Reporting Sightings and Strandings

 
Cetaceans, basking sharks and marine turtles.

Northern Ireland’s coastal waters provide a rich habitat for a great variety of marine mammals, sharks, skates and rays; marine turtles also occasionally migrate into our cool waters to feed. In fact, more than 50% of our biodiversity occurs at sea, much of which is hidden beneath the surface.
Sightings of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), basking sharks and marine turtles are on the increase and so your chances of seeing these fantastic creatures is surprisingly good, particularly for anyone operating from a boat or kayak.All cetaceans, basking sharks and marine turtles are ‘priority species’ under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and as such it’s vital that your sighting and stranding records are gathered so that we can better understand their conservation status and put appropriate protective measures in place.
Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) works with a number of specialist groups to protect these vulnerable marine creatures.We have now produced guidance on how sightings and strandings should be reported in Northern Ireland and would greatly appreciate your cooperation in displaying the guidance notes and codes of conduct where the maximum number of people can see them. Records passed to partner groups will automatically be sent to CEDaR, Northern Ireland’s biological records centre (Ulster Museum).
View the NIEA Guidance on Reporting Sightings and Strandings (.PDF 22.4Kb).