Local boat trips from Portrush pass the Skerries en route to the Giant's Causeway.

[2] In 1996 the islands were designated as part of the Ramore Head and The Skerries Area of Special Scientific Interest.

The islands are a habitat for breeding by a range of seabirds including kittiwake, black guillemot and eider duck.

[3] 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.

In addition, recent surveys have found numbers of the spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla), which is new to Northern Ireland.