Volunteer Observers Needed for Anglesey Project

Point Lynas on Anglesey. Photo by Dr Peter Evans/ Sea Watch Foundation

 

Anglesey provides great opportunities for the extraction of tidal stream energy, with strong and exploitable currents occurring along its northern and western coastlines. However, this area is also occupied by a diverse seabird and cetacean community, likely to benefiting from the foraging opportunities provided by these strong currents.  Understanding how seabirds and cetaceans use these areas is key to identifying potential impacts from tidal stream energy extraction, and also developing assessments that accurately quantify and mitigate these potential impacts.  Research at Bangor University, Menai Bridge, is aiming to better understand how these species use areas of high currents off north and west Anglesey, with a series of co-ordinated shore-based surveys at several sites this summer. They are currently looking for volunteers with seawatching experience to perform these surveys for up to 6 hours a day, across a 2 week period this June. Discrimination of common cetacean species is key, and discrimination of common seabird species is also desirable. The exact dates will depend on the availability of interested parties. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Dr James Waggitt at the School Of Ocean Sciences using j.waggitt@bangor.ac.uk with an indication of your availability during this period.

Harbour porpoise seen off Point Lynas during Anglesey Marine Week.

Photo by Ben Murcott/ Sea Watch Foundation