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 and risks of up-scaling marine renewable energy schemes on the quality of marine bioresources (including biodiversity) and biophysical dynamics of open coasts.

The sandpit will be taking place from the 8-10 December 2010.
The closing date for expressions of interest is 16:00 on Thursday 14 October 2010

For further information and contacts please visit the programme webpage.

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 some areas since 2005. Coastal waters are getting cleaner, fish stocks are improving and species diversity in estuaries is increasing. Fish stocks are improving overall, partly due to reductions in European Union quotas. Furthermore, the proportion of fin-fish stocks harvested sustainably in the UK has risen from 10% in the 1990s to 25% in 2007.

However, this still means that the majority of fish stocks are being harvested at unsustainable levels. Declines due to unsustainable harvests are being compounded by warmer waters, which are causing the cold and warm water zooplankton that fish feed on to move north. Climate change is also causing sea levels to rise, with the mean sea level rising by 1.4mm per year in the 20th century, whilst the picture for waterbirds and seabirds is mixed, with waterbird populations being generally healthy, whilst the numbers of some seabirds are falling, particularly in the north.

Whilst pollution from heavy metals is continuing to fall in UK waters, there are still some localised problems such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which, while stabilising nationally, are still found in places at levels that affect wildlife, including harbour porpoises. Litter levels have also doubled between 1994 and 2007.

Marine environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “The report’s findings show that we are moving in the right direction, but there is more work that needs to be done, especially to protect the UK’s seabirds. I am committed to improving our marine environment by delivering the conservation measures in the Marine and Coastal Access Act and hope to see further improvements in the next report as we gain the benefits from Marine Conservation Zones.”

The full report can be found here

The Government also launched consultations yesterday on Marine Act implementation, seeking views on the Marine Policy Statement, Marine Planning System and Marine Licensing. The BES will be responding to these consultations (deadline 13 October) and more information can be found on our website.

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 fisheries and marine ecosystems”.

Writing in PNAS, Shijie Zhou and colleagues argue that selective fishing alters ecosystem functions, and may in turn affect fishery production. Instead, they propose that a “balanced exploitation”, which avoids the intensive removal of particular components of the ecosystem, and recognises that most species would be able to accommodate some level of exploitation. Society, the authors argue, may even benefit because “a greater proportion of the entire suite of harvested species is used.”

Article: Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires a change to the selective fishing philosophy

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 community.

Effective communication in conservation science is vital, and the authors state that scientists who see communication as a top-down transmission of information run the risk of alienating key audiences – particularly those who are knowledgeable about the issue.

The audiences in question are usually extremely diverse, with different levels of technical knowledge, values and opinions. Hence no single form of communication will be most effective at reaching all of them.

The authors continue to outline a four-step strategy used in the case study, involving;

1. Getting to ‘know the audience‘ – identifying the needs, level of knowledge and background of different groups, and using this to tailor communication efforts
2. Identifying ‘main messages‘ – including the original problem, why this should matter to the audiences, the actions required, and what benefits the audiences would derives from those actions
3. Choosing communication tactics – a diverse range of communication approaches were used, including printed materials, web content and presentations to small groups
4. Measuring the success of communications

The strategy used in the case study involved collaboration between scientists, graphic designers, communication professionals, and policy experts, and the authors assert that this framework should become more prevalent. In addition, they suggest that a communication strategy should be an inherent component of research grants, and that scientists should make the most the growing body of available resources.

The full report can be read here.

The British Ecological Society recently submitted a response to a Foreign and Commonwealth Office consultation document supporting the creation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Chagos Archipelago. In producing the response to the consultation, the BES recognised that there may be some conflict between conservation objectives and the potential resettlement of the islands, by Chagossians who were removed from the islands in the 1960s to allow the US to establish a military base.

In February 2010 the report of a workshop was released, which considered the socio-economic issues relating to the establishment of an MPA in the Chagos Archipelago. The workshop was held on 7th January at Royal Holloway, University of London, and follows on from a scientific workshop on the same topic at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton in August 2009. Participants were invited to the workshop on the basis of their involvement or interests in Chagos, including representatives from the Chagossian Social Committee in the UK, Chagos Refugees Group Mauritius, and UK Chagos Support Association. All participants agreed that establishing an MPA recognises the importance and value of the Chagos Archipelago and is an important opportunity to provide long-term protection. The chair of the Chagos Islands (BIOT) All Party Parliamentary Group explained that the number of Chagossians wishing to return is small and hence there should not be a conflict with marine conservation.

However it was emphasised that the MPA proposal must not be used in such a way that detracts from the rights of the Chagossians. Participants agreed that the process must be done in such a way that allows the consideration of future issues with respect to resettlement or changes in jurisdiction. Some proposed the establishment of an MPA that makes provision for sustainable utilisation of natural resources if Chagossians resettle some of the islands. Many participants also voiced the opinion that representatives of Chagos and Mauritius should be closely involved in the MPA discussions, and were concerned that the initial exclusion of these groups may have already undermined the process. Since establishing a no-take MPA will require enforcement, this would certainly require involvement of Chagossians and Mauritians in MPA planning. Discussions in the workshop also raised the issue that economic analysis had been based on the current situation and did not take account of the costs of benefits of potential Chagossian resettlement or change of sovereignty.

Overall, the conclusion of the workshop was that the establishment of an MPA in the Chagos Archipelago should be done in such a way that involves all stakeholders in order to create a robust conservation area that can withstand future challenges.

A survey of the world’s reefs and sea mounts has revealed that deep-sea trawling is causing widespread destruction of marine habitats. Deep-sea trawlers drag giant nets over the seafloor, destroying habitat over huge areas. Cold water coral reefs in temperate regions are among the most threatened sites; these areas contain pristine habitats with many species which are new to science. Deep-sea reefs are particularly vulnerable to trawling, unlike shallow water reefs which are stronger because they need to withstand wave action.

Bans on deep-sea trawling exist in a number of sites around the world, including the biggest cold-water reef in the world, which is in Norway. However Jason Hall-Spencer, a researcher from Plymouth University involved with the survey, emphasises that more needs to be done. He calls for the establishment of an international network of marine reserves which ban deep-sea trawling.

Source: Guardian, 19th February 2010

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn MP, is due to address policy-makers assembled at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen today, as part of ‘Oceans Day’. The Secretary of State is due to highlight the dangers posed to marine life and human well-being by ocean acidification, and the limited attention which this issue receives compared to others being discussed by climate change negotiators.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now 30% higher than during pre-industrial times. A proportion of the carbon dioxide which has entered the atmosphere over the past 200 years has been absorbed by the oceans – with constant gaseous exchange between the seas and air. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, carbonic acid is formed, which dissociates into hydrogen and carbonate ions. The Ph of the ocean, measuring hydrogen ion concentration and hence acidity, is now 0.1 unit lower, with a total decrease of 0.3 or 0.4 Ph units expected by the end of the century. An increase in the acidity of the seas will affect the ability of corals and other organisms to build calcium carbonate shells; studies have shown that coral growth in the Great Barrier Reef is already slowing.

Mr Benn told the BBC News that ocean acidification “doesn’t get as much attention as other problems; it is really important”. Destruction of corals will affect all those who depend on the reefs – from the fish which forage there to the populations which depend on these fish for protein; over 1 bilion people worldwide. He will recommend to policy-makers today that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) investigates ocean acidification during its next major assessment of world climate, scheduled for release in 2013.

Original source; ‘Acidifying oceans’ threaten food supply, UK warns, Richard Black, BBC News Website

The UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill was granted Royal Assent yesterday (12th November), meaning that it has now become law. It has taken many years of work by the ecological and environmental community, but a network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) will now be created in UK seas. We would like to thank all our members who contributed their considerable scientific expertise and advice to our work on this Bill.

Looking forwards, much work is now underway to identify where MCZs should be located. To coincide with the Bill’s enactment, the Marine Conservation Society has launched a new website with an interactive map showing the location and characteristics of 73 sites which they believe merit full protection. Members of the public are invited to vote for the sites which they believe should become reserves; the results will be presented to the regional bodies charged with making recommendations to the Government. Readers with marine expertise may also be interested in the facility which allows them to nominate their own sites for protection.

To vote for the protection of specific marine areas, visit: http://www.yourseasyourvoice.com/mpa/

If you would like to read a review of all the changes which have been made to the Bill during its passage through Parliament, please visit here.

New research published in the journal Science shows that efforts made to rebuild depleted fish stocks are worthwhile and can be successful. An international team of researchers evaluated the condition of marine fisheries and the effects of fishing in ten of the world’s largest marine communities. In five of the ten ecosystems they found that fishing levels had been substantially reduced and clear signs of rebuilding could be seen.

Of the ten areas studied, 63% need to be rebuilt. 14% of the assessed stocks had collapsed by 2007, although this varied regionally (60% of the assessed stocks in Eastern Canada, for example, had collapsed).

In Kenya, a successful management strategy, involving co-operating with local communities, restrictions on damaging fishing gear and the introduction of protected areas, has led to an increase in fish stocks, in the size of caught fish and in the income gained from fishing.

The researchers conclude that fish stocks can be rebuilt if strategically placed fishing closures are combined with gear restrictions, ‘ocean zoning’ – separating areas for fisheries and conservation – with catch quotas and local management. They recommend that countries take early action, before overexploitation becomes apparent, and that nations adopt a culturally sensitive approach to rebuilding fish stocks. Closing fisheries will involve short-term losses, in yield and of jobs, and so will have a disproportionate effect on those in the developing world who may rely soley on fishing for protein and for income.

Original research: Worm, B., Hilborn, R., Baum, J. et al. (2009). Rebuilding global fisheries. Science. 325: 578-585.
Source article: Science for Environment Policy, EU

New research presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Washington this week (and reported in National Geographic) suggests that herbs and spices may offer an alternative to chemical pesticides. Oils from thyme, rosemary, mint and other herbs should repel or kill insect pests when sprayed onto crops.

Research indicates that the oils interfere with insects’ nervous systems and can also disrupt insects’ cellular membranes. Scientists think that insects may be less likely to develop resistance to plant-based compounds because they tend to be complex chemical mixtures.

However there are drawbacks to the potential widespread application of herbs and spices as pesticides. The compounds tend to evaporate quickly and degrade in sunlight; they must therefore be applied every few days, rather than every few weeks for conventional pesticides.

Other research presented at the same meeting indicates that plastics degrade far faster in water than previously thought. Scientists thought that plastics broke down only at very high temperatures and over hundreds of years. Now, new research by a team in Japan shows that polystyrene can degrade at temperatures of only 36 degrees celcius in the sea. As it degrades, the plastic is leaching toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the water. Bisphenol A has been shown to disrupt the reproductive systems of animals. The researchers suggest that plastic should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean.