Galway Atlantaquaria seeks the public's help for a seashell survey on Grattan Beach, Salthill to report on the under-recorded bivalves that support our economy, assess ocean health, and warn against climate change. Find out more here...
Bivalves are one of the oldest living species on the planet, and as such can tell us everything we need to know about the state or health of the sea. However, these species are severely unrecorded and often unrecognised for the role they play in ocean health.
On the 14th of May, Galway Atlantaquaria will join Galway City Council and Clean Coasts as part of Love Your Beach, a three day series of events to showcase the beauty and diversity of Galway’s beaches. Initially the Aquarium had designed a simple biofact hunt, but with their recent 'Explore Your Shore' training they have developed a brand new Big Shell Survey tool for citizen science. Galway Atlantaquaria was inspired to develop this NEW experience through our recent Explore Your Shore Training with Dave Wall, of the National Biodiversity Date Centre to promote ocean literacy, citizen science, and community development for the benefit of the sea and people.
The new Big Shell Survey is still in early stages of its development, but the team hope to deliver a fun and informative series of bivalve ID sheets to enable everyone to learn more about these keystone species.
Young people love to collect shells as part of their seashore play experience, but the hope is that by making people aware of the role and importance of recording the seashells they find, that they will record the shells to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. This means that the photos of "found" shells they capture will:
- Provide valuable data on ocean currents, biodiversity, and the impacts of climate change.
- Offer insights into marine ecosystems and shifting environmental conditions.
- By documenting the presence of bivalves found on the shore, citizen scientists contribute to vital research on coastal health and species distribution.
- Help researchers track changes in marine life and identify potential threats to Ireland’s shoreline ecosystems.
- Finally, this work will better understand and protect our coastal environments through the simple act of recording seashell findings.
In promoting the awareness of the seashells or bivalves that drift onto the shore we hope that the Big Seashell Survey will create much more interest in the role citizen scientists can play in protecting our ocean, heath and of course biodiversity. Of course identifying the variety of bivalves that drift onto the shore is not easy, but the goal of this initiative is to enable people to build a foundation of knowledge, where they can feel confident to record these species for citizen science.
As Dave Wall of the National Biodiversity Data Centre said; "It is much more important to get people recording the diversity of shells found on shore, it is much more important to get people out and explore the shore."
Garry Kendellen, of Galway Atlantaquaria said; "For over seven years I have recorded the fish and crabs that live in the rockpools of Grattan Beach, Salthill. However, after the Explore Your Shore Hub Training delivered by the National Biodiversity Data Centre I have a newfound hunger to learn all about these wonderful bivalves and unlock their secrets."
The Big Shell Survey is open to the public on the 14th of May, 10am on Grattan Beach, Salthill as part of Love Your Beach 2025.
Galway Atlantaquaria hopes to launch a whole series of Explore Your Shore experiences throughout the summer, this means that there will be lots of new experiences that people can participate in. Follow their social media and website to keep up-to-date.
Let’s Go Explore The Shore!
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