What is Shoresearch?
Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts' national citizen science survey of the intertidal shore, the exciting world of extremes where the sea meets the land. It's a great way to explore your local coast, learn more about the wildlife found there and add to our understanding of this important habitat.
Volunteers are trained to identify and record the wildlife on shores across the UK. The data collected by this project helps experts to monitor our fragile sea life and better understand the effects of pollution, climate change and invasive alien species. Shoresearch data has been key to designating many of our Marine Conservation Zones.

People taking part in a coastal foraging walk on the seashore - Toby Roxburgh
Rocky Shore ID videos
Here are some Rocky Shore videos by Somerset's Brilliant Coast Project Manager, Mark Ward, to help you get started with some identification of intertidal species. Created for National Marine Week, these videos are great for getting you ready for Shoresearch or refreshing your memory.
Explore the shore!
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Surveying
With standardised survey techniques used by Shoresearch volunteers across the country, we will be learning more about the wildlife on our shores than ever before. There are four types of survey involved:
Quadrat Biodiversity Survey
The Quadrat Biodiversity Survey is for shores of hard substrate (rocky, pebbles/shingle, bedrock) and involves collecting species abundance and habitat data at random points, in a selected area of the intertidal zone, using a quadrat.
Box Corer Biodiversity Survey
The Box Corer Biodiversity Survey is for intertidal sediment shores (sand, mud, silt) and involves collecting species abundance and habitat data at random points, in a selected area of the intertidal zone, using a corer.
Timed Species Search
During this survey a select list of species are searched for across an area of shore within a fixed time period to assist with the monitoring of their distribution around the UK.
Walkover Survey
The Walkover Survey is for shores of hard substrate (rocky, pebbles/shingle, bedrock) and involves collecting qualitative information on species found within a selected area of the intertidal zone.
Get involved
Find out more by clicking the boxes below.
ShoreSearch Training - Marine Snails
Learn how to identify some of our amazing intertidal molluscs
ShoreSearch Training - Survey Methods
Learn about ShoreSearch: The Wildlife Trusts national citizen science project
ShoreSearch Training - Lesser Marine Phyla: Sponges, Sea Squirts and beyond!
Find out more about some of the less well known inhabitants of Somerset's rocky shores.
ShoreSearch Training - Algae
Learn how to identify common intertidal algae found on the Somerset coast.
ShoreSearch Training - Soft Shore Invertebrates
Learn how to identify some of the invertebrates that live on Somerset's sandy and muddy shores.
ShoreSearch Training - Coastal Citizen Science
Update on how to get involved in Somerset Wildlife Trust coastal survey projects