Written by Jenny Hickman For centuries, the high seas have been a place of exploitation and misuse. The “out of sight, out of mind” attitude that pervades offshore activity has resulted in the ocean becoming steadily depleted of fish stocks and filling up with anthropogenic waste. For far too long it was believed that the … More How low can we go? The importance & impacts of deep sea mining
Written by Zuzanna Dusza Fisheries are critical to supplying a large proportion of the world’s animal protein, with demand for fish products increasing annually. As such, well maintained, sustainable and efficient fisheries and aquaculture systems will be crucial in order to continue meeting this demand in the future. However, it is clear that sustainable management … More Applying sensory ecology to fisheries & aquaculture: maximising efficiency whilst achieving sustainability
Written by Louise-Océane Delion Imagine if this morning while scrolling through twitter, you had read an article called “Our efforts to restore biodiversity will not make a difference”. An article based on a new scientific paper, saying that whatever we do, we are losing the fight to save our planet. That would be really daunting, … More Optimism for ocean recovery by 2050
Research into microbial communities on and surrounding deep-sea shipwrecks reveals just how important these lost vessels can be for marine life. Last year the world was stunned after the first crewed dive in over 14 years revealed brand new images of the wreckage of the Titanic. The two halves of the infamous ship, resting at … More Microbes transform shipwrecks into ‘underwater islands’
Written by Janey Sellars The media presents a huge platform of which to relay information in a way that influences the way people perceive things. Since the 21st century, technology and online databases have developed significantly and the global media is expanding as a result, reaching more people than ever before. Human perceptions, values and … More Friends or foes? The media’s portrayal of sharks & the influence on human perspectives
Marine conservation has never been more necessary than it is today with our oceans facing threats from all angles, most of which we have created. It is therefore more important than ever to inspire and educate people about our oceans and the marine life that inhabit them. One of the main ways I know how … More The role of art in marine conservation (with Debby Mason)
Written by George Brett In 2019 most of us are becoming more aware of humanity’s ever-increasing carbon output and its subsequent impacts on the natural world. It seems like nowadays you cannot turn on the TV without hearing mention of climate change and all its associated nasties. But when was the last time you remember … More Ocean acidification & coral reefs
Over the last few months Brazil has been the epicentre of an unusual and highly damaging oil spill. Although the country is not directly responsible, the lack of action by those in power highlights why the country has been so heavily criticised for its conservation policies in recent years. You may or may not be … More Mysterious oil spill highlights lack of conservation efforts in Bolsonaro’s Brazil
Mangroves are one of the most financially valuable ecosystems on Earth. They protect us from storms and flooding and provide us with fish and eco-tourism. But we are losing them at an alarming rate right when we need them the most. Looking at a mangrove it is very hard to imagine it could be worth … More The money in mangroves: how our coastal forests save us billions
This week the IPCC released a special report focusing on how climate change is impacting our oceans and predicting the scale of future problems. Here I provide a summary of the key findings and clearly explain some of the bigger issues. On 25th September at the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in Monaco … More Breaking down the IPCC special report on climate change and our oceans
