Coastal Catch Ups

27/03/2024

When I say rowing, what do you think of?

I had the pleasure of chatting with members of Killyleagh Coastal Rowing Club the other week.

When we chat about connecting people to our coasts, it’s often about education and awareness.

But getting people out on the water to experience it is also an important step.

Coastal rowing has it all from physical exercise, mental resilience, exploration, craic (a term for fun for those not familiar with Irish slang), competition, and community.

The one thing I love most is that it brings everyone together in the community at all ages.

The boats are also beautiful - I’m a sucker for a clinker-built boat 😂

I joined the crew as they worked on one of the beautiful St Ayles Skiffs (the type of rowing boat) in the club shed (also known as David’s shed).

Check out the full chat on the Coastal Catch Ups podcast 🎙️

11/03/2024

New Coastal Catch Ups episode is live!

In Episode 17 I catch up with Heidi who shares her knowledge on seagrass. Some of the questions we cover include:

What is seagrass?
What are the threats to seagrass?
Why is seagrass important?
What can be done to protect seagrass?
What is the difference between passive and active restoration?
How can seagrass store carbon?

You can also hear about the work of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network and the Shifting Tides project in Carlingford Lough.

Thanks so much for giving up your time Heidi and best of luck with your research!

Episode available on the usual channels (link in bio of Coastal Catch Ups ) 🙏🏼

24/02/2024

08/02/2024

"Participants show transformation in their lives, shifting from isolation to engagement with others through a combination of surfing, volunteering and mentoring. Clients and their families describe great benefit from this shift and their stories about themselves and their real lived experiences become markedly different." - Devine-Wright and Godfrey (2021)

Listen to the episode on the Wave Project Northern Ireland below 👇

Catch you soon,

SP

20/12/2023

Hey 👋🏻

If you’re new here, thanks so much for joining 🙏🏼

I am on a mission to spread stories of sustainability along our coasts, creating more awareness and educating people about the challenges and opportunities. 🌊

You can check out all the podcasts on the website, and some light reading as well. 📖

There is also a Coastal Meet Up Group based in Northern Ireland, we meet for a get together once a month for a walk and chat. 🚶‍♂️

You will find links to everything in the bio 👍🏼

Enjoy 😉

Sam P x

15/12/2023

Hello everyone, I have an announcement 📢

On Wednesday 27th December a bunch of us will be meeting at Delamont Country Park for a Coastal Meet Up at 10am.

It is just a social gathering with a walk followed by a coffee.

Binos, walking sticks, hangovers, prams, dogs, are all welcome.

It will be a great way to meet new people and stretch your legs.

If you want to keep up to date on Coastal Meet Ups you can join the WhatsApp Group at this link:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/C7MyllLJ9k3Do8w1DIr53M

I will be this happy to see you there 👇😂

18/11/2023

These quotes are in relation to plastic pollution.

I am a big supporter of clean up initiatives as they raise awareness and remove plastic from the environment. It’s also really interesting to see how technology is playing a role in extracting plastic from the ocean.

However, the reality is that prevention is one of the key mitigations for plastic pollution. This is difficult in countries which are subject to corruption and regulation.

There is one common denominator, and that is rivers from urban areas act as a conveyor belt to the ocean.

I’m terms of prevention, in my mind, several solutions exist such as alternatives to plastic (check out the episode with Rhianna), more regulation on waste management, or screening in rivers to collect rubbish.

What methods do you think could work best and why?

07/11/2023

➡️Swipe for facts on biogenic reefs 👌🏻🦪

06/11/2023

I get a nice warm fuzzy feeling when I publish an episode 😂

Hope you enjoy this one ☝🏽

K'Gari (otherwise known as Fraser Island) receives nearly 500,000 visitors a year and is the largest sand island in the world. With sand comes a lot of beauty, but also challenges as it tends to move about a lot.

Also find out about the secret hang out spot of Humpback Whales in Hervey Bay, where mums and calves come in for some rest and recovery during their migration. Hear about how citizen scientists are helping protect the species and the importance of the whales to the local community.

Finally learn about the formation of coral reefs, what colour they should be, and how ecotourism is playing a role in protecting the Great Barrier Reef. I also learnt how important bird s**t is in creating a paradise in the middle of the ocean.

03/11/2023

Mudflats and sandflats 👌🏻

They’re formed from sediment being transferred in the tide.

They also have an important role in storing carbon which I will cover in another post 👌🏻

Have you seen any mudflats or sandflats recently?

01/11/2023

Storm surges can be predicted which is a good thing for preparedness and management, and will be more important with rising sea levels.

29/10/2023

With all the recent controversy over blue-green algae I thought I would share some facts on the stuff..

1. Blue green algae is a form of . This bacteria is similar to plants as it can create energy through . Only some types of this bacteria produce toxins, which makes caution and testing a priority when it’s encountered. See example of photo from DAERA. Please don’t touch or let your pets drink or touch as a precaution.

2. The risk of is increased through increasing nutrients ( ), sunlight and temperature ( ) amongst other things. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) can come from outfalls, industrial discharges and runoff from fields.

3. If you think you see blue green algae you should report it immediately. The Bloomin’ Algae app can be used to report it. You can see a snapshot of map with reports which are verified by experts.

23/10/2023

New episode is live with where we chat about his work with !

09/10/2023

Join me as I suffer with jet lag and covid (boo hoo poor me) and I reflect on the last 5 episodes of Coastal Catch Ups.

Remember you can keep up to date with episodes by joining the email list at www.coastalcatchups.com.

Also if you want to find out more about any of the events, issues or opportunities mentioned in the episodes you can contact me at [email protected].

Catch you soon,

Sam P

02/10/2023

Episode 10 is live.

If you have a sense of adventure and a love of the sea, you will want to listen to this chat with .

Thanks for coming on Ryan and good luck with your travels!

Check out the episode on the website or your favourite podcast platform.

25/09/2023

Get on it and tag us in your photos from the weekend.

Looking at you swimmers, walkers and sailors 👀

24/09/2023

Episode 9 with drops tomorrow morning, just in time for your Monday commute!

A really interesting chat about the life of a profesional sailor.

You can listen on the usual spots including the website.

Sign up to the Coastal Catch Up email to get a link sent straight to you tomorrow morning on realise 😮‍💨

11/09/2023

I spoke with Mary Martin about her role as a Development Officer with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).

We chat about how more people can get on the water and why certain groups are underrepresented, particularly women in the sailing community. According to a recent survey by the RYA, 51% of women said they had experienced some sort of gender discrimination within the sailing environment, which is truly shocking.

Ensuring diversity among our water users is key to the sustainable use of the coasts.

I also found out about taking the Green Blue Boating Pledge about acting sustainably on the water (which I have now signed up too!).

You may hear background noise such as the gentle lapping of water and car alarms, all because it was filmed on my boat.

You can find out about how to get on the water and the topics discussed at https://www.rya.org.uk/gbni/ryani and https://thegreenblue.org.uk.

04/09/2023

Do you find seaweed sexy? I certainly do after my chat with Rhianna Rees from the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association. Rhianna shares her views and ongoing work about the remerging seaweed industry in the UK.

I found out about the historic importance of seaweed to coastal communities, and how society's perception has changed viewing it as something smelly that lies on the beach. In actual fact, there are endless uses for seaweed such as food, clothing and alternatives to plastic. Rihanna's mission is to highlight this use, creating a new sustainable industry for the UK from source to consumer.

Please leave a review on the episode, it would be great the hear your thoughts.

You can find out more about Coastal Catch Ups and listen to the episode at www.coastalcatchups.com.

21/08/2023

Check out Episode 5 with Paul Stewart from .

Really enjoyed hearing about the mission to inspire the next generation at Castle Espie.

They also do great work helping people connect to nature, conserving rare bird species and habitat, and keeping the legacy of their founder alive.

Let me know what you think of the episode!

14/08/2023

What would you do in this situation?

Listen to the recent on the website with John Gilmore .gilmore

Our chat covers some really interesting observations on how the Caribbean coastline and Atlantic Ocean has changed over the years, as well as some crazy experiences.

13/08/2023

I had the absolute pleasure to speak with John Gilmore about his adventures around the Caribbean and his impressive sailing career. It all started at a young age, but a key moment in John's life was when he quit his job at 31 years of age to purchase a boat to go on an adventure with a friend.

We talk about the highs and lows of his adventures, including a transatlantic trip with his family, and also his observations of the changing landscape in the Caribbean. John is now settled on the shores of Strangford Lough and enjoys racing a classic yacht called the Glen.

You can listen to the episode at https://www.coastalcatchups.com/episodes

12/08/2023

Coastal catch ups has an intro video!!

Thank you very much to for recording the soundtrack. And for shooting some sick drone footage we never thought would be used 😂

Let me know what you think, I’d be impressed if you can tell me some of the locations.

In other news, after returning from a trip to Cornwall, I’m back on track and a new episode will drop on Monday!

Sign up to our email newsletter to ensure you don’t miss it.

Thanks for your love and support.

Sam P

24/07/2023

One for the oyster lovers..

This week on Coastal Catch Ups, I had the pleasure to talk with Dr Rachel Millar, a Marine Conservation Officer with Ulster Wildlife, who manages several conservation programmes in Northern Ireland.

This includes the restoration of the native oyster, which was once close to extinction around our shores.

We also chat about Rachel’s career, public participation in conservation, diving and her PhD.

Hope you enjoy!

21/07/2023

I had the opportunity to discuss the current offshore wind plans in the Celtic Sea with Tomos Davies on Coastal Catch Ups.

Tomos is a Project Manager and is passionate about Wales' role in reaching the net-zero targets.

He also shared his enthusiasm for learning and development in the sector and the importance of collaboration.

Thank you for coming on Tomos and I look forward to catching up again soon!

You can listen here:

www.coastalcatchups.com

21/07/2023

Firstly, thanks so much for joining me here at Coastal Catch Ups.

To give you a brief insight into my background, my name is Sam and I have been a user of our coasts for almost all of my life, mostly through sailing, paddleboarding and swimming at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. I am also a Chartered Marine Scientist in my day job, which means I have knowledge in a professional capacity too. I am particularly interested in the relationship between humans and the coast, such as ecosystem services and environmental impacts.

I decided to start Coastal Catch Ups in 2023 as I wanted to merge my passion for the marine world with the joy I get from speaking with passionate and interesting people.

The podcasts have no real agenda apart from focusing on coastal activities. In my view, this is valid as all activities and industries are linked in some way, and this allows a wide range of guests and topics to be invited for discussion.

I hope you enjoy the podcasts and catch you soon!

Sam P x