Severn Estuary PartnershipLanguage: English | Cymraeg
Monitoring and Recording
Tools and reports for tracking the progress of biosecurity measures, surveys, and analysis.
Recording
Although not a form of biosecurity, recording sightings of non-native species is useful in understanding the presence and spread of species in the Severn Estuary. iRecord is an easy way to record sightings, however if you are not confident in identifying the species, you can send your record to your local Environmental Records Centre. Find your local Environmental Records Centre here.
Where to send your records
You can record any non-native species online through iRecord. Please include a photograph of your sighting if you have one, to help with identification. There are also recording schemes to encourage reporting of certain species, see the list of smartphone apps and websites below.
Other non-native species recording schemes
Marine Plants
Invertebrates
General
If you can’t submit your sighting through an app or online, the GB Non-Native Secretariat recommends that you send a record by post to:
The Biological Records Centre
CEH Wallingford
Maclean Building
Crowmarsh Gifford
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
OX10 8BB
Settlement Panels
Settlement panels are artificial structures (such as tiles or plates) that are placed in marine environments to attract and monitor the settlement of organisms that colonise the substrate. The idea is to be able to identify invasive non-native species at an early stage and take measures to prevent their spread. They have been used successfully to monitor INNS in a variety of coastal locations, like the Solway Firth.
Settlement panels can be a useful tool to detect and help prevent the spread of marine invasive non-native species on infrastructure at an early stage. The Marine Biological Association have produced a guide on how to make and install these panels. Operators can deploy panels throughout their site to monitor if any marine invasive non-native species are present, resources can then be targeted in any areas that are particularly vulnerable or operationally sensitive. Checking infrastructure for marine invasive non-native species during planned inspections and/or maintenance is more cost effective.
The Severn Estuary Partnership is deploying settlement panels with partners at key locations around the Severn Estuary to better understand what INNS are present in the area and track trends over time. If you are a coastal site manager and would be interested in deploying settlement panels, please do get in touch via severn@cardiff.ac.uk.
(Photo credit Paul Brazier)
(Photo credit Paul Brazier)