BSAC are inviting divers and snorkellers to take part in the Great Seagrass Survey over the weekend of 27th May 2023 and help do their bit for marine conservation.
Held in collaboration with environmental charity Project Seagrass and Scottish conservation charity Seawilding, the Great Seagrass Survey will be a practical, educational and fun introduction to citizen science.
Volunteering to dive or snorkel ‘with a purpose’ is hugely rewarding and brings a great new angle to our sport.
About seagrass
Seagrass is an amazing underwater habitat which not only produces oxygen that we breathe but protects coastlines, absorbs carbon and provides a home to many ocean species. Despite being so amazing, seagrass is under threat from the many pressures affecting the ocean.
Unfortunately not much is known about seagrass, in fact scientists don’t even know where most of the seagrass in the UK is.
To shed some light, the first Great Seagrass Survey will be run over the weekend of Saturday 27th to Monday 29th May. On those three days volunteers will be encouraged to record how much seagrass they spot:
- Seagrass lives in quite shallow water, usually less than 7m deep
- A shallow seagrass survey makes an ideal second dive
- Survey can be done snorkelling, or even from the beach following a dive
- Data is uploaded to the BSAC website and shared with researchers to help them understand where our seagrass is
All ages are welcome to take part in the Great Seagrass Survey, however, anyone under 18 years of age should be supervised by a parent or guardian.
A new seagrass section on the BSAC website has everything would-be scientists need to know including being safe, identifying seagrass and how to survey and send in the results.
Set a reminder
Don't miss out! Add this file to your calendar to ensure you take part in the Great Seagrass Survey weekend from 27th May 2023.
