Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper covering the Coastal, Fishing and Maritime Communities
MARINE TIMES NEWS April 11th:
The alternative "Easter Egg" hunt
This Easter, Clean Coasts is encouraging families, friends, and local Clean Coasts Groups across Ireland to take a break from the traditional chocolate egg hunt and get involved in a meaningful outdoor activity. Beachgoers are invited to participate in a #2MinuteBeachClean at their local beach, while also taking part in a fun and educational Egg Case Hunt.
Live Nursehound Shark Eggcase, Warren Beach, Inver, Co. Donegal plus a Small Spotted Catshark
This initiative aims to inspire kids and adults of all ages to enjoy the outdoors, engage with nature, and help protect Ireland’s beautiful coastlines by removing litter and identifying egg cases along the shore for an exciting citizen science action. By tracking findings with The Ray Project, or the National Biodiversity Centre’s Explore Your Shore programme, this citizen collected information allows marine scientists to gain understanding of these species and identify nursery areas.
“Here at The Ray Project, we are dedicated to the conservation and research of skates and rays. Help keep their homes clean by removing marine litter during beach cleans. It’s a great opportunity to support these animals and meet other people who are passionate about ocean conservation. Bring along one of our Egg Case ID Guides so you can identify any skate egg cases you find. Let’s protect and celebrate Ireland’s oceans!” said a representative from The Ray Project.
Shark and skate eggs can be found along the coast at low tide along the wrack line, where seaweed and other debris is deposited at high tide. These leathery looking eggs, which are often also referred to as “Mermaid Purses” due to their unique texture and shape, can regularly be found attached to seaweed washed ashore.
Louisa and Alisa of St Killian NS at Warren Beach, Donegal with White Skate Egg Cases
Planning to host an egg case hunt is a fun and educational way for individuals, groups or families to contribute to marine conservation, engage in citizen science and create a connection to the coast. Recording findings also helps marine scientists to track species and map nursery areas.
“We encourage everyone who is near a beach over the Easter break to take some time to record shark and ray egg cases. Each record contributes to our understanding of these charismatic species and can help us identify areas important for their conservation”, said Dave Wall, Citizen Science Officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
The #2MinuteBeachClean campaign is hosting an event at Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford, on April 22nd at 2pm in conjunction with this action. Participants will meet at the bottom of the steps on The Burrow Beach for a quick #2MinuteBeachClean followed by an egg case hunt. This initiative encourages small, impactful actions to help protect the environment while exploring local wildlife, which reflects the ethos of the campaign.
If you are not in the Wexford area, or cannot make it to the above event, you can find below our top tips for planning and hosting your own #2MinuteBeachClean and Egg Case Hunt this Easter with your family and friends.
Here are our 5 top tips for a great egg case hunt:
1. Choose a beach that is well known for shark and skate egg cases. If you're not sure check on Biodiversity Ireland’s maps.
2. It is best to search at low tide and search along the wrack line - this is where seaweed and other debris is deposited at high tide.
3. It is a great idea to bring a field guide to help you identify the different species. The Ray Project has identification resources here that can be printed or viewed on a mobile device: https://www.therayproject.org/resources
4. A measuring tape or ruler is handy to have for species identification as some egg cases may look similar but are different sizes.
5. Hold the cases up to the light to see if any eggs are still inside. Photograph your findings but leave the egg cases behind you as it is best practice not to remove them from the beach.
6. Submit your findings to The Ray Project or to Explore Your Shore. In addition to submitting your records, you can share your beach clean and egg case findings with Clean Coasts by using the hashtags #2MinuteBeachClean or #CleanCoasts and tagging us @CleanCoasts on our social media accounts.
7. As always when visiting the beach, ensure that you follow any signage regarding access to the dunes and nesting. Many areas are currently carrying out sand dune conservation efforts and birds are also starting to nest at this time of year.
