The British Natural History Museum's
The Big Seaweed Search, 2010

This is one of the latest Natural History data gathering projects to be carried out in the UK by many wildlife organizations, both locally & nationally. Last year there was a national one looking at the distribution of snails, and local one (N.E. England) looking at small mammals. These projects are great fun, and give non-scientist the chance to take part in important research work. The best know is the Big Bird Watch, which is run annually, in February, by the RSPB. This involves spending an hour on one of two days counting the maximum numbers of each species, which visits you garden, park or other sites. Most of the national surveys are Internet based, and that's where you'll find them. Detail information on surveying techniques and identification are given and you completed survey can be downloaded to the web or posted off. 

The Big Seaweed Search carries on throughout 2010. Details can be found by logging on to: www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/seaweeds-survey/. This particular survey can be carried on wherever there are seaweeds. Pictures of seaweeds are provided to be downloaded. The survey is looking for the distribution & abundance of seaweeds throughout the British Isles, as well as looking for the invasive species, Wireweed, Sargassum muticum. These surveys are great fun and can be carried out in pairs or groups.

Our Results are as follows:

The Big Seaweed Search

Survey Carried out by: Sue Marshall (Ryedale AS)
Location: South Shields, Sand Haven Beach, 12.09.2010
What was the Seashore like? Almost all rocks, sloping upwards toward pier.
Number of Limpets counted in 1 minute: 6
. Where is it? How Much is There?
Type of seaweed Underwater On Rock Abundant Scarce In Between
Egg Wrack . . . . .
Bladder Wrack . P . . P
Bifurcaria bifurcaria . P . . .
Channeled Wrack . . . . .
Spiral Wrack . P . . P
Toothed Wrack . P . P .
Dabberlock . . . . .
Sugar Kelp . . . . .
Thongweed . . . . .
Wireweed . . . . .
Red Seaweed P P . P .
Green Seaweed . P . . .

The good news was here was not of the invasive species of wireweed.

Click here to see an article on our trip
Click here to see the planning which went into the trip