Shoals Marine Laboratory, jointly operated by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire, has conducted annual surveys of intertidal biota on Appledore Island since 1972 and on Star Island in 1970-72. The primary goal of the survey is to train undergraduate university students in observation, species identification, survey methodology, data collection and management, and science communication. The secondary, but equally important, goal is to generate a long-term record of intertidal biota found on Appledore Island, Maine USA. This published dataset includes species presence, abundance, size, and distribution since 1985, the earliest year full records were available for digital archive.