The Skerries are a small group of rocks just off Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

The temperature of the Skerries during the summer months is warmer than other parts of Northern Ireland, and so the rocks are home to particularly interesting fauna; it is the only place many southern species such as the cotton spinner sea cucumber Holothuria forskali are found in Northern Ireland. There are several protected habitats located around the Skerries, notably for seagrass (Zostera marina) and horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus). In addition, recent surveys have found numbers of the Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla), which is new to Northern Ireland.^[1]