National Marine Week runs until 11 August, 2019.
A nationwide celebration of all things marine, there’s a jam-packed programme of events and activities all over the country.
And taking part can even help the advancement of science!
Sea Watch Foundation, a national marine environmental charity, is keen to collect data on whales, dolphins and porpoises. And what better way to do it than with the public’s help?
Their National Whale and Dolphin Watch (NWDW) invites citizen scientists to report sightings of these marine mammals via their website. This will help the organisation build a picture of population distribution, ultimately improving their understanding of the species, and making it easier to protect them.
In 2018, volunteers recorded more than 1,300 hours of watches all around the country, from Shetland to the Isles of Scilly. The most memorable sightings recorded included humpback whales in Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, and large pods of short-beaked common dolphins off Puffin Island and Menai Bridge in North Wales.
The National Whale And Dolphin Watch runs from Saturday, July 27, 2019 through to Sunday, August 4, 2019.
Volunteers do not need any previous experience. Anyone who wants to — and who is in the UK during the event — can help.
Find out more at the Sea Watch Foundation website.
Have you read about when our own Willie Shand sampled some seaweed?
Yvonne McKenzie I work on the Features team and admit to being nosy, so I love looking after the Between Friends letters and finding out all about our lovely readers. I also look after our health copy and enjoy writing about inspiring people that help make the articles in the magazine so interesting.
