Training Programs
Throughout the year, Sea Synergy co-hosts a number of training programmes aimed at promoting public participation in scientific research and conservation. Such as the Seasearch Observer course and the Irish Whale and Dolphin live stranding course. Follow us on social media for training days and new programmes.
Recording Projects
We are also actively involved in a number of different citizen science recording projects like Purse Search Ireland and Explore your shore. The information collected by Citizen Scientists is invaluable to the scientific community and to top it all off, it’s really fun to do!To learn more about citizen science projects that we are involved in and that you can become a part of, click the links below!
Sea Search Ireland
SeaSearch is a project for divers and snorkelers who have an interest in what they’re seeing underwater and want to learn more and want to help protect the marine environment around the coasts of Ireland and the UK.
For more information please visit https://seasearchireland.ie/training/
Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) Stranding Course
IWDG was founded in 1990 to establish an All-Ireland sighting and stranding scheme and to campaign for the declaration of Irish territorial waters as a whale and dolphin sanctuary. Since then, the group has grown in numbers to become what it is today, a diverse group of people from varying backgrounds with one thing in common, a passion for whales and dolphins and the marine environment.
For more information, please visit https://iwdg.ie/
The Irish Basking Shark Project
The Irish Basking Shark Group (IBSG) is an amalgamation of research studies based on the island of Ireland. Our team is international, comprised of researchers, citizen scientists, educators and conservationists in Ireland, the UK, and the United States. Our aim is to educate the public on the unique marine life that occupies Irish waters. In particular, we center our research and education efforts on the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).
Sea Synergy’s Lucy Hunt helped initiate the IBSG. She was the first female scientist in Ireland to tag a basking shark!
For more information, please visit: https://www.baskingshark.ie/
Leave No Trace Ireland
Leave No Trace Ireland provides research, education and outreach so every person who ventures outside can protect and enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
For more information, please visit: https://marinedimensions.ie/purse-search-ireland/
Purse Search Ireland
Purse Search Ireland is an exciting fisheries conservation project that involves public participation, so that means you can take part! The project is basically a massive nationwide search for mermaids’ purses, the eggcases of sharks, skates and rays. We’re hunting for these eggcases because they can provide valuable information on the location of nursery areas for Ireland’s egglaying sharks, skates and rays.
For more information, please visit: https://marinedimensions.ie/purse-search-ireland/
Explore Your Shore
Explore Your Shore is a Citizen Science project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency focused on increasing our knowledge of the distribution of our intertidal species, exploring their potential as bio-indicators of water quality and climate change, and highlighting actions we can all take to tackle water pollution and climate change.
For more information, please visit: https://exploreyourshore.ie/
National Biodiversity Data Centre
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is a national centre for the collection, collation, management, analysis and dissemination of data on Ireland’s biological diversity. Biodiversity data are a key requirement for understanding our natural surroundings, for tracking change in our environment and for gaining a greater insight on how we benefit from, and impact upon, the ecosystem goods and services provided by biological diversity.
For more information, please visit:https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/
Seal Rescue Ireland
Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) is a charity organisation that works around the clock to rescue, rehabilitate and release native seals found sick, injured or orphaned from across the coast of Ireland. As the only seal rescue centre within the Republic of Ireland, we respond to reports nationwide and aim to rehabilitate the pups back to full health so that they can be returned to the wild.
To learn more, please visit https://www.sealrescueireland.org/
Citizen Science Stream Index
CSSIThe CSSI is based on a presence/absence of six key aquatic invertebrates. These invertebrates are pollution sensitive and easily recognisable. By conducting kick samples the CSSI can be used to accurately indicate the health of a stream or river. Ireland has an extensive network of rivers that all ultimately flow into the sea – healthy rivers are essential for a healthy sea.
To learn more visit; https://lawaters.ie/citizen-science/