Beach Track

Monitoring marine mammal strandings and beach health in Scotland

Beach Track enables you to contribute to one of the world’s largest and most extensive datasets on marine strandings and beach health. Through the app you will be able to log survey tracks around the Scottish coast and submit reports of any marine animal carcasses or marine litter you encounter. By taking a walk along a stretch of coast, then submitting your track and observations, you will help us collect vital information about our coastal environments. This information will help improve our understanding of the health of, and threats to marine animals, and in turn help all of us better protect our seas.

The app works as your digital assistant as you survey a stretch of beach. It will use your mobile phone GPS to record where you are, and the camera will allow to you log anything your find on the survey. Once you have completed a track, it will ask you a few questions about the type of beach and ask you to assess how much marine litter you saw. Remember, the important thing is having your eyes on the ground- don’t worry if you don’t find anything; telling us the beach is clean is just as important as logging a stranding.