Record feedback from UK divers

UK marine life charity Seasearch has received a record number of reports from volunteers over the last year.

Seasearch records the observations of amateur divers from coastal waters all over the country.

The project was devised by Dr. Bob Earll of the Marine Conservation Society and Dr. Roger Mitchell of the Nature Conservancy Council in the mid-1980s.

They realised there was a great deal of enthusiasm and knowledge amongst the growing number of non-professional divers, which could be harnessed and put to good use.

It also drew on previous volunteer recording projects pioneered by the Marine Conservation Society.

Seasearch dives in 2010 have resulted in 2,053 record forms being received so far, another record year for the charity.

1,291 (62%) Observation Forms and 732 (36%) Survey Forms were received, along with 13 online crawfish and 17 sea fan records (2%).

The total is over two hundred higher than in any previous year and provides much more data than Observation Forms alone.