Marine

  • Studying the critically endangered blue skate

    16th March 2022 by

    Our understanding of the distribution, behaviour and biology of the critically endangered blue skate has been greatly increased by recently published research.

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  • Protecting and researching our seas

    25th August 2020 by

    You may have seen our recent tweet showing the launch of the marine protection vessel (MPV) Hirta, it really is quite a thrilling moment when you watch the vessel hit the water. The MPV Hirta launched in Gdansk, Poland on 17 August 2007 and so began life on the waves as part of our fleet….

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  • Scotia resumes survey programme

    30th June 2020 by

    As with many other aspects of our lives at this time, our marine research vessel (MRV) survey programme of 2020 was significantly affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and ultimately stopped with the lockdown restrictions imposed in March.

    However, in mid-June the MRV Scotia programme was permitted to resume with survey 0820S – the annual North Sea and West coast Nephrops underwater television survey (UWTV).

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  • Day of the Seafarer

    25th June 2020 by

    Today is International Day of the Seafarer and with three protection vessels and two research vessels we certainly know a thing or two about life at sea. Marine Scotland, and its predecessors, have a long fleet history, with both research and patrol vessels at the heart of our work.

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  • Survey of Scallop Stocks around Shetland Islands

    27th January 2020 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Programme Survey: 0220A Duration: 25 January – 9 February 2020 Fishing Gear: Scallop dredges Objectives: 1. To carry out a survey of scallop stocks around the Shetland Islands. 2. To age, measure and assess shell damage on all scallops caught. 3. To collect information on by-catch of other commercial fish and…

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  • MRV Alba na Mara 0120A – latest news

    21st January 2020 by

    The annual underwater television Nephrops research survey neither started on the 6th January 2020 nor worked on the west coast, despite the survey plan. The vessel was initially storm bound in Fraserburgh for three days and once out of the harbour the 5m+ swell along the north coast meant the vessel couldn’t reach the west…

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  • ECOMASS Moorings on East Coast

    16th November 2019 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Programme Survey: 2019A Duration: 15-26 November 2019 Gear: Surface and subsurface PAM moorings Objectives: To retrieve 24 subsurface moorings comprising acoustic release systems and the acoustic recording devices attached to them (24 C-POD and 8 Loggerhead/SM2M) as part of three marine mammal monitoring programmes (ECOMMAS, JOMOPANS & SEAGREEN). To deploy 11 subsurface…

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  • Gear Selectivity in the Moray Firth

    5th November 2019 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Survey 1919A   Duration: 4 – 12 November 2019   Gear: Trawl BT201; Net mounted camera system; Scanmar instrumentation; Seltra box incorporating a 300mm square mesh panel   Objectives: To undertake catch comparison trials using a Seltra sorting box rigged into the extension of the BT201. Target species will be commercial gadoids,…

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