Current monitoring and data collection activity
The table below (last updated in May 2026) provides a summary of the known monitoring, research and data collection currently taking place on the North Tyneside, Northumberland Berwickshire coast. The table will be reviewed and updated annually by our Data, Monitoring and Research Group.
| Description | Organisations who collect information | Details |
| Site condition monitoring | ||
| Monitoring condition of European sites (SPAs/SACs) | NatureScot | Responsible for reporting on the condition of SACs and SPAs in Scotland.
SPA condition assessment uses data from a number of sources including the Seabird Monitoring Programme and WeBS. |
| Natural England | Responsible for reporting on the condition of SACs and SPAs in England. | |
| SPA condition assessment uses data from a number of sources including the Seabird Monitoring Programme and WeBS. | ||
| Monitoring condition of MCZs | Natural England |
Responsible for reporting on MCZ condition. |
| Baseline monitoring on Coquet to St Mary’s MCZ. Aln Estuary monitoring in partnership with Northumberland IFCA | ||
| Monitoring condition of SSSIs | NatureScot | SSSI condition monitoring in Scotland |
| Natural England | SSSI condition monitoring in England | |
| Extent/Condition of Habitats | NatureScot | Commission surveys jointly with Natural England to assess the condition of interest features of the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC |
| Natural England | Commission surveys jointly with NatureScot to assess the condition of interest features of the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC
Annual Seagrass survey at Lindisfarne (with Environment Agency) Monitoring at Lindisfarne NNR and Tweed Estuary SAC plus shallow inlets and bays Coquet to St Marys sediment samples Monitoring blue mussel tissue samples and mussel faecal samples (in conjunction with CEFAS) to help understand possible reasons for local declines in blue mussel beds. |
|
| Environment Agency | Annual Seagrass surveys and macroalgae surveys at Lindisfarne (with Natural England)
WFD monitoring of saltmarsh at Holy Island/Budle Bay/Coquet and Aln Saltmarsh surveys at Long Nanny |
|
| Berwickshire Marine Reserve | Intertidal Marine Monitoring: assessments of Coldingham, St Abbs and Killiedraughts Bay carried out four times a year | |
| Marine Nature Partnership | Monitoring of intertidal rocky reefs with volunteers from the Northumberland Coast National Landscape using an indicator species approach. Surveys undertaken of macroalgae, mobile species and marine INNS. | |
| Species monitoring | ||
| Monitoring of Grey Seals | National Trust for Scotland | Annual counts of SSSI/SAC beaches |
| National Trust | Annual pup counts on Farne Islands | |
| Monitoring of breeding seabirds | Natural England | Monitoring of shorebirds numbers and breeding productivity (including of Little Tern, Arctic Tern and Ringed Plover) at Lindisfarne NNR |
| National Trust | Monitoring of breeding bird numbers and the productivity of Little Tern, Arctic Tern and Ringed Plover selected at the Long Nanny tern colony
Counts and surveys of breeding seabirds on the Farne Islands. |
|
| National Trust for Scotland | Monitoring of seabird numbers at St Abbs Head and the productivity of Kittiwakes and Shags | |
| RSPB | Monitoring of seabird numbers on Coquet Island, including Roseate Tern and Eider | |
| Space for Shorebirds/Northumberland Coast National Landscape | Breeding ringed plover (Lindisfarne to Howick) | |
| Monitoring of wintering bird numbers | Space for Shorebirds | Wader counts at selected locations as part of regular disturbance monitoring |
| Marine Nature Partnership | Collect records of eider sighting from the public via the Eider Aware Project.
Core counts of Eider between Newbiggin and Boulmer March to September. (All Eider records shared with ERIC North East) |
|
| BTO | ||
| Regular counts of wintering coast birds are made by volunteers as part of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | ||
| Natural England | Detailed weekly counts of bird assemblage inc. coordination of monthly WeBS count at Lindisfarne NNR
Grey goose roost counts (Lindisfarne NNR and adjacent sites) as part of annual WWT grey goose census |
|
| Cetacean Monitoring
|
North East Cetacean Project | Collation of cetacean sightings.
Surveys of white-beaked dolphin |
| Newcastle University | Acoustic monitoring of cetacean distribution | |
| Berwickshire Marine Reserve | Shorewatch monitoring sites at Coldingham and Eyemouth | |
| Dead or stranded marine mammals | The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme | Reports of dead or stranded marine mammals collated |
| UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme | Reports of dead or stranded marine mammals collated | |
| Dead seabirds | North East Beached Bird Surveys (NEBBS) | Northumberland/North Tyneside only |
| Natural England | Lindisfarne NNR undertakes beached bird survey and autumn/winter Avian Influenza surveys | |
| Fish and Fisheries | Northumberland IFCA | Fish surveys: Twice yearly surveys of the Aln Estuary MCZ. Previous surveys at Long Nanny and Druridge Bay
Shellfish: Landings data for European Lobster and Edible Crab are collected monthly from shellfish catch returns submitted by permitted vessels. Collection of biometric data for European Lobster and Edible Crab. V-notching scheme for European Lobster Periwinkle surveys Nephrops burrow surveys General: Hand gathering/bait collection data collected, sightings of fisheries activity recorded, MPA assessments and monitoring of fishing impacts on protected features Grab sample survey at Coquet to St Marys to monitor infauna and trawl disturbance |
| River Tweed Commission | Fish catches on the Tweed catchment | |
| Environment Agency | Autumn TraC fish surveys on Tweed with seine and fyke nets | |
| St Abbs Marine Station | Population dynamics of brown crab and lobster | |
| Newcastle University | Use of vessel sightings and social surveys to measure pot fishing pressure and understand where and how people fish
Use of stable isotope data to reveal pathways supporting production of North Sea fish Trawl, video, trap and acoustic methods to assess fish distribution and assemblages |
|
| CEFAS | Nethrops monitoring in Farnes Deep | |
| Marine algae | Berwickshire Marine Reserve | Surveys as part of the MCS Big Seaweed Search |
| Presence of Non-Native Species | Newcastle University | Settlement panels for monitoring of INNS in place at ports and marinas at selected locations in Berwickshire and North East England.
eDNA monitoring for marine INNS |
| Berwickshire and Northumberland Marine Nature Partnership | Surveys of condition of rocky reefs include searches for Orange-tipped Sea Squirt (Corella eumyota) | |
| Physical and chemical monitoring | ||
| Water Quality | SEPA | WFD monitoring and bathing water quality monitoring |
| Environment Agency | WFD monitoring and bathing water quality monitoring
Environment Agency also carry out nutrient monitoring at Holy Island and on the Coquet catchment |
|
| Northumbrian Water | Combined sewer overflow annual spill data (event duration monitoring)
Bathing water quality data (Cullercoats) |
|
| Water chemistry and temperature | Marine Directorate (Scottish Government) | Temperature, salinity, and water chemistry data collected at St Abbs Marine Station |
| North East Coastal Group | Temperature data from buoy at Newbiggin | |
| Berwickshire Marine Reserve | 30 temperature loggers on creel pots throughout the reserve | |
| Environment Agency | Offshore water quality samples taken by national team | |
| Newcastle University | Sea-temperature monitoring with robo-limpets
Monitoring of four MarClim sites within Northumberland |
|
| Shoreline Monitoring Programme and coastal change monitoring | Environment Agency | Bathometry data etc. on NECO website |
| Local Authorities/RFCC | Coastal erosion monitoring | |
| Marine Nature Partnership | CoastSnap project (fixed point photography at selected locations) | |
| Plastic Pollution/Beach Litter | Berwickshire Marine Reserve | Beachwatch marine litter surveys at four locations, carried out four times a year.
Nurdle surveys with data submitted to The Great Nurdle Hunt |
| Northumberland Coast Conservation Team (Northumberland Coast National Landscape) | Beachwatch marine litter surveys
Microplastic surveys |
|
| Marine Conservation Society | Beachwatch marine litter surveys | |
| Northumbrian Water | Beach clean survey data – annual trends and sources | |
| Berwickshire and Northumberland Marine Nature Partnership | Beachwatch marine litter surveys
Nurdle surveys |
|
| Recreational activities and disturbance | ||
| Recreational usage of the coast | National Trust | Records of visitor numbers to the Farne Islands |
| Berwickshire Marine Reserve | Pressure mapping of activities with the Reserve | |
| Natural England | Lindisfarne NNR visitor counter network data recording from 5 to 7 counters. | |
| Recreational disturbance | Space for Shorebirds | Monitoring of disturbance of wintering waders on Northumberland coast |
| Natural England | Monitoring of bird disturbance on the Lindisfarne NNR | |
| National Trust | Recording of disturbance at Long Nanny tern colony | |
| National Trust for Scotland | Work with local Universities on studies into impacts of disturbance at St Abbs Head | |
| Marine Nature Partnership | Reports of disturbance to eiders collected through the Eider Aware Project | |
| Anchoring | National Trust | Recording of numbers and locations of vessels anchoring around the Farne Islands |
| Aircraft Disturbance to birds | National Trust | Aircraft disturbance at Long Nanny tern colony logged by seasonal wardens |
| RSPB | Record keeping at Coquet Island | |
| Natural England | Recording aircraft disturbance during shorebird breeding season | |
| National Trust for Scotland | Record keeping at St Abbs Head | |
| Ongoing research areas not covered above | ||
| Impacts of noise on marine invertebrates | St Abbs Marine Station | |
| Impacts of electromagnetic fields on decapods | St Abbs Marine Station | |
| Tern ecology and migration | Newcastle University | |
| Dove Time Series plankton sampling | Newcastle University | |
| Eider food availability study and Morph modelling of Eider populations. Plans for future tagging of Eider to track movements. | Natural England | |
| Balancing Act project looking at gull predation of terns on the Farnes to model effects of changes in gull population on tern productivity and survival. | Natural England | |