Seagrass meadows in the "Greater Skellig Coast Hope Spot" are located in County Kerry, Ireland.

Currently, I'm adding all the observations from 4 coastal communities after observing a wonderful subtidal seagrass pool over the summer of 2023. Our goal is to identify as many species as possible and also to learn more about the flowering stages of Zoster marina. This study was kindly sponsored by a €1,000 grant from the Galway Atlantaquaria.

As a Citizen Science volunteer:

• Record and validate intertidal Zostera noltei and Zostera angustifolia "dwarf eelgrass" which are so important to our wintering over Light-bellied Brent Geese population (Coastwatch)
• Install and conduct Smithsonian MarineGEO seagrass protocols on subtidal Zostera marines meadows; observe coverage, density, shoot counts, length & width measurement, record flowering stages, record epiphyte coverage, produce accurate survey maps (including subtidal erosion and species such as Chorda filum surrounding the seagrass beds), photograph fauna/invertebrates/flora.
• Attempting to establish health-indicators for seagrass in Ireland (a concept like CSSI would be ideal!).
• Slowly improving accuracy of measurements leading towards better Blue Carbon estimations.
• Supporting the development of larger numbers of Kerry Marine Observers.
• Providing technical support (subtidal seagrass mapping for SeaSearch Ireland).
• Storage (TBs of images for Kerry's coastal communities, species awaiting transport, egg cases by the hundred),
• Working on a national Eelgrass Mitigation Policy hopefully useful in the near future.
• Supporting the local Tralee Bay Oyster Society's goal to establish "no-dredge" areas for seagrass beds and to increase resilience of their shellfish production areas in the face of climate change challenges.
• Attempting to curate Kerry's Marine Living Atlas (very much a work in progress).

But my passion is to be in the ocean! Happiest in a kayak, iSUP, snorkelling, diving, swimming or sailing!!

GoldenShellback references my initiation in the "Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep" as we crossed the equator on the international date line on 19 August 1976.