Marine

  • 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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  • Science Colleagues get ‘Girls into Physics’

    8th October 2019 by

    Today on Ada Lovelace Day we hear from one of our colleagues, Louise Campbell (shown middle in picture above), about her involvement with ‘Girls into Physics’ events and why she is keen to dispel the myth of how difficult and hard physics is. Read on for Louise’s story and for more information about events taking…

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  • Scotia Set for Deepwater Sampling

    28th September 2019 by

    MRV Scotia Survey: 1419S Programme Duration: 28 September – 11 October 2019 Objectives: Map the composition, distribution and abundance of continental slope species on the deepwater slope west of the Hebrides from Donegal to the Flannans (55–59oN) and Rosemary Bank (Figure 1). Collect samples (genetics and otoliths) of key species for population studies. Continue use of…

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  • Scallops, Starfish and Heavy Metal

    24th June 2019 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Survey: 1019A Programme Duration: 15 June – 04 July 2019 Fishing Gear: Scallop dredges Objectives: Carry out a survey of scallop stocks on the East Coast. Age, measure and assess shell damage on all scallops caught. Collect information on by-catch of other commercial fish and shellfish species. Identify and quantify numbers…

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  • BOWLing for Prey Species

    20th June 2019 by

    MRV Alba na Mara Survey: 0919A Programme Duration: 8-12 June 2019 Equipment: Pelagic net PT 154; “Bongo” net plankton sampling equipment; Seabird SBE19 CTD; Water sampling mini-rosette; Sandeel dredge; Day grab and grab table; and EK 60 sounder. Location Names: Beatrice Offshore Wind farm Limited  (BOWL); Moray East Offshore Wind farm (MEOW); and Moray West…

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  • All Eyes on New Worm Species

    18th June 2019 by

    There’s a worm at the bottom of the sea – and it’s been discovered off the Scottish coast by a team of scientists from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Marine Scotland Science (MSS) and Thomson Environmental Consultants. But this isn’t an ordinary worm – the newcomer has a unique anatomy with its eyes in…

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  • Demersal Trawling with Genesis

    29th April 2019 by

    MFV Genesis BF505 Programme Survey: 1019H Duration: 17-25 April 2019 Fishing Gear: Anglerfish Trawl BT 195 Objectives: Undertake a nationally co-ordinated demersal trawling survey of Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa) in the Northern North Sea, ICES area IVa. Record and map distributions of Megrim (Lepidorhombus wiffiagonis), Four-Spot Megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) Cod (Gadus morhua), Blue…

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  • Meet Rebecca Langton – Species Distribution Modeller

    30th January 2019 by

    In our series of Science in Government Conference posters Rebecca Langton tells us about the MarPAMM (Marine Protected Area Management and Monitoring) Project and how she contributes to finding out where vulnerable species are on the seabed.  Read on to see what a typical day would be like for Rebecca.     Further Information: Follow…

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  • Rockall Haddock Trawling Survey – An update

    4th October 2018 by

    Survey: 1318S Rockall Haddock Trawling Survey Duration:  19 September – 1 October 2018 The 2018 Rockall haddock trawling survey got off to a blustery start with Scotia departing Aberdeen on the morning of the 19th September and heading straight into the teeth of Storm Ali; the first officially named storm of Autumn 2018. Gusts of…

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  • Getting a good grounding with the Northeast Atlantic

    1st November 2017 by

    Marine Scotland Science has just released new Groundfish Survey Monitoring and Assessment data for the Northeast Atlantic Area, which includes fish abundance and biomass at length information for all the species caught during the surveys (details in the table below). With growing interest in understanding, assessing and managing the ecosystem in a more holistic way, having reliable…

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