Record Species
Records of marine species from people exploring the sea around Northern Ireland are important for monitoring trends and protecting our marine environment
Report Your Sightings!
Records of marine species from people exploring the sea around Northern Ireland are vital for monitoring and protecting our local marine environment.
Report your sightings, with accompanying photos, online at CEDaR Online Recording, or by using the iRecord smartphone app.
All marine species data collected within the Northern Ireland marine environment are collated and stored by the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR).
You can view and scrutinise this data on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland.
*Find out why reporting observations within our Marine Protected Areas is also vital for protecting Marine Biodiversity.
Marine Species ID Guides
In order to encourage and support marine recording in Northern Ireland, we have produced some brand new guides to help you identify, and record, locally occurring species!
View or download these ID guides here:
Guide to NI Rocky Shore Species
(11MB) *hard copy available
Guide to NI Invasive Marine Species
(6MB)
Short Guide to NI Invasive Marine Species
(2.5MB) *hard copy available
Divers’ Guide to NI Species of Interest
(3.5MB) *hard copy available
*To request a hard copy of the guides, email info@dive-ni.com.
Online Resources
There are many other online resources for helping with species identification:
Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland
The Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN)
Marine Species Identification Portal
Some excellent ID books are also available to purchase from the Marine Conservation Society.
