Recording Marine Life

Latest sightings

Record your sightings

The MarLIN recording scheme has now moved to the MBA website and has integrated with an exciting new scheme called Marine Sightings Network.

All of your records will be available to view on the MBA recording pages.

If you have any questions please email recording@mba.ac.uk

Warming seas, non-native invaders and human activities are all affecting our marine environment. Records of marine life are needed to inform decision-makers, to track changes, to find out why things are changing and, let's not forget, because recording is fun!

The MarLIN recording scheme has now moved to the MBA website and has integrated with an exciting new scheme called Marine Sightings Network.

All of your records will be available to view on the MBA recording pages.

If you have any questions please email recording@mba.ac.uk

Sealife Survey on Facebook

The MBA recording scheme can now be followed on the Sealife Survey Facebook page.

How your records have helped

Verified records from the MarLIN recording scheme are sent to the National Biodiversity Network gateway www.searchnbn.net so that they are available to other people for use in research conservation and planning. The volunteer dataset was accessed 3119 times in September 2010.

View all the sightings

This is where MarLIN displays your records of seabed and seashore species from around Britain and Ireland.

How to record marine life

New to recording? Read our recording marine life guide.

MarLIN holds and makes available records of marine life from professional surveys and volunteer recorders. All records are passed to the National Biodiversity Network for display on the NBN Gateway. MarLIN provides marine life information and facilities for volunteer recorders including online recording. The Sealife Signpost and identification guides support these online resources.

Other schemes

MarLIN collaborates with other recording schemes especially Seasearch and the Rare Fish recording scheme. The Sealife Signpost directs users to other marine life recording schemes.

Settling on Scylla

Scylla is an ex-Royal Navy frigate that was placed on the seabed in Whitsand Bay, south Cornwall on 27 March 2004. Scylla provides the opportunity to study colonisation sequence and the time-of year that particular species settle.