Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:56am

Bangor University is conducting a questionnaire survey among divers to highlight the importance of recreational diving. This project is being funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council. The objectives of this study are to (1) identify the economic importance of diving around the Welsh coast, (2) define the geographical distribution of this expenditure and (3) evaluate any relationship between the choice of diving site and the level of marine wildlife (biodiversity). The same survey is being conducted among sea-kayakers and a very similar study was carried out among recreational anglers 3 years ago. The main aim is to highlight the importance and the distribution (in monetary terms) of different recreational activities around the Welsh coast. This information will facilitate the inclusion of these activities in future marine management plans (like the newly published draft Marine Bill and the future network of marine reserves). If you wish to participate in the study please complete a questionnaire on www.sos.bangor.ac.uk/survey if you can remember your last (sea) dive on the Welsh coast (i.e. money spent on parking, refills, food and drink…). We don’t expect you to remember every last penny spent! but the more accurate you can be, the better the quality of the data. Please, do not complete more than one questionnaire per person. The questionnaire takes about 5-7 minutes to complete. www.sos.bangor.ac.uk/survey