Marine Scotland

  • Marine Scotland Science Discover New Coral Species on Rockall

    9th January 2020 by

      Scientists from Marine Scotland Science (MSS) have discovered a new species of coral on Rockall Bank in the North East Atlantic. The discovery is of an animal known as a sea pen, which as it lacks a hard outer skeleton is often described as a soft coral. The species is described fully in a…

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  • Deep Sea Communities Explored at Rosemary Bank

    19th December 2019 by

    A team of scientists, with the lead author from Marine Scotland Science (MSS), have had a paper published in the Deep Sea Research Part I journal describing the deep sea communities of the Rosemary Bank Seamount Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the North East Atlantic. The paper provides essential baseline information on the composition of…

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  • Marine Scotland Science Shortlisted in Nature of Scotland Awards

    2nd December 2019 by

    We are proud to announce that Marine Scotland Science (MSS) has been shortlisted for two out of the nine awards categories for the Nature of Scotland Awards. Hosted by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and co-sponsored by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Nature of Scotland Awards celebrate and recognise the best…

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  • Sampling with Sir John

    12th November 2019 by

    MRV Sir John Murray Programme Survey: 0119SJM Duration: 11-19 November 2019 Sampling Gear: 2 m beam trawl with 50 mm cod-end – Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Demersal trawl with 50 mm cod-end – SEPA Day grab and table – SEPA Catamaran and neuston net – Marine Scotland Science (MSS) Nisken water bottle – MSS…

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  • Demeral Trawling Survey on the West Coast

    6th November 2019 by

    MRV Scotia Survey: 1719S Duration: 4 – 25 November 2019 Fishing Gear: GOV Trawl (BT137) and ground gear D (hoppers). Objectives: Participate in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) coordinated western division demersal trawling survey. Obtain temperature and salinity data profiles at each trawling position. Collect additional biological data in connection with…

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  • Exploring the Effects of Climate Change on Marine Food Webs

    29th October 2019 by

    Three researchers (T. Regnier, F. M. Gibb and P. J. Wright) from Marine Scotland Science (MSS) have had their paper entitled “Understanding temperature effects on recruitment in the context of trophic mismatch” published in the journal Scientific Reports.  The paper looks to address the impacts of climate change in Scotland’s marine environment and fish stocks….

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  • Collecting Cameras and Grabbing Samples

    28th October 2019 by

    MRV Scotia Survey: 1619S Duration: 26 October – 1 November 2019 Equipment: Day grab; sieve table; time lapse cameras and associated moorings, acoustic device mooring with broadband receiver. Objectives: Recover the time lapse cameras used to assess the macro benthic ecology of drill cuttings around the Murchison oil field. Deploy an acoustic mooring at approximately…

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  • Ocean Acidification and the Damage it can Cause

    21st October 2019 by

    Dr Pablo Leon Diaz, Plankton Ecologist in Marine Scotland Science, has just had a paper “Relationship between shell integrity of pelagic gastropods and carbonate chemistry parameters at a Scottish Coastal Observatory monitoring site” published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science. The paper presents the first investigation of the impacts of ocean acidification on shell-forming…

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  • Marine Mammals, Sediment Sampling and Looking for a Missing Buoy

    21st October 2019 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Survey: 1819A Duration: 21 – 31 October 2019 Objectives: Recover and redeploy marine mammal monitoring moorings with acoustic releases, at eight sites in the Sea of the Hebrides and North Minch. Collect sediment samples at a number of sites south of Skye. Attempt to locate and recover ‘missing’ buoy close to…

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  • The Wonders Found when Deepwater Sampling – #1419S Survey Update

    18th October 2019 by

    Marine Scotland has undertaken its biannual trawl survey of the shelf slope to the west of the Hebrides. The purpose of the survey is to map the composition, distribution and abundance of continental slope species from the Donegal area to the Flannan isles providing catch data that informs management decisions. The initial part of the…

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