as booked on the map within 48 hours. Add any requests like training (for
groups), and/or that we post nitrate test kits to check on fresh water from land.
2.
Take a survey form hard copy (available from Coastwatch coordinators and some libraries)
or download - Coastwatch Survey Questionnaire – You need one per survey unit (500 m).
or with different colour biro 1 for 2 survey units. Consult the Survey Guide Notes when
reading through the questions. A Poster to help identify shore life listed in the survey is
printed page 2 of the hard copy form. Otherwise copy it from our website onto your phone .
3. Extras: If your survey unit is in a harbour or marina you might download
the
Harbour Questionnaire + CITCLOPS form This is to check and report on waste
management facilities and waste management in the harbour, while the free phone app
EyeOnWater is to record sea water colour and transparency – see www.citclops.eu
4. Plan your Survey

Check for low tide at http://bit.do/tidetime –start surveying ~ 1 hour before l. tide.

Plan how to get there. Can you do it by foot of public transport, or at least car share?
•
Pack survey forms, a bag or small bucket for interesting materials, boots, layers of
clothes and rain gear. Extra materials like nitrate/nitrite test sticks if applicable.
5. Results return: Input your results on line if at all possible. As fall back post to Coastwatch,
att. Karin Dubsky Civil Engineering, TCD, Dublin 2

Survey Questionnaire – Input Form This is the main survey form

Harbour Waste Management Questionnaire – Input form extra only for
harbours

CITCLOPS Water transparency and colour – Input Form Extra for harbours
6. PICTURES: Email us interesting pictures to survey@coastwatch.org (indicate survey site and
if we are to attribute these to you or not)
Any questions? Please email survey@coastwatch.org, or use
our Facebook page. Or contact Karin Dubsky 086 8111 684.
Note to the Editor
The Coastwatch Survey has been running for 27 years. Every year, important information is gathered
by volunteers including discovery of new locations of special habitats like honeycomb worm reefs
and sea grass (Zostera) meadows.
Findings have also alerted to specific local issues – like an unsafe sea wall, fly tipping hot spots or the
source of some high nitrate discharges. The rise in plastic shopping bag litter with Coastwatch count
data from our shores was cited as evidence by government when proposing the plastic bag bill.
Subsequent Coastwatch surveys have acted as a monitoring tool and confirm that the bag tax and its
well designed enforcement have solved the problem.
Area where Coastwatch push for change have not yet succeeded in Ireland is on drinks container
litter. This highlights that there are no incentives to return empty containers – in contrast to Boston
and Berlin!
The survey is being supported by the Department of the Environment Water section and the EC is
co-funding the EyeOnWater’ app for looking at harbour water transparency and colour . This extra
part of the Coastwatch survey is an F7 research project in which TCD and Coastwatch are partners
.see www.citclops.eu As the weather is set to become unpredictable now we would be delighted if
you gave this an early mention or came out with us to a training event.
Three special initiatives are planned for this year’s survey in Ireland North and South
1. HIGH NATURE VALUE AREAS:
Dublin Bay: This year Dublin Bay is a priority area where we hope every bit of accessible shore
will be surveyed to celebrate that Dublin Bay has been accepted as a Biosphere reserve
by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in
recognition of the area’s unique ecological habitat and biological diversity. The Biosphere reserve
goes beyond EU nature law site designations as it includes the whole hydrological coastal unit of
Dublin Bay and a buffer around it from Broad meadow, Howth to Killiney.
Waterford Estuary: A second priority area is Waterford estuary from Hook Head in Co
Wexford to Annestown in Co Waterford. Previous Coastwatch surveys have identified a biogenic
reef created by Honeycomb reef worms (Sabellaria). It is now thought that is may be one of the
largest honeycomb reefs in Europe. French Coastwatchers at St Malo who think they have the
largest such reef are looking closely at Irish results.
2. HARBOUR SURVEY Harbours are hotspots of activity and waste can be generated on both
water and land. Marine litter is recognised as a serious environmental issue now Coastwatch
Harbour survey questions focus on compliance with EU waste law and state of the harbour. ‘We
want to know whether waste reception facilities and practices adequate’ said Patrick Brady – a
US Coastwatcher who has just arrived and was surprised that there is no published harbour
waste management compliance data. Additionally, there is an opportunity to try some citizen
science research and a water colour app of the EU funded ‘Citclops’ project where information is
instantly uploaded on a world map.
3. NUTRIENT INPUTS Nitrate levels in small inflows entering our seas can be tested by
surveyors who have nitrate test kits - available from Coastwatch regional coordinators and HQ in
Trinity College Dublin. This initiative has been running for a few years but are particularly
relevant now with cattle herd increase and sewage treatment discussions.
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