Privacy Policy
Last updated:
1. Who we are
MarineCreatures.com is the personal professional archive of Rowan Byrne, Irish marine biologist and marine ecologist. This website is operated by Rowan Byrne. For any privacy-related enquiries, please use the contact form.
2. What information we collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
- Contact enquiries — name, email address and message content submitted via the contact form.
- Newsletter sign-ups — email address, if you choose to subscribe to updates.
- Analytics data — anonymised usage data (pages visited, device type, approximate location) collected via Google Analytics 4, subject to your cookie consent.
- Cookies — see Section 5 below.
We do not collect sensitive personal data, financial information or data from children under 16.
3. How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Respond to enquiries submitted via the contact form.
- Send newsletter updates to subscribers who have opted in.
- Understand how visitors use the website in order to improve it (analytics, subject to consent).
We do not sell, rent or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Legal basis for processing
We process personal data on the following legal bases under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR:
- Legitimate interests — responding to contact enquiries.
- Consent — newsletter subscriptions and analytics cookies.
5. Cookies
This website uses cookies. A cookie consent banner is displayed on your first visit. You may accept or decline non-essential cookies at that point.
- Essential cookies — required for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4) — only loaded if you consent. These help us understand how visitors use the site. Data is anonymised and processed by Google LLC.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the site.
6. Third-party services
This website uses the following third-party services which may process personal data:
- Google Analytics 4 — website analytics (subject to consent). Google Privacy Policy.
- YouTube — embedded videos hosted by YouTube/Google. Viewing embedded videos may set YouTube cookies. Google Privacy Policy.
- TikTok — links to TikTok videos. We do not embed TikTok players directly on this site.
7. Data retention
Contact enquiries are retained for as long as necessary to respond to and resolve the enquiry. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe. Analytics data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics default retention settings.
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR and EU GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate data.
- Request deletion of your data.
- Object to or restrict processing.
- Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent).
- Lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority (the ICO in the UK, or the DPC in Ireland).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the contact form.
9. Photography copyright
All photographs on MarineCreatures.com are © Rowan Byrne / MarineCreatures.com unless otherwise stated. Unauthorised reproduction, download or commercial use of any photograph is prohibited. For licensing enquiries, please use the contact form.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of the website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact
For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact us via the contact form on this website.