The coastline and beaches of Somerset are an under appreciated home for a huge variety of life.
The Bristol Channel has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, and helps create a unique set of habitats, ranging from mudflats and sandy shores to the east and north of the county, through to rocky shores and high coastal cliffs further west and south.
The Bristol Channel itself is highly turbid in the upper reaches near Clevedon and gets increasingly more clear heading south and west down the channel. At the western extremities of our range the water is much clearer as the currents from the Atlantic take over.
Via their Wilder Coast project, Somerset Wildlife Trust provided the inspiration for us to form our group, to continue the work of surveying and recording this wildlife.
Formed in early 2025, Coastwise Somerset carry out formal and informal surveys based on the methodology of the Shoresearch project, enhanced by a number of more species or habitiat specific research projects.
Our Sea Watch group uses the methods from the Sea Watch Foundation to identify and record cetaceans in our waters.
Data we collect is shared with other local and national agencies via the Somerset Environmental Records Centre and the Sea Watch Foundation
We work closely with other local groups and agencies such as the Exmoor Natural History Society and Coastwise North Devon