The shore visited this month were Rhoscolyn (Glannau Rhoscolyn SSSI), Penmaenmawr (close to Liverpool bay SPA) and Porth dinllaen (Porth dinllaen i Borth Pistyll SSSI).

Our Shoresearch surveys are ideally building numbers of volunteers local to a hub area. Building knowledge throughout, the data gleaned should be helpful for monitoring our intertidal protected areas. We’d like volunteers to visit shores local to them and it’s often a welcome insight into somewhere they thought they knew well.

"I come off the bridge and I only ever turn left….. so I thought there was hardly anything on it!" - Janine Yarwood of her local patch.

Surveys completed

Number of quadrats: 20; Number of volunteers: 5

Timed species searches: Pacific Oyster 20mins

Seasonal findings

We’re still in the breeding season for many intertidal organisms and an exciting find across a few western shores was of breeding sea hares/môr-wlithen glustiog (Aplysia punctata). These amazing creatures arrive in spring-early summer to mate and lay squiggly orange-pink egg strings in the intertidal region. They can often be found stranded by the tide under wet algae on shore, so take great care where you tread, right now. They can just look like brown speckled jelly-like blobs, but see them in the water and these large sea slugs become graceful, leaf-like algae-dancers.  

Species features

Squat lobsters are another less than common find on a Shoresearch survey. The one found by Molly was likely to be Galathea squamifera  called the Olive squat lobster. Identified by a short, broad rostrum (pointed section between the eyes) with 4 spines either side and a brown-ish colour across the body. These are the most common species of several squat lobster species that can be found in the UK, all of which are more closely related to hermit crabs than lobsters.

Similar to hermit crabs (also not true crabs) they tuck their tail under their body but use it for a different reason. Hermit crabs use their tails to entwine with the column of the shell they’re living in, keeping a good hold of it. Squat lobsters will use theirs to escape quickly, by clapping it against their body to gain propulsion.

We have also been seeing Candy striped flatworms (Prostheceraeus vittatus). They were all over the shop on one survey this month, which gave the impression they were amalgamating to breed. After some research it seems more occurrences come from June-August, so this would suggest these hermaphrodites may be looking to mate with each other.

They are one of the few clearly identifiable worms in the intertidal region, but not commonly seen. They have tentacles which extend from the body at the front and which have numerous eyes in clusters along them. Using these to hunt, they move, with outer body margin undulations, in search of their sea squirt prey. They especially like Clavelina species (e.g. lightbulb sea squirts) of which we found many in the area.

The Shoresearch surveys are designed to help monitor some areas of shore by volunteers recording what they find using various types of surveys. Training is given to the volunteers who sign up to help us carry out these surveys.

We are liaising with other organisations to hone these surveys, so they become a vital tool in the help to monitor wildlife in our intertidal areas. Whilst they can also help to introduce volunteers to the species which live in this intertidal zone, the ideal is to build up some regular teams to regularly survey certain areas, building a clearer picture over the long term and in particular to keep an eye out for Invasive species and Climate change indicators.

If you would like to join us to volunteer your time at our repeated survey sites, then please get in touch. It is likely to be just one 2-3 hr session out on shore once every month at the least, as well as any time you can spare to do online training or website reading. 

Want to help with Shoresearch volunteering

Of course, feel free to help in other ways too via becoming a member, donating or buying a gift membership for someone. Thank you.

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