Every year, around 70,000 turtles and 200,000 seabirds die as a result of being caught as bycatch in EU fishing fleets. Bycatch is when other marine species are unintentionally trapped by commercial fishing gear. This can account for up to 40% of total fishing catches, globally reaching as much as 38 million tonnes discarded per … Read more
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) welcomed scientists from Universidade do Porto in Portugal to meet with the Sims Lab team and discuss the results of a recent shark tagging expedition. Dr Nuno Queiroz, Head of Movement Ecology Group at CIBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos) and Tiago Cidade, PhD Student, CIBIO, visited … Read more
The deep ocean provides a wide range of valuable ecosystem services to the planet; but it remains largely unexplored due to its size and inaccessibility. Marine biologists have long known that many marine predators dive vertically into the deep ocean, but the reasons behind this behaviour were largely a mystery. Many predator species have been … Read more
Today we are celebrating Marine Biology MRes graduate Max Kimble! During his placement at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) Max worked in the Sims lab, creating a species distribution model for the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in the North Atlantic. Max looked at over 121 shark movement tracks, combined with satellite data, to reveal the … Read more
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Cefas Chief Executive Neil Hornby and Cefas Chief Scientist, Professor Grant Stentiford to the Marine Biological Association. They were welcomed to our laboratory in Plymouth by Chief Executive, Professor Willie Wilson. They were given a tour around our facilities to see our cutting-edge science laboratories and meet our … Read more
Since 2018, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provided £2.5M to the Marine Business Technology Centre (MBTC) in Devon. This has accelerated the development of marine innovation. It was originally introduced to provide support for businesses in Devon and Plymouth to develop and test new marine technology and thereby support long-term innovation and growth in … Read more
Large marine animals such as sharks and whales have huge ecological, social, economic, and cultural importance, but are under great threat from collisions with ships. Copyright: Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch In a recent article published in the journal Nature, experts from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and University of Southampton (UoS) warn that coordinated action is needed … Read more
A recent report published by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has identified the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey as one of the top priorities for sustained ocean observations. 11 sustained in situ observation systems were evaluated through open consultation with the wider scientific community, following a request by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Professor … Read more
With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, scientists are working to understand and predict how these extreme temperatures will affect marine life. BBC Countryfile visited the Marine Biological Association (MBA) to discover how plankton are an essential part of life both above and below the waves, and how warming temperatures will affect … Read more
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is excited to announce the start of a new project which will help meet the operational needs of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey. The CPR Data Infrastructure Project will enable rapid and accurate data entry, analysis, visualisation and publication using global standards for marine biological data. The MBA has … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
The Laboratory,
Citadel Hill Plymouth,
Devon
PL1 2PB, UK
The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. We're working with our ever-growing membership to provide a clear and independent voice on behalf of the marine biological community