Can you remember how much money you spent the last time you went kayaking in Wales?

If so, you could take part in an online survey to work out just how much kayakers contribute to local economies.

The study is being co-ordinated by Ana Ruiz, a PhD student at Bangor University who wants to quantify the importance of kayaking around the Welsh coast. In the coming months, she hopes to contact as many residents and visiting kayakers around the Welsh coast as possible to ask them about their kayaking, how much it all costs and where the money goes. According to Ana, more needs to be known about kayaking in the UK as the government sets about establishing a network of protected areas under the new Marine Bill.

'The designation of these areas will be based on existing ecological, economic and social information,' Ana said. 'Yet very little information exists on recreational activities such as kayaking that might be used to inform the selection of sites for protection and recreational use. This lack of information could mean that the economic value of recreational kayaking may be overlooked and may receive less consideration than other activities within the marine environment.'

To encourage kayakers to get involved, one of the participants will be picked at random to receive a free annual subscription for Canoe&Kayak magazine. Anyone interested in contributing to the study can fill in an online questionnaire

Ana remarks ...'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'.

Many thanks to everyone, in advance, for the support you can give this research