OUR PROJECTS

Show Us your Mussels Project​

In 2024, Edinburgh Shoreline received funding from Fauna & Flora to launch a grassroots community engagement project focused on blue mussels in the Firth of Forth; ‘Show Us Your Mussels’. This citizen science initiative aimed to identify where blue mussels still exist and to monitor their status over time. Running from autumn through winter and into spring and summer, the project brought together enthusiastic volunteers from across the Forth. Their collective efforts have begun to uncover valuable insights, with interesting findings now starting to emerge.

Over the duration of the project 

  • There have been around 130 initial sightings and almost 105 repeat visits.
  • 71 individual km squares were signed up for, 42 individual km squares investigated, with still only 5 reporting no evidence of blue mussels at all. At this stage we were counting both live mussels and dead shells.
  • Around 40 people submitted findings, with many representing groups who were working together on the project.
  • There have been promising glimmers of the presence of blue mussels in more squares than initially anticipated, although noted that those present are relatively small.

Many community groups and individuals really have ‘adopted’ their patch and got to know it very well. Even small changes are noticed:  Having supportive volunteers who regularly visit the same patch and begin to understand it is proving to be hugely valuable.

Photo credit: Friends of Largo Bay

To explore the full details of what we’ve discovered so far, read the complete Initial Findings Report below. It highlights key insights from the first phase of the project.

Thanks to new funding, we’re excited to announce that the project will be continuing into its next phase. Building on the momentum and discoveries from the first stage, we’re eager to deepen our understanding of blue mussels in the Firth of Forth. We would love for existing volunteers to stay involved and warmly welcome new participants who are interested in contributing to this important citizen science initiative. Your support is vital to the ongoing success of the project.

Volunteer

If you are keen to volunteer, you can find out more on how to join the next stage of the project by clicking the link below 

Click here

Partnerships and Funders

Blue Mussel Measuring
  • Heriot Watt University
Water Temperature Data Logging Methodology
  • CCTBON (Researcher & expert Rui Seabra)
  • Heriot Watt University
Data Collection
Community Knowledge, Methods and Sharing
Funding