Shark surveyors grab volunteering award

Searching for sharks in Morecambe Bay has helped volunteers to make waves by winning a national award.

The shark monitors working with The Bay have been recognised at the Marsh Volunteer Awards for Marine Conservation today.

A partnership between The Wildlife Trusts and The Marsh Charitable Trust, the Marsh Volunteer Awards for Marine Conservation recognise the amazing work Wildlife Trust volunteers carry out to help save our seas.

The online awards ceremony took place as part of National Marine Week – The Wildlife Trusts' annual celebration of UK seas.

 Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s The Bay group in Wyre was a joint winter of the Marsh Volunteer Award for Marine Conservation for shark and ray egg surveying.

This extraordinary volunteer group helped the Shark Trust reach its milestone of counting over half a million shark, skate and ray egg cases.

Over the last few years, The Bay group in Wyre has taken top-spot for records, counting a whopping 17,989 egg cases in 2024 – this a staggering 30 per cent of the whole UK records!

This all helps gain a better understanding of the presence and diversity of these egg-laying species in British waters and beyond. Special mentions went to Carol and Owen Fawcett for their remarkable efforts.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Community Engagement Rhoda Wilkinson said: “Supporting Natures Recovery is a huge part of how The Bay and Lancashire Wildlife Trust Nature and Wellbeing programmes connect people with nature for the wellbeing of people and our communities. It's been amazing to see how regular local activities add up to such brilliant results for nature and communities. A massive well done!”

LWT Head of Communications Alan Wright added: “Not a lot of people know there are sharks in the Irish Sea but they come in all shapes and sizes. The work of our volunteers is hugely important in discovering just how healthy our shark, skate and ray populations are and adds to a lot of research being done around the UK.”

The Bay team were joint winners with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s beach clean volunteers, who faced an exceptional challenge when an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided in the North Sea, presenting a serious threat to wildlife including seals and seabirds.

The Marsh Charitable Trust said: “We are pleased to be working with The Wildlife Trusts once again this year to present the Marsh Volunteer Awards for Marine Conservation. Since 2014, we have celebrated volunteers’ commitment to the protection of the seas and marine wildlife. We would like to congratulate this year’s winners and look forward to learning more about the invaluable contributions they are making to their local environments and Trusts.”

 The Wildlife Trusts are holding events around the UK, Alderney and Isle of Man for National Marine Week (26th July-10th August).

On Saturday, a series of guided walks will be held beginning at Knott End at 10am to celebrate Irish Sea Day.  It begins with a Sea Shanty Walk Sea Shanty walk for Irish Sea Day | The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire Manchester and North Merseyside.