2.1 The conference started with a series of short presentations on the theme of "Who’s Who in Marine Life Recording" giving an overview of the marine recording "world" and alluding to some of the issues relevant to the field such as the engagement of casual recorders and the retention of good recorders, data quality and where to find user-friendly but reliable identification keys.

2.2 The discussion then moved on to consider data quality and standards. Becky Seeley from the Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) gave a very accessible and concise tour of the basics required to ensure accurate data. Stressing the importance of metadata - documenting and describing the methods and standards used within a dataset – she made three basic points that apply to all management information systems; knowing is key, prevention is better than cure and documentation is vital. Al Reeve of the Shark Trust then used that organisation’s Great Eggcase Hunt as a case study for highlighting the difficulties, successes and pitfalls of creating a successful volunteer recording scheme from scratch. This was followed by Ken Collins and Jenny Mallinson of NOC giving a similar presentation but from the perspective of working with student volunteers and the difficulties of using student datasets as de facto volunteer recording schemes.

2.3 The early afternoon session was given over to talking about the engagement of volunteer recorders. The general consensus was that getting volunteers to record the more glamorous species such as cetaceans and elasmobranchs wasn’t an issue but when it came to the more mundane species then non expert recorders tended to lose interest very quickly. This appeared to be borne out by a regularly cited difficulty of retaining volunteers even after quite large investments in training and provision of ongoing support.

2.4 John Tweddle of the Natural History Museum gave an overview of the Open Air Laboratories Network (OPAL) which is a Big Lottery funded initiative aimed at inspiring people to explore, study and protect their local environment and wildlife. The intention is to create five regional centres to run a range of environmental and educational projects in conjunction with the OU and nine regional universities. The information generated will be shared via an interactive website to increase knowledge of local biodiversity and habitat quality. It is worth noting that significant resourcing is available through this initiative, particularly in respect of collaborative work in developing or running marine-focused public events or surveys.

2.5 The final two presentations before the break-out sessions and close were from Lex Bancroft concerning the RYA’s Green Blue initiative (details at www.thegreenblue.org.uk) and Matthew Hill of the BBC who spoke about BBC Learning’s Breathing Places campaign and how delegates might get involved. Registration as a partner organisation is free via the website at www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces. Delegates were pleased to hear that dedicated marine and coastal programming was planned for The One Show (w/c 14^th July) and during Marine Week (2^nd – 17^th August) and Wild Week (25^th November-9^th December).

2.6 Day 2 commenced with an overview of the long term volunteer monitoring of Zostera beds in the Isles of Scilly supported by Natural England, followed by an appeal by Juliet Brodie of the Phycological Society for more effort to be put into recording algae as it is often overlooked in favour of more glamorous flora and fauna. She also drew delegates attention to Plantlife International’s initiative to establish a network of Important Plant Areas (IPAs) and suggested a lack of recording and gaps in baseline knowledge may have led to an under representation of marine habitats in this project.

2.7 Another round of break-out sessions was followed by a thorough overview and analysis of current and planned systems for assisting data flow and archiving within the marine recording community. Central to these processes are the MBA’s DASSH, the Data Archive Centres, the National Biodiversity Network and MEDIN (Marine Environmental Data & Information Network). Given the potential for these organisations and projects to provide marine managers with a standardised, secure source of reliable data they deserve support and encouragement.

2.8 In conclusion, the conference gave a useful overview of available marine life data sources and the various ways that they might be put to use. It was also an excellent chance to identify and promote the role of SFCs with people and organisations that we might not otherwise have direct contact with. From a more generalised point of view, it was a valuable learning opportunity in respect of the management aspects of planning, processing, administering and using datasets and the implementation of any type of recording scheme.