Catshark egg spotting at Wembury and how you can help

National Trust rangers are helping to promote a citizen science project for marine conservation on Wembury beach and hope that visitors will get involved.

In collaboration with the Shark Trust, local resident John Hepburn has been adding tags to catshark egg cases that he has encountered in the Wembury area since April 2014.

The aim of the project is to collect information on when the eggs are laid and how long they take to hatch. This information will benefit studies into the Nursehound, a species of catshark (sometimes known as dogfish) that lives in the North Atlantic. It will also aid conservation groups in their campaigns to protect the shark populations that visit Britain.

“We’re quite sure that the sharks know their eggs will do well if they’re laid at Wembury,” says John, who found his first egg case in 2009. “They nearly always lay the eggs on the seaweed, it’s well sheltered from strong wave conditions and they don’t seem to have predators here.”

As an active member of several marine conservation groups, John is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with the public. “If you come across catshark or ray egg cases, we’d love you to report what you found to the Shark Trust. Even if they’re not tagged, you’ll still be contributing to the wider research that could really help these sharks in the future.”

Curious families can explore the Wembury beach rock pools and strandline on Thursdays 4 and 18 August with the National Trust and Wembury Marine Centre. These two free events between 11am and 1pm will teach children all about the creatures they uncover including any empty egg cases, often referred to as ‘mermaid’s purses’, which indicate potential nursery grounds..

Ranger Lorna Sherriff believes this is a great opportunity for children, saying: “We love having the kids come along to the rock pools and get excited by what they find. To have this sort of research right on our doorstep is brilliant way for them to learn about nature.”

For more information on the Rock pooling activities with the National Trust, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wembury or call 01752 346585. Booking is not necessary just meet the team on Wembury beach, PL9 0HP.

To report any egg cases found on Wembury beach, visitors should visit the Shark Trust website at www.sharktrust.org/en/great_eggcase_hunt