Wildlife sightings
Since 2003, citizen scientists have been reporting jellyfish and turtle sightings in UK waters. This provides our scientists with vital information to learn more about our ocean visitors and protect marine wildlife.
Whether you live by the coast or visit the seaside on your holidays, we want you to tell us every time you spot a jellyfish. Or, if you're lucky enough to spot a turtle, we want to hear about that too. Your sightings provide vital information about our ocean's inhabitants and contributes to scientific research which finds solutions to protect our seas.
It’s really easy to tell us what you have seen, just fill in the online sightings form including where you were and what species you saw. Don’t worry, we’ve made a jellyfish ID guide and marine turtle ID guide so you can identify which species you’ve spotted!
Report a sighting
Report a jellyfish sighting
Jellyfish are a great indicator of change in our ocean. Check out our jellyfish guide to help you verify what species you saw.
Report a turtle sighting
There are six marine turtles that you might see in our waters. Check out our marine turtle guide to help determine which one you saw.
Your sightings matter
Without your data, we wouldn't be able to prove that our ocean is facing problems and our push for solutions wouldn't be backed by science. It's a key part of our work and you can play a vital role in protecting our oceans.
We use your wildlife sightings to:
- Discover how jellyfish and turtle populations are changing around the UK – specifically when and where they are occurring each year.
- Investigate trends in turtle sightings to find out more about how they use our waters.
- Explore whether jellyfish distribution can tell us more about where leatherback turtle feeding grounds may be.
Citizen science to the rescue
All the information you collect builds a clearer picture of the health of our seas and life below the surface. It enables scientists to spot changes over time. We can use this research to inform policies and introduce conservation strategies to better protect our ocean.
We publish your wildlife sighting data with our university partners. This gives us baseline knowledge that we can use to track future changes which could indicate the impacts of major environmental issues, like climate change.
While humans are causing problems for marine wildlife, we can also provide the conservation solutions – but we must be informed by data. That's where you come in!
