Category Archives: Marine
“If we want coral reefs by 2050, we have to do something about carbon dioxide”
So says Nancy Knowlton, chair of Marine Sciences at the Smithsonian, in an article for the Guardian by Suzanne Goldenberg. A new report from the World Resources Institute “Reefs at Risk Revisited” suggests that three-quarters of the world’s coral reefs … Continue reading
The Big Fish Fight is on
Half of all fish caught in the North Sea are thrown back dead. This is due to strict fishing quotas set out by the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) that limit the number of fish landed each day. Although these … Continue reading
A Celebration of the Chagos Marine Protected Area
Last night the BES’s Policy Officer attended an event to celebrate the founding of the world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA), around the Chagos Archipelago. The programme of talks and networking was organised by the Chagos Conservation Trust, a charitable … Continue reading
UK Marine and Coastal Act – what does it mean for biodiversity research?
The report of the BES – UK BRAG joint session on ‘The UK Marine and Coastal Act- what does it mean for biodiversity research?‘ has been published online. The session saw speakers from Defra, the JNCC, Marine Biological Association and … Continue reading
England’s first marine plan areas announced
In consultation with partners and stakeholders, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has selected the sea areas off the coast between Flamborough Head in East Riding of Yorkshire to Felixstowe in Suffolk (known formally as East Inshore and East Offshore) as … Continue reading
A ‘Decade of Discovery’- the first Census of Marine Life is revealed
2,700 scientists in over 80 nations have collaborated to create the first ever Census of Marine Life (CoML). In a 64 page report, the highlights of over 10 years of marine biological research are presented, with some groundbreaking findings, including … Continue reading
NERC-Defra Marine Renewable Energy Sandpit
Expressions of interest are invited to attend a 3 day sandpit as part of the NERC/Defra Marine Renewable Energy Research Programme. The aim of the sandpit is to fund research project(s) which will develop an understanding of the environmental benefits … Continue reading
‘Charting progress’: Are the British Seas improving?
This week has seen the publication of a comprehensive report on the state of the UK seas, Charting Progress 2, carried out by the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment community and published by Defra. There have been “significant improvements” in … Continue reading
“Balanced exploitation” – An alternative to selective fishing?
Selective fishing is widely encourages as part of ecosystem-based fisheries management. It aims to regulate the exploitation of target species whilst protecting non-target (bycatch) species. However, recent suggested that a selective approach may also result in “undesirable impacts both to … Continue reading
Communicating Science to Diverse Audiences: A Case Study
In a recent PNAS report, Kirsten Grorud-Colvert and colleagues summarise the communication strategy implemented for the establishment of marine reserves off the Californian coast, and suggest that the framework used could and should be adopted more widely by the scientific … Continue reading