Issue 7. October 2016 ISSN 2052-5273 The Marine The magazine of the Biologistmarine biological community Do we want this revolution in aquaculture?

Plus Moving sushi – the return of the bluefin

BIO Mud, birds and poppycock INE LO R G A IC M A

E L

H Brexit, fishing and the UK marine environment T

A N S O S I O C I A T

Est. 1884 Incorporated by Royal Charter

Microplastics and pollution | Anti-ageing chemicals from the sea Blue coral conservation Editorial Issue 7. October 2016 In 2014, humans ate more fish The Internet and social media are Contents raised on farms than fish caught in the making access to information so easy wild. This huge shift slipped past that we can question our experts and largely unnoticed but it has massive engage in debates—a good example implications for ocean and human can be found on the website of The health. In this edition we are delighted Marine Biologist, which was the forum 02 Editorial Editorial Office to present as our leading article two in August for a debate between an contrasting views of the aquaculture expert on ocean acidification and a 04 In brief Editor Guy Baker debate led by high-profile researchers at prominent journalist and climate [email protected] the University of California, Santa sceptic. Read more in the In brief Science letters +44 (0)1752 426239 Barbara. section. 06 Moving Sushi Tom Horton The harsh economic climate has As a society, we use products such as Executive editor Matt Frost bred a growth agenda under which the plastics and pharmaceuticals with little 09 Seeking the fountain of youth in the twilight zone Jamal Ouazzani [email protected] 12 environment may be viewed by consideration of the environmental and colleagues +44 (0)1752 426343 politicians as a source of problems and cost of their use. Fluoxetine is a 12 Two views on a revolution in aquaculture Doug McCauley and Editorial Board Guy Baker, expense rather than a source of common antidepressant that enhances colleagues Kelvin Boot, Matt Frost, Paul solutions and jobs. The decision by the feelings of wellbeing. Its use is such Rose, Mike Thorndyke. Measuring 5,000 beasties a minute: rapid zooplankton UK to leave the European Union, that it has been found in estuarine 15 characterization Robert Camp and colleagues Membership Alex Street commonly referred to as ‘Brexit’, may waters in the UK and US at levels that [email protected] be a ‘golden opportunity’ for trade but exceed EU-recommended safe limits. A 16 Plastics, plankton and pollution Pennie Lindeque +44 (0)1752 426347 when the dust settles, scientists, University of Exeter, UK study1 www.mba.ac.uk/membership statutory agencies and non-governmen- reported that ragworms (an important Environment and conservation tal organizations need to be on the food source for wading birds) exposed 16 Correspondence Brexit and the UK marine environment Matt Frost same page about which environmental to fluoxetine exhibited reduced feeding 18 The Marine Biological Association Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK legislation to keep, scrap or amend— and weight loss. The same marine 19 Brexit and the UK fishing industry Interview with Jim Portus and be ready with the evidence to environment that has been shown to The Marine Biologist is published by 20 Mud, birds and poppycock John Goss-Custard the Marine Biological Association, support the government on amend- contribute Registered Charity No. 1155893 ments. Thanks to European Union significantly to 24 Seasearch: a shift in focus Chris Wood ISSN number: 2052-5273 (EU) law a whole generation has grown human health 26 Can Okinawa’s blue corals be saved? Bonnie Waycott Submissions up with cleaner seas (and air) and this and wellbeing is gives MBA Deputy Director Matt being nega- We welcome submissions of original Sharing marine science and relevant material, letters and Frost reason to hope that the ‘dirty tively impacted responses to published articles. For man of Europe’ will not stir in his by antidepres- 27 Marine biology for life’s explorers Andrew Davies 20 guidance, please see the magazine grave (see page 20). sants. As the 29 MBA bursary winners website at The UK fishing industry doesn’t like song goes, it’s www.mba.ac.uk/marinebiologist the Common Fisheries Policy but now ironic. Reviews or contact the Editor. 30 that the UK is set to regain control Disclaimer: Views expressed 33 The 14th MBA Postgraduate Conference Jen Lewis in The Marine Biologist are over its territorial seas, how does the those of the authors and do not industry see the opportunities and 34 Why the world needs trained marine biologists Mariano Peruzzo necessarily represent those of the threats around managing fish stocks? Marine Biological Association. To find out we interviewed Jim Portus, Copyright statement. Anyone wishing Chief Executive Secretary of the South to reproduce material published in West Fish Producers Organisation. 1 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs. The Marine Biologist must contact est.6b03233 26 the Marine Biological Association.

We welcome your articles, letters and reviews, and we can advertise events. Please contact us for details or see the magazine website at www.mba.ac.uk/marinebiologist

www.mba.ac.uk Front cover: A school of Atlantic bluefin tuna in a transport cage in the Mediterranean. Image credits top to bottom: Marco Carè/ Image: Roger Grace/Greenpeace. Marine Photobank; Pennie Lindeque; John @thembauk Back cover: The cushion star, Asterina gibbosa. Image: Alix Harvey/MBA. Goss-Custard; Mr Masahito Kamimura.

02 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 03 In brief In brief

We would encourage people to take be because of oil effects on the larvae. (Massive Open Online Course) for teach- Antarctic marine reserves deal part, to question experts and those who The research provides important ers; and ibooks on Cold-water Corals and within reach seek to influence public opinion. We evidence to the Norwegian Government as harmful plankton blooms to mention a few. An international agreement to also hope that this kind of debate will they make difficult decisions concerning The next edition of The Marine protect some of Antarctica’s unique be accessible to the quieter majority oil production in this region and the effects Biologist magazine will feature an and pristine marine ecosystems could who wish to expand their knowledge it could have upon this commercially and article on ocean literacy and the all- be reached within a fortnight. of these important issues. It has been ecologically important fish species. important link between the health of Delegates from 24 nations and the a good example of how we see the Charlotte Walker our seas and that of humankind. European Union gathered in Hobart on role of the magazine and its website. Get involved in Sea Change via Monday at the annual meeting of the Reasons to be cheerful for Twitter, Facebook and the project Commission for the Conservation of Chatting helps dolphins solve bleached coral? website. Sign up to the campaign Antarctic Marine Living Resources. problems together In the last edition (White, M., 2016 Too and for updates on how you can bring If an agreement is reached, it would A recent study by Dolphins Plus hot in paradise? The Marine Biologist Ocean Literacy to Europe so that citizens represent the first time a marine research institute and the University 6: 26) we heard that corals and clams, understand the ocean’s influence on protected area was established in of Southern Mississippi suggests vital for the remote community of us and our influence on the ocean. international waters by consensus. that bottlenose dolphins have a spe- Tongareva Atoll, Northern Cook Islands, Sea Change is a three-year European There are signs Russia, which is chairing cial type of vocalization they use to were suffering bleaching and mortality Union H2020-funded project coordinated the meeting for the second year in a row, cooperate when solving problems. after sustained high sea temperatures by the Marine Biological Association. is prepared to make a deal to protect the A canister full of food that needed related to the 2015-2016 El Niño event. The partnership includes major networks Ross Sea and possibly East Antarctica. cooperation to be opened was the basis (World Ocean Network, UNESCO-IOC, Courtesy of Guardian News & Media of their study. Throughout the experiment Ecsite and EUROGEO) that are helping Ltd. only two of the six dolphins involved to disseminate the work of Sea Change Warming seas are changing the Great Barrier Reef; 2016 has seen the third mass bleaching managed to complete the task, but to a wide and diverse audience. Commitments from the third Our event to affect the reef. The image above shows bleaching at Heron Island in February their success rate was high, managing www.seachangeproject.eu Ocean conference 2016 2016, which is close to the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef. Image: XL Catlin to crack the puzzle 83% of the time. SharkFest 2016 Participants in the third Our Ocean con- Seaview Survey www.xlcatlinseaviewsurvey.com However the real surprise came from ference, held in September in Washington, the vocalizations made by the dolphins Bristol, Southwest England was host to D.C., announced over 136 new initiatives Can World Heritage site designation during the task; they chatted considerably the UK’s first ever shark festival! Shark- on marine conservation and protection help the Great Barrier Reef? practical management of the reef still more when trying to open the canisters Fest 2016 brought together conservation valued at more than $5.24 billion, as well lies with the Australian and Queensland than any other time during the study, organizations, surfers, scientists, film- as new commitments on the protection The Great Barrier Reef is the Earth’s governments. So what is being done? which was directly linked to the task and makers, artists and shark fanatics from of almost four million km2 of the ocean. largest living structure, visible even They have developed the Reef 2050 plan not social interaction with other dolphins. across the world, to encourage positivity, Highlights under the ‘protecting ocean from space. It holds an astonishing in response to Committee recommenda- This study points towards the possibility collaboration and active participation areas’ theme were the announcement Cook Island corals recovering from diversity of marine life; including over tions. The plan acts as a framework for that dolphins possess a language that in marine conservation in the UK. by the United States of the expansion 1,600 species of fish, 3,000 molluscs protecting and managing the reef from allows them to solve problems as a team. bleaching, June 2016. The picture shows Organized by shark conservation organ- of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine and 133 species of sharks and rays. 2015 to 2050, and sets strict targets. This Amy Coombe the coral health chart from the University of ization FinFighters, the day included talks National Monument, Hawaii to cover an But the Great Barrier Reef is chang- sounds promising, however Day believes Queensland. Image: Michael White. from The Shark Trust, producer Jennie additional 1,146,798 km2, creating the ing. Threats such as climate change, more action is needed. “The plan didn’t Haddock hit by oil at vulnerable Hammond from BBC Shark, The Gills world’s largest marine protected area coastal development, declining water really mention climate change, and yet life-stage The lagoon began to cool in May and Club and Sharks4Kids. Fin Fighters held and permanently protecting pristine quality and unsustainable fishing prac- it is clearly the number one threat”. Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) the news is that islanders have seen good a citizen science workshop to help volun- coral reefs, deep sea marine habitats, tices are placing increasing pressure World Heritage status shines attention is one of Britain’s most commonly eaten recovery of corals and many new clam teers fill in data gaps on shark population and important ecological resources. on the reef. 2016 has seen yet another on the reef. However, its future ultimately fish. Already with an International Union recruits. Marine zoologist Michael White numbers, highlighting where protection or Under the ‘climate and ocean’ mass bleaching event. Action is needed lies in the hands of the government. for Conservation of Nature and Natural says “we believe this has been possible further assessments are needed. Stands theme, the US announced two global but does the reef’s status as a World Perhaps the real question should be, Resources (IUCN) status of vulnerable, because of the near pristine condition and activities were also delivered by the ocean satellite systems to monitor Heritage Site actually help protect it? with ever-increasing sea temperatures, new research has identified that the of our ecosystem, whereas it is pretty Marine Biological Association, The Manta the health of our ocean ecosystems Former Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is it too late for them to save it? species is more susceptible to oil pollution clear that the Great Barrier Reef hadn’t Trust, Surfers Against Sewage, the Marine and to improve our understanding Authority (GBRMPA) director Jon Day Sophie Thomas during early development than previously recovered properly from the 1997-1998 Conservation Society and many more. of ocean circulation and climate. believes the World Heritage Committee thought. Doctoral research by Elin Sørhus, El Niño—and is still being perturbed by To conclude an exciting and inspiring can help. “The Committee retains an Time to debate ... University of Oslo has shown that small oil coastal pollution and other impacts.” day guests had the opportunity to watch overview and when the Committee feels The scientific consensus is that climate spills are negatively affecting the haddock In addition, Dr White reports that many an exclusive screening of David Diley’s References and links for these [the reef] is under threat…they can put warming and ocean acidification are real larvae at their most important spawning of the large seabirds which left while film—Of Shark and Man. The event was stories can be found on The [it] on the World Heritage in danger list”. and a result of anthropogenic inputs of ground in Norway’s Lofoten archipelago. the lagoon was hot, have returned. a huge success and will be running Marine Biologist website. With your Similarly, Michael Arvedlund, Associate carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In The research exposed haddock roe An ambitious and exciting project again next year—watch this space! smartphone, scan the QR code Editor of the Journal of the Marine Biologi- August we received a rebuttal by a climate to relatively low concentrations of oil for Jasmine Tribe below to view the web page. cal Association states, “World Heritage scientist of an article by James Delingpole just 24 hours and saw serious injuries brings Ocean Literacy to Europe sites have the world’s attention. So when in The Spectator that dismissed ocean develop as a result, specifically heart Considering all the challenges facing profit and greed threaten ecosystems acidification as a scam. We published deformities. Even when the roe are our marine environment, wouldn’t it … the Committee can take action”. the rebuttal online (see: www.mba.ac.uk/ able to develop in clean water after oil be something if there were a project However, in 2015 the Committee marinebiologist/?p=1455 ) and it is fair treatment the injuries remain. Longer that aimed to bring about a funda- agreed not to place the reef on the in to say the resulting debate was polar- exposure time resulted in additional mental change in the way Europeans danger list. This was partly due to a ized—at one point Delingpole asked “who deformities in the cranium and jaw. view their relationship with the sea? decision to ban the dumping of spoil reads The Marine Biologist anyway?”. These findings are of particular concern Sea Change is that project, and it from port building in the World Heritage The scientific consensus should because the Lofoten archipelago has more seeks to bring about that change by Area. Col McKenzie, Chief Executive of never be above scrutiny and if there future oil production planned. The study making Europeans ‘Ocean Literate’. the Association of Marine Park Tourism are problems or issues then the marine highlights the serious short-term effects In July 2016 Sea Change launched For the latest news from the Operators, says placing the reef on the science community needs to be able but Sørhus fears the impact long-term its public campaign which involves: the UK marine science community list would have been “a major public to produce responses to problems may resemble what happened following delivery of high profile events across subscribe to the Marine Ripple Effect relations disaster”. Others believe it (and to commonly recycled myths, e.g. the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in Alaska, Europe; the launch of a citizen science or follow on Twitter would have been a vital wake-up call. the Earth hasn’t warmed since 1998) in 1989 when herring stocks collapsed project to record the distribution of SharkFest 2016. Image: The Marine @MarineRipple Even with World Heritage status, that are accessible at various levels. three years after the spill, suspected to crab species; an Ocean Literacy MOOC Biological Association.

04 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 05 Science letters

Mediterranean, and the western stock, but disappeared by the early 1950s. Why is this happening? which spawns in the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, the waters off Ireland played As is the case with any enigmatic The eastern stock may well comprise host to the ronnoch mor (giant mack- species, the relatively sudden appear- other genetically distinct units in the erel in Gaelic), and since the 1970s ance of bluefin tuna has garnered a Mediterranean and recent evidence has commercial pair-trawlers have caught high degree of interest. The explana- Image: Tom Horton. Tom Image: highlighted a new western spawning them off County Donegal as bycatch. tion is nuanced and involves multiple ground in the slope sea of the north- A dedicated fishery emerged in 1999, factors likely acting in concert; there western Atlantic. Bluefin tuna show only to cease in 2006 due to a lack are at least three mechanisms that a high degree of natal fidelity, which of fish. This was seen as symptomatic may have contributed to the bluefin maintains the genetic structuring, having repatriated our coastal waters: as research has shown that outside During the 1930s there i.Thermal Habitat. In terms of the of spawning areas, both stocks mix was a burgeoning species’ environmental niche, there is widely throughout feeding grounds aristocratic sport fishery no reason why bluefin shouldn’t be in in the open waters of the Atlantic. for ‘the giant tunny’ off British waters, as is well evidenced by Fisheries for bluefin in the Atlantic the coast of Scarborough historical catches. At 62–65° N, the and Mediterranean have existed for leading edge of bluefin tuna distribu- a thousand years, and catch records of the state of the stock at the time. tion is much further north than the show a high degree of spatial and Over the past three years blue- British Isles. Historically, only large temporal variability. This has been fin tuna have been recorded with bluefin tuna (>200 cm CFL (curved hypothesized to reflect both long- increasing regularity, and often in fork length)) made long-distance term environmental change and the appreciable numbers, in places where migrations into cooler high-latitude influence of large intra-population they haven’t been seen for as long waters, which included British waters. migratory ‘groups’ arising as a result as 50 years: southwest England; the This is due to the inefficiency of heat of strong recruitment years, result- Outer Hebrides, Scotland; and the retention in small fish, which have a ing in short-term colonization (and whole of the west coast of Ireland. larger surface-area to volume ratio. ast August, a large shoal of one of Weighing in at several hundred kilograms, Atlantic bluefin tuna are able subsequent disappearance as the new However, as the waters around the the ocean’s most highly prized to regulate their body temperature and swim at up to 70 kmh. These ‘groups’ die or get fished) of ‘new’ Box 1: A most valuable fish British Isles warm they will become fish, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, awe-inspiring fish are the epitome of the apex predator.Tom Horton regions. The poorly understood inter- Single bluefin tuna can sell for astronomical suitable thermal habitat for a greater L amounts: in 2013 a fish weighing 222 kg sold made a dramatic appearance in the welcomes them back to UK waters. and intra-stock migratory patterns of for $1.76 m. It fetched an especially high price range of bluefin from different life waters of Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, bluefin have largely precluded effective as it was the prestigious first fish of the 2013 stages and for longer, which may result trading season at Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo. England. Their appearance, reported by University and the International and the likelihood of bluefin occurring management of the species, as stock in elevated catches and sightings. a marine wildlife tour boat operating Commission for the Conservation in the Atlantic reduces drastically as sea assessments (which currently rely on This is corroborated by recent sight- out of nearby Penzance, made national of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). surface temperature (SST) falls below fisheries-dependent data) still cannot ings and catches of smaller bluefin, news amidst claims that a fleet of Atlantic bluefin tuna are the largest 7–10°C. So their latitudinal extent is accurately assign catches to the correct which were historically absent. French vessels was hot-footing it of all the tuna species, growing to thermally limited, and they can only stock. Consequentially, documenting ii. Prey. Migrations by bluefin into the to the area in order to exploit this lengths of over 3m and weighing more exploit high-latitudes when water and understanding bluefin migration North Atlantic are driven by a constant multi-million dollar prize purse, as than 700 kg. They are well known for temperatures peak in the summer and is a research area of high importance. need to forage, ideally on high-energy English boats lacked the quota to being voracious and highly-mobile autumn. In order to feed their high The reappearance of bluefin food. In turn, their fine scale distribu- do so. Whilst the claims were largely predators, and adult fish regularly metabolic demand, they must consume tuna in the northeast Atlantic tion has been shown to be closely untrue (there were no French boats make trans-Atlantic migrations. They 2–10% of their body mass in food Historically, seasonal aggregations of related to that of their preferred prey. en route to the scene), the ecological have the unique ability amongst daily (based on captive studies). Conse- bluefin tuna were present in the waters The only recorded stomach content for significance of the sighting fits amongst teleosts of endothermy—the ability to quently, whilst adopting a fairly gener- around the British Isles. During the a bluefin in the western English Chan- many other cases of distributional maintain their body temperature at a alist diet, they show a strong preference 1930s there was a burgeoning aristo- nel, showed that the fish had been feed- changes of marine species over the metabolically favourable level, despite for high-calorie prey, such as mackerel, cratic sport fishery for ‘the giant tunny’ ing solely on mackerel. The phenology, past two decades, all largely related external temperature. This physiologi- sprat, herring and Atlantic saury. off the coast of Scarborough, and an path and magnitude of the mackerel to climate change. However, the cal trait results in an unusually broad In addition to their unique physiol- English fisherman, Edward Peel, even migration has changed considerably nature and mechanisms of this change thermal operating range of 0–30°C. By ogy, Atlantic bluefin tuna exhibit held the world record for the species over the past decade, as have the spatial are unclear and are currently being maintaining their internal temperature complex movement patterns, which in 1932 (362 kg, beating the stand- dynamics of other important prey such explored by an international group at an optimal level, bluefin are able to vary with size (larger fish range further) ing record of 344 kg; Nova Scotia). as herring and sprat. These changes of scientists, from the University of exploit extremely productive, but cold, and amongst individual cohorts of However, due to the rapid develop- will also likely play a structuring role in Exeter, the Irish Marine Institute, high-latitude waters, and still return fish. There are at least two genetically ment and industrialization of the Skipper Adrian Molloy with his Irish record the fine-scale distribution of bluefin. Atlantic bluefin tuna, caught on the 5th Cefas (Centre for Environment, to breed in the warm waters of the distinct populations of bluefin in the commercial herring fleet operating in October 2001 at Raithlin O’Beirne Island, iii. Stock ‘health’. Demand for bluefin Fisheries and Aquaculture Science), the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico. Atlantic, defined by spawning region: the North Sea, the local herring stock Donegal, Ireland and weighing 439 kg. has reached a record high over the Tag-a-Giant Foundation of Stanford There are limits to this ability however, the eastern stock, which spawns in the collapsed and the giant tunny had all Image: Adrian Molloy. past two decades as a direct result

06 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 07 Science letters Seeking the fountain of youth in the twilight zone The ocean’s little-explored mesophotic zone may yield substances that interfere with the ageing process. TASCMAR is a European Union project that is systematically investigating the possibilities. By Jamal Ouazzani, Yehuda Benayahu and Ioannis Trougakos.

ASCMAR is a European Union-funded research 30 and 150 m in tropical and subtropical regions. Due project that investigates the chemical potential of to technical and safety constraints, until the past decade Tthe ocean’s mesophotic zone (see definition below). most coral-reef studies have been restricted to the upper The goal is to develop sustainable methods for discovering ~30 m and therefore data on MCEs have been sparse. chemical compounds that can be used for application Current technological advances, however, such as remotely in diverse fields such as health/nutrition, depollution operated vehicles (Fig 1), and closed-circuit re-breather and nature-based cosmetics. Within the key theme of diving, have now facilitated the investigation of MCEs. An Atlantic bliuefin tuna ‘busting’ clear of the water whilst feeding in Donegal Bay, Ireland. Image: Tom Horton. anti-ageing the goal is to evaluate the extracts and pure Besides reef-building stony corals, octocorals, echino- molecules found on a set of biological derms, snails and sponges are common groups the project is of the growing sushi sashimi market in Japan, in which assays that will reveal their potential to of marine invertebrates on many Indo-Pacific Box 2. Bluefin in the UK – a timeline collecting samples of bluefin is most highly prized. The majority of bluefin interfere with the processes of cellular and Mediterranean ecosystems down to 30 • 1930: The rise of ‘giant tunny’ fishing off Scarborough marine invertebrates caught are flash frozen and shipped to Japan for auction, • 1933: Lorenzo Mitchell Henry sets the British bluefin record senescence, in vivo ageing and angiogenesis. from biodiversity m and are found to an even greater extent in where individual fish regularly sell for tens of thousands – 386kg caught off Scarborough As a starting bioresource, TASC- hotspots around the MCEs. Several studies have been conducted of dollars (See Box 1). Bluefin tuna is infamous for being • 1950s: Extirpation of ‘giant tunny’ off the northeast MAR is collecting samples of marine on mesophotic octocorals but the majority English coast world over-exploited due to challenging management conditions • 1970s: First records of bluefin from commercial fishermen invertebrates from biodiversity hotspots of these have been limited to photographic and a combination of high market demand and consist- in Ireland around the world. Special emphasis will be given to recognition of the resident taxa and did not reveal their ent and extreme illegal fishing (e.g. the reported catch in • 24th September 2000: Alan Glanville lands the first rod-and- sustainable bioprospecting, going from collection to actual diversity and abundance. Interestingly, several 2006 was 31,000 t, but after including Japanese import line caught bluefin tuna in Irish waters, in Donegal Bay cultivation, and developing technologies for sustainable recent studies indicated that taxa considered rare in shal- • 5th October 2001: Adrian Molloy catches a fish weighing 439 records, it was found to be in excess of 50,000 t). In 2008, kg and sets a new Irish record intensification of the active bioresource production. low reefs might be widespread at mesophotic depths. the eastern and western Atlantic stocks were estimated • 2011: An 11 kg bluefin tuna was caught by a spearfisherman Exploring under-investigated sea ecosystems The northern Red Sea reefs have been quite extensively to be at 33% and 17% of 1950s spawning stock biomass off the Dorset coast The mesophotic coral-reef ecosystem (MCE) has been studied, albeit mostly confined to the reefs above 30 m. • 2013-15: numerous bluefin tuna caught by rod-and-line off respectively. However, the initiation of a recovery program the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, including a 234 kg specimen defined as comprising the light-dependent communities These studies have revealed vast octocoral richness in the by ICCAT in 2006, coupled with favourable recruitment in 2013 and three electronically tagged in 2014 of corals and other organisms found at depths between Red Sea, as well as of other invertebrate species new to appears to have resulted in a stock recovery; the 2014 • 2013-15: Bluefin records begin again from Ireland in 2013, and there were more records in 2015 than ever before, from ICCAT stock assessment showed a three-fold increase in around the whole coast eastern spawning-stock biomass in the period 2008-2014. • 2015: Large shoal of BFT spotted multiple days in August, So it could simply be the case that there are more fish to and multiple times in October by Marine Discovery, a wildlife see, not just in British waters, but throughout the Atlantic. tour operator in Cornwall • 2015: Welsh shark fishermen catch two adult bluefin on the In short, there is no simple answer, and there is no Celtic Deeps guarantee that bluefin will once again become a regular fixture on the ‘resident species’ list for our coastal waters. investigating the spatial ecology of Atlantic bluefin tuna in Our work aims to put these recent sightings into a histori- the northeast Atlantic, with the Marine Institute in Ireland. cal context, and by using a multi-disciplinary approach, Follow them and their work on bluefin tuna on twitter investigate the influence of climate and prey availability @t__horton, @mjwitt1, @DrLucyHawkes and feel free to on bluefin tuna distribution. One thing that is abundantly contact with any queries. clear is that the mechanisms of this change have far- Further reading reaching consequences. Understanding how apex predator Block, B.A. et al. (2005) Electronic tagging and population distribution may alter as the ocean climate changes is structure of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Nature 434: 1121–1127. vital, in order to understand and maintain ecosystem Golet, W. J. et al. (2013) Changes in the distribu- function, and to bolster effective fisheries management. tion of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Maine 1975-2005. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75480 Tom Horton ([email protected]) is a postgraduate Mackenzie, B. R. et al. (2014) A cascade of warm- student at the University of Exeter, UK supervised by ing impacts brings bluefin tuna to Greenland waters. Figure 1. The campaign to collect samples from the mesophotic ecosystem of the Red Sea, conducted by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Dr Matthew Witt, Dr Lucy Hawkes and Dr Barbara Block, Global Change Biology 20: 2484–2491 Marine invertebrates were collected between 90 and 150 m depth.

08 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 09 Science letters Science letters

Innovative methods for cultivation of microbial symbi- industrial applications, from pharmaceuticals and cosmetics onts will be implemented, specifically the agar-supported to depollution and innovative bio-tech equipment. We’re going solid-state cultivation (Ag-SF) coupled with solid-phase to respectfully explore the biodiversity of different locations extraction (SPE) (see below). Ag-SF applied specifically all around the globe and I can’t wait to see the outcomes! ” to marine microorganisms will be scaled up during the Jamal Ouazzani ([email protected]), Yehuda project from laboratory to industrial level taking into Benayahu ([email protected]) and Ioannis account the constraints of marine microorganism cultiva- Trougakos ([email protected]). tion and making use of the Platotex device (Fig 3 left), TASCMAR is a collaborative research project funded Figure 4. Solid-solid extraction, the resin beads intercalate by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme previously developed by the leading project partner, the spontaneously between the agar surface and the mycelium layer for research and innovation (GA. 634674). The project National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France. and directly trap the compounds secreted by the mycelium (right). involves 13 partners from eight countries among which Figure 2. Mesophotic pinnacle at Eilat, covered by diverse Extraction of target compounds from microbial symbionts Comparison between the initial resin beads and a resin bead are five academic institutions, six industrials, one non- gorgonian soft corals (left). Soft coral at the mesophotic reef includes an innovative, environmentally friendly technol- accumulating the target red compound (left). of Eilat (right). governmental organization and a consulting company. ogy called SPE, in which target compounds are directly With a total budget of €6.7 M, TASCMAR is responding science, yet the MCEs of the Red Sea have remained under- transferred from the microorganism to a trapping resin found to be most bioactive for anti-ageing in cell-based to a key challenge set by the European Union ‘Blue studied. Although situated at the northern-most boundary (Fig 4). One of the challenges in the project is to identify assays will then be tested, for example, in vivo in Drosophila Growth’ strategy: the sustainable exploitation of marine of coral-reef distribution, the coral reefs of the northern compounds produced in the invertebrate ecosystem which flies for the preservation of neuromusculatory functionality compounds. Gulf of Aqaba exhibit exceptionally high within-habitat may act as a molecular network to stabilize the holobiont by during ageing, as well as for longevity-increasing effects. Further reading species diversity (Fig 2). The same applies to other regions, inter- and intra-specific exchanges. This will involve metabo- Besides pharmaceutical activities, the TASCMAR www.mesophotic.org such as Gulf of Thailand, Andaman Sea, eastern and western lomic comparison between the whole invertebrate extracts project will also screen extracts and/or pure compounds Argyropoulou A., Aligiannis N., Trougakos I.P., Skalt- sounis A.L. Natural compounds with anti-ageing activ- Mediterranean as well as Indian Ocean islands, whose meso- and the isolated symbionts extracts. The TASCMAR project for cosmeceutical and nutraceutical applications. ity. Natural Product Reports, 2013, 30, 1412–1437. photic invertebrate species diversity remains unexplored. consortium counts two of the best-equipped laboratories Microbial symbionts will also be screened for their Kahng S.E., Garcia-Sais J.R., Spalding H.L., Brokovich E., Wagner MCE invertebrates have the potential to provide in Europe, capable of analysis of complex mixtures and of capacity to degrade chlorinated pollutants, meaning D., Weil E., Hinderstein L., Toonen R.J. Community ecology of mes- novel bio-resources. This, coupled with the scarce elucidating the structure of challenging natural compounds. that they could be exploited for bioremediation. ophotic coral reef ecosystems. Coral Reefs, 2010, 29(2), 255–275. data available on MCE invertebrates and their associ- The extracts, fractions and pure compounds will be subjected Project coordinator Jamal Ouazzani said “For me and Le Goff G., Adelin E., Cortial S., Servy C., Ouazzani J. Applica- tion of solid-phase extraction to agar-supported fermentation. ated microflora—particularly in Red Sea and Thai to a panel of molecular, cellular and in vitro bioassays, all the TASCMAR team, this is a really exciting project due to Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 2013, 36,1285–1290. waters—influenced our decision to make MCE dedicated to the discovery of anti-ageing active compounds. its global nature. Global because we’re considering marine Meknaci R., Lopes P., Servy C., Le Caer J-P, Andrieu J-P, Hacène invertebrates the focus of the TASCMAR project. Ageing—a universal challenge, an urgent priority invertebrates as a whole ecosystem—both the invertebrate and H. and Ouazzani J. Agar-supported cultivation of Halorubrum sp. SSR, and production of halocin C8 on the scale-up prototype From organisms to molecules, the need for Organismal ageing is a complex molecular process that the symbionts. Also global because we’re focussing on diverse Platotex. Extremophiles, 2014, 18(6), 1049–1055. chemical expertise relates to the decline of functional capacity and stress resist- After the collection phase, we have a unique opportunity ance leading to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. to investigate not only MCE invertebrates as holobionts Given recent findings in model organisms it is evident that (assemblages of different species that form ecological units) healthy lifespan can be prolonged, suggesting that animals but also the associated symbionts. A particular focus will be have the potential to live longer than they normally do. on microorganisms, especially actinomycetes and fungi. The need to increase the number of healthy life years is Invertebrates from various locations around the world becoming increasingly urgent from both an economic and (Red Sea, Mediterranean, Gulf of Thailand, Andaman Sea, health perspective and since genetic interventions cannot Île de la Réunion and the islands around) will be chemically be applied in humans, many studies have been devoted extracted by automated ASE technology (accelerated solvent to the identification of promising natural products. This extraction) in order to obtain homogenous samples, using is because the chemodiversity in nature is immense, a unique scale-up device called the Zippertex (Fig 3 right). meaning that there is great potential in natural sources for finding novel structures capable of modulating the signalling pathways involved in the regulation of ageing. Across these lines of research, TASCMAR partners will screen ~3000 extracts that will be derived from marine organisms for their bioactivity against proteins known to be involved in the regulation and progression of ageing (see Fig 5). Particular focus will be given to skin extracts and/ or pure compounds that promote skin whitening, inhibit wrinkle formation and can protect skin from UV-mediated photoageing. Additional targets will be the activation of cel- lular intrinsic antioxidant and/or damage-clearing molecular Figure 3. The Zippertex (right) is the only available prototype for machineries together with tests that will reveal whether the scale-up high-pressure/high temperature static extraction. The Platotex (left) is the unique technology for scale-up agar-supported isolated compounds can protect human skin fibroblasts cultivation (Ag-SF). from premature stress-related senescence. The compounds Figure 5. Anti-ageing compounds discovery pipeline of the TASCMAR project.

10 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 11 Two views on a revolution in aquaculture Science letters to fish. How does mariculture stack up against wild fisheries? As a means The case for ocean farming to feed the planet and to reduce environmental impact, mariculture, in We must plant the sea and herd its animals ... That is what particular offshore mariculture, has the civilization is all about—farming replacing hunting. potential to outperform wild-caught Jacques Yves Cousteau fisheries. Globally, capture fisheries have Image: Marco Carè/Marine photobank stalled or declined, and there is a limit to the number of fish we can harvest By Benjamin S. Halpern and Halley E. Froehlich. mariculture versus all protein-based food systems, maricul- (sustainably or otherwise) from the wild ture versus conservation, and mariculture versus wild-caught (Fig 2). Furthermore, overfishing, illegal he human population is expected to grow to almost 10 fisheries. fishing, bycatch, habitat destruction, billion people in the next 50 years. How are Beyond global vegetarianism, the strongest case for and human-induced climate change Twe going to feed all of those people, and do so mariculture comes when comparing it to all other protein have contributed to the deplorable state Figure 3. Left panel shows a fish auction in Miyako, Iwate prefecture, Japan and the right sustainably? Aquaculture is not only necessary as part of food systems (e.g., beef, pork, chicken), even freshwater of many fisheries. While improved man- panel a fish market display in San Sebastian, Spain exhibiting the diversity of consumed marine species. Image: Michael Rust. the solution; it is likely the best way to meet this demand. aquaculture. In fact, this is the fairest comparison to make as agement can move towards sustainability Already, food from fish has overtaken beef, and aquacul- it puts everything on the same table for judgment. Efficien- (for example, in many US fisheries), the cows. Then why, particularly in the developed nations, are ture (from the sea and land) has surpassed capture fisheries cies of converting feed to protein, per-kilogram of environ- majority of the world’s fisheries do not have the resources, we still fishing out the oceans when we could be sustainably for the first time in history. In fact, the Food and Agriculture mental impact, and health benefits are unmatched (Fig 2). interest, and/or incentive to reform. In contrast, offshore practising and perfecting ocean farming? Mariculture could This means a very high amount of protein can be produced mariculture has essentially no limits to how much seafood provide better feasibility of monitoring and managing for with very little area, and thus reduced environmental can be produced, and most of the environmental risks are the lowest possible impact on the environment and more impact. Even better, bivalve production is the only protein- more easily mitigated —particularly pollution and disease. control over the quality of conditions the fish are raised in. based food system that is not only carbon-neutral but in fact Aquaculture has not yet eased the pressures on wild fish Aquaculture is growing with or without the scientific a carbon sink. And with 200+ farmed marine species (Fig 3), populations, but the majority of seafood did not come from community and public input, and its importance and appli- we can diversify production and avoid the pitfalls of aquaculture until now. A paradigm shift is occurring as more cation in fisheries science has been largely overlooked—until monoculture that plague the agricultural industry. people and governments start to see the potential of ocean now. Aquaculture does not have to be ubiquitous, nor does Mariculture can also be harnessed as a conservation farming as a sustainable food source and viable livelihood it need to replace all wild-caught fisheries. However, it must tool—in fact it already is! Hatcheries are part of the aquatic option. Our colleges, McCauley et al., point to the ecologi- be a major global priority for marine science, conservation, farming domain, and without hatcheries salmon species cal cost of wild-based feeds, however this use is declining food provision and management in an ever-changing world. would be a thing of the past in most regions of the world. and alternative feed sources like Omega-3 algae—which Benjamin S. Halpern ([email protected])1,2,3 and Humans try to protect important terrestrial animals like the launched commercially this year—insects, bacteria, and yeast Halley E. Froehlich ([email protected])1 panda through captive breeding, and the same logic can be, can replace wild-caught meal and oil. Some mariculture 1. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and is being applied in the aquatic realm through aquacul- does not even need to be fed; bivalves provide food and University of California, 735 State St., Suite 300, Santa ture. In many cases, restoration is a form of mariculture. ecosystem services by filtering and cleaning the water for Barbara, CA 93101, USA Figure 1. Amberjack (or Seriola) farm offshore of Kona, Hawaii, Ultimately, most people simply want to compare fish us. Entire mini-ecosystems can even be created where fish, 2. Bren School of Environmental Science and USA. The cone-shaped net is the top of one of four submersible seaweed, and bivalves grow, thrive, and are farmed together. Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, cages that has been raised for service. When all four cages are Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA down only small floats are visible. Image: Michael Rust. Fishing is the last of our commercial hunting practices. 3. Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Imagine trying to feed the world on feral pigs and wild Buckhurst Rd., Ascot SL5 7PY, UK Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates aquaculture will increase production by 39% over the next decade—producing a whopping 102 million tonnes—while capture fisheries’ outputs are projected to remain relatively Ploughing under the ocean? unchanged. A large proportion (~40%) of the aquaculture growth will likely occur as ‘ocean farming’ or ‘mariculture.’ In Wildness is the preservation of the world. Henry David Thoreau Most of it can occur completely out of sight, either with submersible technology (Fig 1) and/or offshore, hidden By Douglas McCauley, Erin Dillon, Francis Joyce Flying over parts of the Midwest of the United States beneath the horizon. and Ashley Stroud. reveals a scene of circles and squares that resemble a These statistics are telling, yet critiques of aquaculture Mondrian painting (Fig. 1A). It is easy to forget that this have been many and loud: mangrove habitat destruction, 014 was the first year ever in which our planet ate carefully sculpted geometric world of corn, wheat, and pollution, disease, genetic escapes, and depletion of wild fish more fish raised on farms than fish caught in the sorghum, only 150 years ago, was the Great Plains eco- Figure 2. Left panel depicts feed conversion ratios (FCR) for the for feed—many people equate farmed fish with the worst of wild. This is a turning point of great significance. system: a hyperdiverse grassland traversed annually by 60 primary sources of animal protein. FCR represent the amount of 2 human endeavours. So, is the growth in mariculture going animal feed needed (lb) for one pound of body mass. Right panel This shift promises to be as transformative as when we million migrating bison. Large communities of indigenous to be a good thing or a bad thing for the planet and for shows the current status of fish stocks as estimated by FAO (2016). switched on land from hunting and gathering food from people and native predators fed off this wild bounty before humanity? There are three ways to frame this question: Image: H.E. Froehlich. the wild to farming domesticated plants and animals. exponential human growth in the Americas necessitated

12 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 13 Science letters Science letters the appropriation of this ecosystem for agriculture. Plains still thrives below these high tide lines, feeding Measuring 5,000 beasties a Mariculture (ocean aquaculture) has grown 1570% in the hunger and imagination of coastal populations. minute: Rapid zooplankton the last 4 decades and growth is projected to continue. Human populations are expected to grow by up to 50% characterization at SAHFOS As scenes of mariculture reminiscent of flyover views by the end of the century. Our colleagues Halpern and of the domesticated Great Plains begin to appear in Froehlich very accurately point out that this growth, coupled By Robert Camp, George the oceans (Fig 1B), it is worth reflecting on what this with increasing wealth and subsequent spikes in demand for Graham, Iain Vincent, Harry explosive growth will mean for the ocean’s future. protein, will stress our global food production system. We Nelson and Heather Anne Wright. Early reviews of ocean question, however, whether farming highlighted some of these growth projections give ooplankton are a critical link the collateral damage caused us carte blanche to aggres- between microscopic algae and by dirty aquaculture. Perhaps sively advance an agenda Zlarger organisms such as fish and unsurprisingly, problems aris- for ocean farming. This is certain whale species in the marine food ing from poorly managed fish particularly so when many web. Not only are they a major source pens parallel those of ungulate already modified terrestrial of food for many organisms, but the feedlots: excessive pollution systems are operating majority of aquatic animals will spend from effluent, genetic pollu- below their productive part of their life history as zooplankton. tion and ecological damage Figure 1. Left: Intensive agriculture (US Midwest), and right: capacities, and changes in Zooplankton also play a fundamental from aquaculture escapees, dis- Intensive mariculture. food consumption patterns role packaging organic material in the ease, and habitat destruction. (e.g. eating lower in food biological pump, and are an important Innovation in aquaculture has helped mute some of these chains) offer pathways to help reduce food shortfalls. disease reservoir. The impacts of problems. New mariculture tech, for example, has allowed The oceans today operate as one gigantic free-range organic climate change and biodiversity loss fish farms to move farther offshore where higher rates of farm. One that we don’t need to water, fertilize, till, weed, or fuel reductions in ecosystem health and A copepod—one of the tiny animals that make up the zooplankton—captured by Fluid water flow help dilute pollution and moderate disease. It medicate. It takes care of itself and we harvest from it. functioning, and as zooplankton are Imaging Inc. FlowCam Macro. will be hard, however, to resolve some of the core trade- Yields from a wild ocean will never be as high as farmed highly responsive to changes in their for rapidly providing estimates of individual particles within a flowing offs between a farmed and wild future for the oceans. An ocean—because ocean ecosystems did not exist to gener- environment (temperature, nutrient zooplankton abundance and biomass stream of water, returning detailed intelligently administered cattle ranch in the Amazon still ate ape food. Nevertheless, we generate millions of tons of levels, light intensity, pollution, from Continuous Plankton Recorder measurements of size and shape at a fundamentally displaces forest just as a well-run shrimp farm highly nutritious wild seafood annually from the oceans. A non-nutritious food, predation) (CPR) samples for UK coastal and rate of approximately 5000 particles per in Myanmar still displaces mangroves—a critical nursery century of experiments and mistakes in the management species diversity, biomass and offshore waters. To do so, SAHFOS minute. The SAHFOS team are cur- habitat for wild fish. Other zero-sum trade-offs abound. For of wild fisheries have helped us identify strategies that can abundance can be used as indicators have recently acquired a laboratory- rently developing protocols for rapid, instance, some of the most popular and profitable species vastly increase these yields, if properly implemented. of the health of an ecosystem. based particle imaging and characteri- semi-automated analysis of zooplankton being farmed in the oceans today are essentially underwater In an increasingly crowded and hungry world it is legiti- As part of the European Union zation system—a FlowCam® Macro on CPR samples using the FlowCam lions and tigers: salmon, jacks, cobia, and tuna. Farm mate to carefully explore new pathways to feeding ourselves project AtlantOS, the Sir Alister developed by Fluid Imaging Technolo- Macro. Expert taxonomic analysts raising predators is ecologically costly and requires large from the ocean. However, overzealously and thought- Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science gies—through the UK agent Planet at SAHFOS are helping to develop inputs of forage fish that might otherwise feed wild fish. lessly marching forward this revolution in mariculture is (SAHFOS) are developing methods Ocean. The system collects images of species-specific image libraries in The privilege of harvesting wild foods from healthy likely to present major challenges to the future wildness FlowCam Macro in operation in the laboratory. Image: Fluid Imaging Inc. order to train the FlowCam’s imaging ecosystems is one that we have largely forgotten on land of our oceans: the last of our planet’s great ecosystems in analysis software to classify zooplankton and that we all too often take for granted in the oceans. which we get to have our biodiversity and eat it too. with minimal user intervention. Consider the case of Los Angeles (LA). Hunting and Douglas McCauley ([email protected]), Erin Dillon Zooplankton are sensitive indicators gathering in inner city LA is obviously not an option. ([email protected]), Francis Joyce (francis. of environmental change and ecosystem But the long established poor, indigenous, and diasporic [email protected]) and Ashley Stroud. health, making rapidly reported meas- communities of the city actively go to public piers, Marine Science Institute and the Department of Ecology, urements of zooplankton abundance beaches, and breakwalls to catch wild, free food from the Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, and biomass crucial evidence inputs ocean. Much of the wildness now extinct on the Great Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA to the development of relevant marine Further reading for two views on a revolution in aquaculture planning policies and decision-making. Robert Camp (robmpa@sahfos. Costello, C., D. Ovando, T. Clavelle, C. K. Strauss, R. Hilborn, M. C. Beveridge, J. Clay, C. Folke, J. Lubchenco, H. Mooney, and M. Troell. 1 Melnychuk, T. A. Branch, S. D. Gaines, C. S. Szuwalski, R. B. Cabral, 2000. Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature 405: ac.uk) , George Graham (geogra@ D. N. Rader, and A. Leland. 2016. Global fishery prospects under 1017–1024. sahfos.ac.uk)1, Iain Vincent (Iain@ 2 contrasting management regimes. Proceedings of the National Sarker, P.K., A.R. Kapuscinski, A.J. Lanois, E.D. Livesey, K.P. planet-ocean.co.uk) , Harry Nelson Academy of Sciences 113: 5125–5129. Bernhard, and M.L. Coley (2016) Towards sustainable aquafeeds: ([email protected])3 and FAO. 2016. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016. Complete substitution of fish oil with marine microalga Schizochytrium Heather Anne Wright (heather.wright@ Contributing to food security and nutrition for all. Rome. 200 pp. sp. improves growth and fatty acid deposition in juvenile Nile tilapia fluidimaging.com)3 Henry, M., L. Gasco, G. Piccolo, and E. Fountoulaki (2015) Review on (Oreochromis niloticus). PLoS ONE 11, 6 e0156684. doi:10.1371/ the use of insects in the diet of farmed fish: Past and future. Animal journal.pone.0156684. 1. SAHFOS Feed Science and Technology 203, 1–22. doi:10.1016/j. Tilman, D. and M. Clark (2014) Global diets links environmental 2. Planet Ocean anifeedsci.2015.03.001. sustainability and human health. Nature 515, 518–22. doi:10.1038/ Naylor, R. L., R. J. Goldburg, J. H. Primavera, N. Kautsky, M. C. M. nature13959. 3. Fluid Imaging Technologies, Inc.

14 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 15 Science letters Science letters

doesn’t end there. Recent studies have also shown that Plastics, plankton and pollution microplastics in copepod faecal pellets result in the pellets having less structural integrity. Additionally, if the egested microplastics were low density (e.g. polystyrene) then Plastics are woven into the fabric of our lives but aware that microscopic plastic litter—termed ‘microplas- the faecal pellets sank more slowly. We suggest this will many of their virtues become vices in the marine tics’—may pose an even more serious threat to marine increase the chances of them being eaten by other marine environment. Pennie Lindeque looks at the growing life. Microplastics describe particulates and fibres <5 mm animals, resulting in the movement of the plastics through problem of small plastic. in diameter, of various shape, size, colour and composi- the food chain. The problem is two-fold: first, moving tion. They are either manufactured to be of a microscopic the plastics through the food chain further disperses their size (e.g. microbeads used in shower gels, toothpastes and potential to have negative effects; and second, this may industrial abrasives); or are derived from the degradation reduce the organic matter reaching the seabed and increase of larger items through exposure to ultraviolet radia- the amount of particulate matter in the water column, tion from the sun, abrasion or by the action of washing with possible repercussions for wider marine ecological synthetic clothing (particularly nylon or polyester) which processes, and even the ocean’s climate control capacity. can release thousands of plastic fibres into wastewater. Beyond the laboratory in the marine environment itself, Figure 2. Polystyrene microplastics ingested during laboratory Small plastic, big risk? experiments and visible in the intestinal tract of the marine it is currently unclear to what extent zooplankton will be Owing to their small size and abundance, microplas- copepod, Calanus helgolandicus. Scale bar is 100 μm. Image: Dr affected by microplastic pollution. To address this knowledge tics are readily consumed by marine organisms, indeed, Matthew Cole. gap we have been undertaking an annual sampling pro- this kind of debris has been identified in the stomachs gramme based around the Western Channel Observatory in of over 200 different species, including seabirds, turtles, bivalves (mussels, oysters etc.) and juvenile decapods (crabs, the English Channel to determine the extent of microplastic fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Studies have shown that lobsters, etc.), all have the capacity to ingest microplastics. ingestion by zooplankton, including fish larvae, in the microplastics can be directly ingested, or transferred Tiny plastics can also get trapped on the appendages of these natural environment (Fig 3). Results from the laboratory to other organisms through the consumption of prey, animals, potentially affecting their movement Studies have and field-based studies are being used in Figure 1. Small plastic litter visible amongst the strand line on an animal carcasses or faeces. Studies have demonstrated and ability to detect predators and prey. demonstrated that conjunction with mathematical models to otherwise pristine beach, Cockleridge, Devon, UK. that plastic debris can act like a magnet to other pollut- To better understand the consequence of determine the impact of microplastics on Image: Pennie Lindeque. plastic debris can act ants, including pesticides and industrial contaminants, microplastic ingestion in zooplankton we like a magnet to other zooplankton and marine ecosystems; includ- rom drinks bottles and food wrappers to clothing and present in the water: if eaten, there is concern such plastics conducted in-depth experiments on copepods, pollutants ing the potential to affect the food chain. car parts plastics are durable, inexpensive and an might release these toxic compounds to the animal. a dominant group of zooplankton. Com- With rates of manufacture rapidly increas- Finescapable part of modern life. However, plastic debris Our investigations into the risks microplastics pose to pared with microplastic-free controls, copepods exposed ing and long degradation times, marine plastic litter is is also a widespread pollutant of the marine marine life have centred on zooplankton, to polystyrene microplastics ingested fewer algae and also expected to be a growing issue over the next century. We environment: step on to any beach around small marine animals ubiquitous throughout showed a shift in preference to smaller algae prey, result- don’t yet know the full extent of the impact of microplastics it is estimated that up to the world and you will almost certainly our seas, which provide an essential link ing in a 40% reduction in energy consumed. Over time, on the health of the marine environment or humans, but 10% of manufactured find plastic litter. Not only is this plastic an plastic ends up in the between primary producers (small marine microplastic-exposed copepods showed reduced reproductive the growing body of evidence suggests microplastic pollu- eyesore, but it also poses a distinct threat to marine environment plants such as algae) and higher trophic levels outputs and survival. Similar adverse health effects have been tion is a cause for environmental and economic concern. marine life and in turn human wellbeing. such as commercially important fish species observed in fish, polychaete worms, mussels and oysters. Dr Pennie Lindeque ([email protected]), Plymouth Marine However, research is now suggesting that and whales. Research conducted at Plym- The problem of microplastic ingestion by zooplankton Laboratory www.pml.ac.uk @PlymouthMarine it is microscopic sized plastic, the plastic we don’t readily outh Marine Laboratory with the University of Exeter has Further reading spot, that we should be really concerned about (Fig 1). demonstrated that a range of zooplankton, common in the Cole M, Lindeque P, Fileman E, Halsband C, Goodhead R, Moger J, Plastic in our society and in our seas northeast Atlantic, including copepods (Fig 2), the larvae of Galloway TS (2013) Microplastic ingestion by zooplankton. Environmen- Large-scale production of plastics began in the 1950s, tal Science and Technology 47: 6646–6655 doi 10.1021/es400663f and has grown exponentially since then, with over 300 Humans and marine litter: The culprit, Cole M, Lindeque P, Fileman E, Halsband C, Galloway TS (2015) million metric tons currently manufactured globally the impacted and the solution The impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Environmental each year. Although plastic can undoubtedly be of vast Responsibility for microplastics and marine litter more generally Science and Technology 49: 1130–1137 doi 10.1021/es504525u benefit to society, , it is increasingly used to manufacture lies with humans. The problem is a consequence of our consumer Cole M, Lindeque PK, Fileman E, Clark J, Lewis C, Halsband single-use, throwaway products, such as food packag- demand, product use, political will, and the way we dispose of C, Galloway TS (2016) Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sink- ing and drinks bottles. Unfortunately, society has been waste. ing Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets. Environmental Science and Technology 50: 3239–3246 doi 10.1021/acs.est.5b05905 slow to comprehend the pervasiveness and durability of Marine litter is also harmful to people; research has found that plastic litter and waste management strategies have been littered coastlines are disliked and are detrimental to people’s Clark J, Cole M, Lindeque PK, Fileman E, Blackford J, Lewis C, well-being. On the other hand, humans also hold the solutions and Lenton T, Galloway TS (2016) Marine microplastic debris: a targeted equally slow to emerge. Through beach littering, road individuals can take action in a number of ways to help combat plan for understanding and quatifying interactions with marine life. runoff, sewage and illegal dumping, it is estimated that marine litter. For example, taking part in a beach clean not only Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 14: 1–8 doi 10.1002/fee.1297 up to 10% of manufactured plastic ends up in the marine benefits the environment directly, but has benefits to the individual Figure 3. Whiting Merlangius merlangus (12 mm) post-larval stage Wyles, K. J, Pahl, S., Thomas, K., & Thompson, R. C. (2015). environment where it may take centuries to degrade. (e.g. educational and well-being value) and to the environment caught at Station L5, Western English Channel Factors that can undermine the psychological benefits of coastal environments: Exploring the effect of tidal state, pres- The effect that larger plastic debris has on wildlife is well indirectly by promoting other pro-environmental behaviours. (www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk) with a blue fibre (circled, 310 µm x 30 µm) dissected from the intestinal tract. Image: ence, and type of litter. Environment & Behavior. Online. Kayleigh Wyles documented. However, in recent years we are becoming Madeleine Steer.

16 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 17 Environment & conservation Environment & conservation

Brexit and the UK marine environment Brexit and the UK fishing industry

The need to understand pressures and impacts on the marine environment will continue regardless After 43 years of European Union membership, the UK fishing industry welcomed the Brexit vote. The Marine Biologist of the political context, says Matt Frost. interviewed Jim Portus, Chief Executive Secretary of the South Western Fish Producers Organisation (SWFPO) for his view of the future of the UK’s fishing industry and marine environment. nd so it happened. Despite the confidence of many in of national legislation in the UK for marine conservation government including the (Ex) Prime Minister of and planning. The aim to have healthy seas is enshrined in What are the main threats and opportunities for in the UK EEZ are available for UK fishers (meaning Athe UK David Cameron for a ‘remain’ vote, the national policy—not just ‘handed down from Brussels’ and the industry? less for other EU nations) and for there to be negotiated British public voted on June 23rd 2016 for the UK to even in the event of the UK leaving the single market there There are risks in the Brexit negotiations of the industry access for foreign vessels. The NFFO has a more measured leave the European Union (EU). Powerful environmental is no absolute requirement to repeal European directives that being worse off. We have to make sure that benefits go approach, with the view that the industry post-Brexit is non-governmental organizations spoke out in favour of have been transposed into UK law. The government should to UK fishing, not to other industries. We mustn’t relive likely to continue on the same trajectory as at present. remaining in the EU1 as they felt that EU membership be conscious after all that the current regulations are a result the ’70s when the industry was a political pawn to be For SWFPO the retention of the status quo as NFFO was largely beneficial for the UK environment, of billions of pounds of bargained away. British fishing was sold down the river. So envisages would betray the millions who voted for Brexit. including its seas and beaches. Memories of untreated investment in science, long as industry is consulted and the Minister responsible Is the government sewage pumped into seas before EU directives came monitoring, mitigation for fisheries takes notice there are golden opportunities. looking to into force are still vivid for sea-users in the 1970s2. and other measures Specific changes the industry wants to see include industry for input? Key questions now are what are the implications of the aimed at ensuring the improved access to quota species, exclusive access to the Finding UK exiting the EU and can there be an outcome based sustainable use of the 12-miles zone, and for the UK to get a seat at the North common ground on the long-term sustainable use of UK seas? The focus of marine environment East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (which decides between what the much discussion post-referendum has been on trying to for generations to allocation of North Sea mackerel amongst other things). industry wants and work out exactly what environmental regulation would come. How will it What parts of the CFP will you be most pleased to see what other member stay in place depending on the eventual exit scenario. balance this against the back of? states will accept is For example, if the UK chooses to stay in the European pressure for short-term The industry is not anti EU but the CFP has damaged going to be a long, Economic Area it will have to retain a number of envi- economic gain? UK fishing communities. Brexit needs to end the allocation drawn-out process. ronmental regulations although major directives such as It could also be system of relative stability. It seems reasonable to fish The UK wants the Habitats Directive are not included. There is then the pointed out that the within MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield) limits, but to continue issue of how to deal with legislation that has built up over positive influence the UK must have preference to harvest stocks found trading fish in the Image: Keith Hiscock many years and is highly interconnected with national of EU regulation primarily in UK waters. The UK should also dictate EU and beyond. Meeting European standards for water legislation delivering EU and international policy aims can allow some the pace to MSY and ensure the Landing Obligation, The industry would urge politicians not to 3 quality can help beaches obtain the (a point made in the now infamous ‘horrendogram’) . significant weaknesses coveted ‘blue flag’ award. Image: Rob if it is retained, cannot cause more harm than good. trade away geographical access to fisheries in In the long-term however it is important to note that there to be overlooked. The Bishop. Are there any aspects of the CFP future UK exchange for access to markets, unless there are are many things Common Fisheries legislation should keep or learn from? equal, reciprocal access arrangements. that won’t change Policy for example is one area that even the most ardent The value of crabs and scallops has gone up and the static What effect do you think Brexit will at all—the range Europhiles have struggled to always paint in a positive and mobile parts of the fleet have grown to appreciate the have on the relationship between the UK of pressures the light and there is no reason a better system that puts benefits of limits on days at sea, making money efficiently fishing industry and marine science? marine environ- science at the heart of long-term sustainability of com- when price and quality of fish is right. Effort limitation Historically the fishing industry has had good relations ment in the UK mercial fishing can’t be developed. Also, there has been may be a better control mechanism than fish quotas. with the academic sector, but I have seen that get smaller as and elsewhere some concern over whether the EU was going to water Another aspect of the CFP to keep or copy is the research institutes and statutory agencies have suffered cuts is subject to down its environmental commitments as part of its bid Common Market Organisation. Currently the UK in money and human resources. In particular I would like continues to grow to revive a flagging EU economy although this relies on a producers organizations, to see the relationships with We mustn’t relive the ’70s when the industry was and the need to false dichotomy of environment vs economic gain whereas like SWFPO have a legal Cefas and Marine Scotland a political pawn to be bargained away. British understand the in fact the former is vital for the latter in the long term. identity in the EU, but not be pumped up again. fishing was sold down the river. impacts of climate Ultimately, the fate of the marine environment, as for the in the UK. Industry would We really do need change for example environment as a whole, will be related to what the public like to see transfer of legal identity into UK legislation. to support our research institutions, they need to will continue (and therefore the politicians) finds acceptable. Will people How is the industry progressing on developing flourish and we need to influence politicians in Sunstar (Crossaster papposus) and black regardless of the really want to go back to a time when the UK gained its its vision for fishing post Brexit? where they put the money that went to Brussels. brittle star (Ophiocomina nigra) at the Horn, St Abbs, within Berwickshire and North political context. infamous moniker ‘the dirty man of Europe’? The sea-using There are differences of opinion between Scotland Let us not forget that each fishing vessel is a Northumberland Special Area of Conservation, These pressures public are now used to cleaner seas and beaches and it is and England (and the same goes for Wales and Northern potential research platform, and fishers are willing a European Marine Site designated under the have driven the this fact that may provide some grounds for optimism and Ireland) as fisheries have been a devolved competence for to play their part as amateur fisheries scientists. EU Habitats Directive. Image Keith Hiscock. development why we in the marine community have a duty to help make several years. Recently, a House of Commons Committee Overall, do you think Brexit will be good or 1 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/02/rspb-wwf-urge- clear arguments for the marine environment and continue heard from the National Federation of Fishermen’s bad for the UK marine environment ? vote-remain-eu-referendum-protect-uk-wildlife. to provide high-quality science to decision-makers. Organisations and from the Scottish Fisheries Federation, Overall, I am optimistic for the catching sector, and the 2 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-37198688 3 Marine legislation – The ultimate ‘horrendogram’: International law, Matt Frost ([email protected]) is Deputy Director about their aspirations for the industry. In the view of maintenance and improvement of the marine environment. European directives & national implementation. Boyes, S.J. & Elliott, M. at the MBA. the Scottish industry, the UK should ensure that all fish Jim Portus ([email protected]) Marine Pollution Bulletin, 86 (2014) 39–47

18 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 19 Section name Environment & conservation

impact, that depends on the severity have done later anyway to reach better Mud, birds and of the disturbance. One occasional feeding areas downshore as these become dog-walk may momentarily affect the exposed on the receding tide. Once birds behaviour of nearby birds but would be have been disturbed from an area by the poppycock too trivial to have a significant impact first few people to arrive, there are few, on their survival and body condition. if any, left to be disturbed subsequently, By John Goss-Custard But if dogs occurred continuously however many more people arrive. A false in all areas, night and day, it almost impression is often given that shorebirds certainly would. Whether there is an and people are not as segregated in time impact depends on the amount of and space as actually they often are. disturbance—its frequency, intensity and How has such questionable research duration. And if there is no impact, the come to be accepted as sufficient for so-called and much-debated notion of devising policies to ‘manage’ recreation the ‘integrity’ of the site—invoked to disturbance in coastal areas? I believe protect the site’s features of interest (e.g. that there are three reasons: (i) the shorebirds)—will not be affected either. culture of many conservationists and The main challenge for the objective their supporting ecologists; (ii) the shorebird ecologist is to identify the ecological and scientific naivety of threshold at which increasing distur- A curlew feeding on a ragworm. some decision-makers, and (iii) the bance (or other environmental change) over-enthusiastic application of the begins to have an impact rather than Directives’ precautionary principle. merely an insignificant effect. This approach is by no means i. Culture always adopted. Often, only eye-catching behavioural effects Perhaps exacerbated by the assertions of powerful, are measured, like the distance at which birds take flight single-issue pressure groups, the constant repetition of the as people approach and how far they then fly. Frequently mantra that shorebirds are ‘sensitive’ and live in ‘fragile’ disturbed patches of mud are shown to have fewer birds than habitats has fostered the belief that anything people do Black-tailed godwit. undisturbed ones without any attempt being made to assess simply must harm the birds. The evidence shows that this whether this re-distribution has a significant impact on the is by no means always the case: indeed, human activities on birds. Maps show that one kite-surfer may range over a large estuaries can sometimes benefit shorebirds and can even be area, the untested implication being that much foraging managed to do so, as the farming of intertidal mussel beds Are all human activities on the coast damaging to nature? Shorebird scientist, John Goss-Custard says that space is thereby denied the birds for significant amounts of in the Menai Strait has demonstrated. Yet many shorebird conservation dogma and inappropriate application of European Union rules have sidelined good science and time. Observations show that flocks of shorebirds may make ecologists seem to feel that their research should support distorted the system for assessing impacts and risks. a major disturbance flight the preconceived concerns of about once every daylight Environmental Impact Assessments seem more shorebird conservationists. horebird conservationists insist correctly that our result, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) seem hour without testing often designed to collect enough information to Conservation is the good cause coastal flats are vital to the survival of hundreds of more often designed to collect enough information to whether this causes the support a preconceived concern than rigorously to that provides a shared raison Sthousands of shorebirds, and the UK is committed support a preconceived concern than rigorously to test average bird to lose signifi- test the hypothesis that disturbance actually d’ être for many shorebird to their protection by EU Directives and national the hypothesis that disturbance actually harms shorebirds, cant amounts of time and harms shorebirds ecologists and conservationists. legislation. Unfortunately, the regulations are sometimes which is what good ecological science should do. energy. The inference from An anecdote illustrates applied in a way that suggests that many shorebird This is the biology of the issue. Shorebirds must survive all these observations is that the natural activities of the birds the expectation some conservationists have of their scien- conservationists have come to believe that any human until spring with sufficient body reserves to migrate to their are so badly affected by disturbance that there simply must tific colleagues. I advised that the removal of Cardiff Bay activity on the coast is bound to be detrimental. Although breeding grounds. Birds that fail to do so may not even be an impact on the birds’ survival and body condition. mudflats under a fresh-water lake created by a barrage anthropogenic activities can indeed degrade shorebird survive the journey let alone breed successfully. Disturbance This approach can give a distorted impression of the across the mouth of the River Taff would put at risk the feeding grounds, this does not mean that all human during the winter could reduce survival and body condition disturbance experienced by shorebirds. It focuses attention shorebirds that fed there, even though they could feed on activities necessarily do so, every time and everywhere. as follows: flying uses energy, so being disturbed into flight on the occasions where people and birds occur together while the adjacent Severn estuary. I was asked whether anything Most shorebirds occur in the UK from August to April increases birds’ daily energy demand; as shorebirds cannot overlooking the sometimes many other circumstances where could be done to mitigate this impact. My solution was to when on migration or over-wintering. When exposed feed while flying, disturbance reduces the time available for they do not. Most shorebirds feed for most of the time in puncture a nearby seawall alongside the main Severn estuary by the receding tide, intertidal flats provide food: most feeding, and disturbance concentrates birds in disturbance- places and at times where the risk of being disturbed is low. to convert the adjacent field into a mudflat. This ‘lagoon’ wildfowl eat invertebrates but some are herbivorous. free areas—often of poorer quality than the ones vacated Most feed in the muddy areas that most people avoid. Over would have remained accessible to the birds for some Perhaps the best environmental management issue with —where the increased density may intensify competition. high tide when most water sports are carried out, most shore- 30–40 minutes after the estuary itself had been covered which to illustrate the culture that underpins the approach Disturbance therefore increases the birds’ energy require- birds are feeding or roosting elsewhere because the tide covers at high water on spring tides because its narrow entrance of many shorebird conservationists is disturbance due to ments while making it harder for birds to meet them. their feeding grounds. Few people visit intertidal flats at night would have delayed the incoming tide. This would have dog-walking, kite-surfing, etc. These activities are often Acknowledging that disturbance affects the birds does when most shorebirds also feed—some preferentially. Dis- extended the birds’ intertidal feeding time, probably to viewed as self-evidently damaging to shorebirds. As a not mean, however, that it necessarily has a significant turbance often makes a bird bring forward a flight it would their great benefit. After a public consultation meeting, I

20 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 21 Environment & conservation Environment & conservation was berated long, hard and very publically by three enraged This is the fundamental contradiction: the Directives mitigation funded by an enforced levy and restrictions on conservationists; apparently I should never have proposed require that science be used to evaluate an impact but don’t their activities are justified by the evidence: ‘Why are birds anything that might have undermined their case against the encourage the use of a fundamental concept of scientific more important than people’ I often hear said. Such mount- barrage. Such arrogance! As a scientist, I had no right to judgement—probability. A very strong scientific case that ing anger threatens long-term support for a good cause. attempt to distort public decision-making by selective use of there is minimal risk of significant damage to the birds John Goss-Custard ([email protected]) knowledge that had been largely acquired at public expense. can be ignored simply because someone says: ‘We hear John Goss-Custard BSc PhD DSc was a professional ii. Decision-makers what you say but we have to be precautionary. Sorry!’ shorebird scientist for 40 years, for most of that time The second reason that this doctrine has taken hold is the The precautionary principle is all well and good when being employed by the Natural Environment Research naivety of some of those making decisions there is uncertainty about impacts, when Council, latterly as senior Individual Merit scientist. Over on matters that demand a good grasp of the the precautionary the risk, though low, is not negligible and thirty years, he and his colleagues developed and tested individual-based models of shorebird populations that science. It is not difficult to raise doubts that principle loads the dice the potential cost to conservation is high. the ‘science’ is uncertain when some of them But to apply the principle without a careful predict the impact of a whole range of human activities in favour of those who —ranging from shellfishing through barrage construction seem to know rather little about the scientific balancing of the magnitude of the risk against view human activities to recreational disturbance—on the birds’ survival and Oystercatcher. method in general and shorebird ecology on estuaries as the magnitude of the consequences is an body condition over the non-breeding season. He has and population dynamics in particular. See, inevitably damaging to abuse of the principle—and it is not what described this approach in a non-technical account ‘Birds for instance, some cases histories in Jones, shorebirds it is meant to achieve. Its use is supposed to and people: resolving the conflict on estuaries’ which can G. (ed.) 2012. The Habitats Directive: a be ‘proportionate’ whereas, in practice, its believable scenarios rather than an objective appraisal of be downloaded to an iPad, Kindle etc. at: http://www. Developer’s Obstacle Course? Hart Publishing. use can seem absolutist instead. To demand, the evidence. This is made possible by the exaggerated amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JMCBBQO/ After his retirement, iii. Precautionary principle in effect, zero risk simply demands impossible science. implementation of the precautionary principle. The process he became Visiting Professor in the School of Applied Sciences at Bournemouth University, where the models The last and, I suspect, over-riding reason lies with the In fact, it sometimes feels as if just enough research is seems often to be more of an exercise in absolutism than are continuing to be developed and applied to a much EU Directives themselves, and in particular, the precau- done to raise sufficient doubt to enable the precaution- an objective assessment of the magnitude of the risk. wider range of animals and issues by the research team tionary principle. This loads the dice heavily in favour of ary principle to be invoked. On these occasions, contrary An example: On the Exe estuary, a levy is being led by Professor R A Stillman. those who view human activities on estuaries as inevitably scientific evidence appears to be something to get around charged on every new dwelling built within 10 km Acknowledgements: the title was inspired by Mud, Blood damaging to shorebirds. In scientific research, conclusions rather than to be used to assess risk. The approach of the of the estuary to provide ‘mitigation’—of question- And Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan, with permission are presented in probabilistic terms. Scientists know that objective scientist, however, should be rigorously to test able and (to a scientist, disgracefully) untested effective- from The Orion Publishing Group. new ideas or new data may at any time challenge their the hypothesis that bird survival and body condition are ness—for the impact that additional disturbance from This article was first published in the Bulletin of the British current understanding. In such an open, self-critical and likely to be decreased by disturbance and, importantly, the new householders may have on shorebirds. This has Ecological Society (BES), June 2016. I am grateful to the self-effacing intellectual climate, it is not difficult to raise to evaluate the risk that this will happen. But too often, caused extra costs and delays in the provision of much- BES for permission to reprint it. enough doubt for the precautionary principle to be invoked. discussion descends into a legalistic concocting of just needed dwellings. What worries me most is that it also I would like to thank Professor Mike Begon of Liverpool increases the frustration with shorebird conservation. University for excellent advice on how to improve the My own independent and self-funded research has wording. Also, my grateful thanks to the 20 or more very thrown overwhelming doubt on whether any mitigation experienced colleagues who read various drafts, with is necessary because so little shorebird feeding is done in especial thanks to those (about half) who replied, all of places and at times when there is a risk of disturbance. whom said that their experiences coincided with mine. Additionally, Bournemouth University’s (rightly cautious) Thanks also to the other half who did not reply and so did not retort that I must have been unlucky and my model of shorebird disturbance in a Southampton Water— experiences singular. in terms of shorebirds, very similar to the Exe—showed that it would require huge numbers of people for there to be a significant impact on the Exe estuary shorebirds. It would take 15,000–30,000 people to visit the Exe estu- ary regularly to reduce shorebird survival; that is 10–20% of the entire population of the region. Needless to say, nothing like this number has, or ever will, occur there. Instead of employing an over-precautionary approach, the risk to shorebirds should have been assessed as being so minute as to be, for all practical purposes, non-existent. Ecologists should have no tolerance for this culture of blinkered eco-negativism. It infringes the civil rights of people if they are prevented without good reason from carry- ing out otherwise perfectly legitimate activities on the coast. Objective, hypothesis-testing, ecological science should always be done to make intelligent risk-assessments of where mitigations really are both necessary and effective. Mem- A redshank struggling with a large ragworm. Greenshank. bers of the public are becoming increasingly sceptical that

22 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 23 Sharing marine science Environment & conservation

allowed the formulation of third party being released both to the government proposals by the Marine Conserva- bodies and to everybody else via the tion Society and others in Scotland National Biodiversity Network (NBN). and by Seasearch itself in Northern An example of how this new role can Ireland. The availability of Seasearch work in practice came in 2015 when data has also helped the formulation there was a proposal for substantial of management measures to protect harbour works associated with the sites from trawling and dredging. re-opening of a stone quarry on The Now the focus is changing to Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, within providing data to assist in the surveil- a MCZ. The MCZ was intended lance and management of the network to protect both rock and sediment of MPAs. The level of funding of habitats and contained a number of ‘official’ monitoring programmes important species including pink will only provide a picture of the sea fans, sea fan anemones, spiny success or otherwise of management lobsters, stalked jellyfish and maerl. measures at long intervals. Volunteer The MCZ focused on the Manacles divers can provide eyes and ears on Rocks, for which there was much what is taking place at more regular Seasearch and other data, but the area intervals and allow both the agencies which could be potentially directly National Biodiversity Network (NBN) map of responsible for management and the impacted by the proposals was less well Seasearch and Marine Conservation Society non-governmental bodies to act or known. Seasearch worked together data 1977–2014. lobby for action as appropriate. with Porthkerris Divers (a local dive Volunteer data needs to be credible operator), the Marine Conservation incorporated into a Seasearch Report A diver recording in the Manacles Marine if it is to be useful. The Seasearch Society, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and of the survey, which will be available Conservation Zone, Cornwall, UK. Image: Mark Webster www.photec.co.uk training programme helps to establish Exeter University to undertake a series to all, and go directly to Natural and maintain standards and concen- of diving surveys specifically aimed to England to inform any actions that trates on the recording on habitats, increase the data available. 40 dives may need to be taken in the future. meet both aspirations. It provides the whilst the series of identification guides were undertaken and new sites for all Whilst collection of data using Seasearch: a shift in focus learning experience divers are looking and informal network of experts are of the priority species and habitats were volunteer divers is apparently very cost- Seasearch volunteer divers provide a valuable service, increasing our for through its training programme invaluable to obtaining accurate species identified by the volunteer Seasearch effective, it depends entirely on the knowledge of the UK’s sublittoral and supporting the Marine Conservation and qualification process, as well as data. Data is validated locally, entered divers. At the time of writing the motivation of the divers themselves and Zone process. By Chris Wood. by providing identification guides into the Marine Recorder database by proposed development has not been their ability to put their own time and and access to a network of experi- experts, and verified nationally before pursued, but the new data is being money into surveying. It is essential to he UK has created a, sometimes and species data and makes it widely enced recorders. Divers contribute Spiny Lobster (Palinurus elephas), a species for which the aim of Marine Conservation Zone maintain a training system, organize bewildering, range of mechanisms available to government, managers, to protection by joining targeted (MCZ) designation is to ‘recover to a favourable condition’, near Dean Quarry, Manacles diving surveys, have a rigorous quality Tto manage and protect marine non-governmental organizations, surveys organized by the project and MCZ, Cornwall, UK. Image: Chris Wood. assurance and data entry process, and habitats and species: Marine Nature academics and the general public. receiving feedback on the results. distribute the data. Seasearch receives Reserves, Special Areas of Conservation Since its inception in 1988, involving Because of the low level of informa- support at national level to meet these (SAC), Natura 2000 sites, Marine cooperation between the Marine Con- tion available, the initial focus for costs from Natural England, Natural Conservation Zones (MCZs) in servation Society, the former Nature recording was to fill gaps in existing Resources Wales, Scottish Natural England and Northern Ireland, Conservancy Council and Scottish knowledge. In some areas (notably Heritage and the Marine Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Natural Heritage, Seasearch volunteer much of the eastern coasts of England Society, and at local level from all of Scotland and Ramsar sites all play divers have provided 480,000 spe- and Scotland), all the information these as well as County Wildlife Trusts or have played their part in the aim cies and 59,000 habitat records from was new. Elsewhere, particularly in and a variety of other local funders. of creating an ‘ecologically coherent over 16,450 survey dives all around south and south-west England, the However, funding to maintain a now network of Marine Protected Areas’. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern priority was to fill in gaps between the long-established project has become The major part of many of these Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel better-known areas. This data has been more difficult rather than easier and designations lies underwater but the Islands and the Republic of Ireland. a valuable contribution to informing external support has reduced rather collection of anything other than The volunteers have two main the process of SAC designation and the than increased in recent years. The broad scale data about them remains motivations in taking part. One is to MCZs/MPAs processes in England, divers remain as enthusiastic as ever. both expensive and incomplete. learn more about the marine environ- Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sease- Chris Wood ([email protected]. Seasearch is a volunteer-based ment they enjoy as divers and the arch data was one of the more detailed uk) former National Coordinator programme for recreational SCUBA other is to contribute something useful sources available to the four regional for Seasearch at the Marine divers which collects sublittoral habitat to its protection. Seasearch aims to MCZ bodies set up in England and has Conservation Society.

24 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 The Marine Biologist 25 Environment & conservation Sharing marine science

replaced by agriculture, and heavy rainfall leads to a run-off Studying marine biology Can Okinawa’s blue of red soil into the sea. Since Okinawa’s return to Japan As part of our regular series on where best to explore marine biology, Senior Lecturer Dr Andrew Davies describes in 1972 there have been an increasing number of public what’s in store for undergraduates at the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University. corals be saved? works projects, including agricultural land improvement schemes in Shiraho, further worsening the reef’s condition. Bonnie Waycott reports on efforts to conserve a unique marine community of Ishigaki Island, Japan. Marine biology for

hiraho village in Okinawa’s Ishigaki Island is known for its 12 km stretch of coral reef. The ecosystem life’s explorers Sis home to a variety of species, including a community of blue coral that is said to be the oldest in the at Bangor University northern hemisphere. Glass-bottomed boats are a regular sight, while snorkelling trips are a popular activity. Locals call the reef by two different names: the Sea of Treasure, because it was a rich source of food after the war; and the Sea of Survival, highlighting its struggles against human activity and climate change. The reef plays a big part in the locals’ lives. It is celebrated at traditional rituals and

In response, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Japan inau- The School of Ocean gurated the Shiraho Coral Reef Conservation and Research Sciences is based in the Center, or Shiraho Sangomura (Shiraho Coral Village) in town of Menai Bridge; you can see the RV 2000. Staff and volunteers have been investigating species Prince Madog By Andrew Davies left of centre in the image. In diversity and monitoring red soil run-off by testing water the foreground is the iconic samples. They have also launched a programme to plant Menai Suspension Bridge, shellflower or getto, a species of ginger (Alpinia speciosa), to designed by Thomas Telford stop red soil from flowing into the sea. Locals have even and completed in 1826. used the plant to develop a fragrant room spray, selling it at a regular Sunday market. Also on offer are local delicacies as estled between the mountains of students that have been trained presence in the waters of the Irish well as ornaments made from shellfish and coral, with part Snowdonia and the award- to become the next generation of Sea. On Anglesey, we have access to of the proceeds going towards coral conservation. The reef Nwinning blue flag beaches marine scientists with the knowledge a beautiful rural coastline with sandy has been restocked with giant clam juveniles from a hatchery of Anglesey, the School of Ocean and skills to build successful careers beaches, rocky shores, dramatic cliffs to increase the area’s resources and provide an attraction for Sciences at Bangor University in the marine science sector. and small bays, each with their own festivals, it’s a natural form of protection during typhoons snorkellers, while regular meetings provide an opportunity offers one of the most picturesque enigmatic organisms from crabs and pieces of dead coral have long been used as building to think about balancing the conservation and sustainable university settings in the UK. to limpets to seabirds and marine materials, for example in walls surrounding homes. use of resources in areas where human interaction with the We have offered courses and mammals and dynamic oceanographic Natural influences on the reef include typhoons, coral ecosystem is significant. Attendees are encouraged to share conducted research across the spectrum and geological conditions. A short bleaching and crown-of-thorns starfish. But human impacts, their own ideas as an example of regional and community of marine sciences for over six decades, walk over the iconic Menai Suspen- for example, excessive nutrients, increase of household efflu- cooperation. Tourism guidelines and lecture programmes in a truly multidisciplinary department sion Bridge leads to Bangor, a small ents, land reclamation and tourism have had a significant have also been established and protected areas created. that hosts academics from the fields of and safe city that offers many of the negative impact on the ecosys- Although much time and effort is chemistry, physics, geology, geography amenities found within larger cities. tem. Of particular concern are required to ensure the reef’s sur- and biology. It is this combination Whilst North Wales may seem the impacts of Ishigaki Airport, vival, Shiraho Sangomura hopes of location, multidisciplinarity and remote, Bangor is actually very which opened in 2013, with that its work will serve as an long-term experience that has led The RV Prince Madog, Bangor University’s well connected to main transport ocean-going research vessel. reports of noise pollution, example to the rest of the world, to The School of Ocean Sciences routes though regular trains to chemical waste and a loss of and that people will continue to (SOS) educating and guiding many Location and facilities London (3.5 hours) and the A55 coastline vegetation. Despite appreciate its precious ecosystem successful graduates, 3,000 of whom Location is pivotal when it comes to dual carriageway that is con- government information that in the days and years to come. we remain in contact with through the study of the marine environment. nected to the M56/M6 motorways marine life is not affected, Bonnie Waycott our vibrant alumni community. SOS is a stone’s throw away from (Manchester 1.5 hours by car). many at Shiraho are doubtful. ([email protected]), SOS prides itself on combining the Menai Strait, where we live and SOS comprises a cluster of build- Another grave threat is farming Mem.MBA world-leading and novel cutting-edge breathe the sea every single day. Our ings, nestled amongst the bustling along a nearby river. Vast tracts All images copyright research with exciting and engaging research vessel, the RV Prince Madog, is town of Menai Bridge, that have of wild vegetation have been Mr Masahito Kamimura. teaching, that combined, produce moored on our pier and is a prominent been there since the 1950s. This now

26 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 27 Sharing marine science Sharing marine science

biological (e.g. Marine Biology, Marine Vertebrate Zoology, And the winners were ... Applied Marine Biology, Marine Biology and Zoology), MBA student bursary awardees report on how the grants have helped them develop their careers. physical/geological (e.g. Geological Oceanography, Marine Geography, Ocean and Geophysics, Physical Oceanography) Can we all just get along? results in each species feeding on dif- living underneath the stilted houses. and multidisciplinary (e.g. Marine Biology and Oceanog- Fiddler crabs show us how. ferent substrates. This type of resource The human exploitation in this area raphy, Marine Environmental Studies, Ocean Science), and partitioning is a stabilizing mechanism is directly altering the environment, can be taken as three-year Bachelor of Science, or as a four- n a small and remote island in the whereby competition between species allowing crabs to dwell in places that year extended degree such as Master of Science or research OWakatobi National Park, Indonesia, is reduced because they compete for would otherwise be uninhabitable. This experience with industry (Applied Marine Biology). All our ten species of fiddler crab have been different resources. Fiddler crabs, being stabilizing mechanism is supported degrees can be combined with an international year abroad. found living on the same mudflat; one deposit feeders, obtain their food by behavioural observations, show- Over many decades, SOS has developed into a of the highest species diversities from sifting through sediments and ing very little competition between truly unique learning environment. It is collegiate, ever recorded. extracting organic matter. This research species, despite overlaps in territory. Students learning how to survey a rocky shore in north Anglesey. cohesive and inclusive across everyone in our depart- This remarkable level of biodiversity site is at the fringe of a mangrove and This high level of diversity shows ment, from staff to students. Our academics are that when considering species includes the new Marine Centre Wales, recently opened by highly approachable and supportive, and build lasting conservation options, an entire HRH the Prince of Wales, and is a unique focal point for academic relationships with our students. After all, ecosystem must be investigated. the marine business sector in Wales. Its lecture theatre hosts we all share a passion for the marine environment. Laura Michie some second and third year undergraduate teaching, whilst We are well aware that the landscape of universi- practical work is accommodated in large and well-equipped ties and careers is changing, so we place an emphasis MICRO 2016, Lanzarote, Spain light and airy dedicated teaching laboratories in the Craig on employability, offering careers advice, CV writing Mair Building. Students make the most of being based workshops, interview skills training and we frequently ICRO 2016 was an experience of so close to the sea as they regularly collect organisms for invite alumni to SOS to enlighten our undergradu- Mmany firsts: my first conference, observation, either by walking to the shores in the Menai ates about the latest developments in national and presenting the work from my first Strait or by short coach journeys around the island and thus international industries, placements and research. paper, and the first international maximizing time in the field and in the laboratory. Being Bangor is amongst a select group of universities that conference dedicated purely to local drastically reduces our carbon footprint whilst ensuring achieve excellence in both teaching and research. Three microplastics. The conference was set that collected living material is studied in pristine condition. years in succession we have been rated amongst the top in beautiful Lanzarote in the Canary SOS is one of the few university departments in the 15 universities in the UK for student satisfaction in the Islands. The venue, which was only a UK to house a wide spectrum of aquaria supplied with National Student Survey, with high scores for our provi- stone’s throw from the ocean, hosted flowing seawater directly from the sea, not recirculated, sion of teaching, academic support, personal development, scientists and activists alike to discuss providing an excellent environment for maintain- and assessment and feedback. We offer free membership to the ever-growing microplastic issue. ing and growing marine organisms. These facilities Bangor’s Students’ Union’s clubs and societies, and with over Microplastics in the environment are A male fiddler crabUca tetragonon. Image: Laura Michie. are available for student research projects, summer 150 of them there is bound to be something to everyone’s making the ocean into what some have bursary placements and the volunteer schemes that taste. We also guarantee a room in our student halls of has been used by researchers at on the edge of a small village. Due termed a ‘plastic soup’. Here they have are run to enhance student experience and skillsets. residences to all first-years who apply before the given UCAS the University of Portsmouth to to this close proximity to the local the potential to transport pollutants SOS is also one of the few university departments in the deadline. In addition, market research shows that the cost understand the mechanism of this village, the substrate has a high organic or be ingested by marine biota, UK with its own dedicated ocean-going research vessel. of living in Bangor is much lower than in other parts of the coexistence and use this knowledge content, meaning a greater food with no current solution for their Our vessel supports our seagoing scientists and is a vital UK—Bangor has been described as “one of the cheapest to further conservation of delicate supply and the crabs can even be seen remediation. The conference provided tool used in our teaching. During a degree at SOS, you places in Britain” to be a student (The A–Z of Universi- and complex ecosystems in a time of Delegates at the MICRO 2016 conference, Lanzarote, Spain 25–27 may 2016. will have the unique opportunity to gain real seagoing ties and Higher Education Colleges). Finally, our research rapidly changing climates and seas. experience on board the RV Prince Madog. Depending excellence has been confirmed in the national assessment Fiddler crabs are gregarious animals on your degree you will conduct fish surveys, deploy of research quality (REF 2014), in which 77% of Bangor’s which are often found living in groups oceanographic sensors, learn about marine mammal research was rated either world-leading or internationally of hundreds or thousands. They are monitoring and/or undertake multidisciplinary research. excellent, ahead of the average for all UK universities. most often characterized by their Teaching key interdisciplinary skills For those of you who are thinking of undertaking a degree bright coloration and the extreme SOS staff place great emphasis on teaching our students in marine science, consider what you want to gain from claw asymmetry exhibited by males. practical skills, as well as literacy and numeracy, ensuring university. If you want to experience excellent teaching and Through studying their morphology, that they leave with the skillsets that are in demand by research within a unique setting and be part of a substantial behaviour, and the habitat structure employers and that they have built the confidence to use and successful alumni, then Bangor may be a destination for in the Indonesian National Park, these in their future careers. These include computational, you. You are the future of our discipline and our aim is to researchers found that these crabs observational and experimental skills, and depending on train you to be the next generation of gifted marine scientists. occupy separate niches whilst still degree, may include elements such as taxonomy, designing Andrew Davies ([email protected]) existing in close proximity. The success experiments and using state-of-the-art oceanographic and School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, of this coexistence is helped by minor geophysical equipment. Our degrees can be categorised into Menai Bridge, LL59 5AB, Wales differences in the mouthparts which

28 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 29 Sharing marine science Sharing marine science an opportunity to share available and beautiful. They are also very much the superb descriptions of aspects is one book that really should be by knowledge, identify new questions and misunderstood often hitting the headlines such as the stinging cells of cnidarians, the side of every marine biologist. research needs, and explore solutions. for all the wrong reasons. My first close- the similarity in the hunting methods Paul Naylor ([email protected]) At the conference, I was able to pre- encounter-of-the-jelly-kind was in the chilly of mantis shrimps and other animals, sent my work on ‘The Characterisation, waters of the Northumbrian coast where and the wide range of interrelationships Quantity and Sorptive Properties of I learned to swim as a child. Moon and between different organisms, to name Seahorses: A Life-Size Guide to Microplastic Extracted from Cosmet- compass jellies were regularly stranded, just a few of many. It’s also great to see Every Species ics’. It was a fantastic opportunity to they were beautiful enough but it was the there’s room for a section on the vital publicize the research that the marine first time I witnessed the balletic swimming subject of marine protected areas too. litter research team have done at Plym- of a live jelly that caused fascination to Although I’ve been fascinated outh University, and also network with take root. Jellyfish: A Natural History could (obsessed to be more accurate) by the sea others working on similar research. have been written for me and it delivers and its inhabitants since first putting my There was a lot of variety between the what the title promises. Five chapters face beneath the surface over 40 years sessions, which included presentations and more than 200 pages float from ago, I was learning more within seconds on the involvement of citizen science Jellyfish anatomy, through life histories, to of starting to leaf through the book. From and exploring the public’s perception taxonomy and evolution with a close look the high carbon monoxide content of of microplastics in the news. All the at their bewildering diversity of ecologies some giant kelp gas bladders to the crab work presented was then used to form and finally wash up on our relationship with co-dwellers of red bandfish burrows and the Lanzarote Declaration, which jellies. En route we meet many species and the phylogeny of brachiopods, there was summarizes all the research from the are guided along through Lisa-Ann Gersh- a wealth of new information and novel conference, specifically highlighting the fiddler crab diversity in Indonesia to win’s style that is as fluid as the creatures ways of presenting it. The photographs, need to research more solution options. investigating the effects of radiation she so obviously loves, and is as authorita- drawn from a wide range of sources, Overall, my expectations of this on crustaceans and the potential Reviews tive as it is entertaining, while 290 stunning and the illustrations are excellent. conference were more than exceeded. identification of new species of diatom photographs and 140 effective line draw- While packed full of facts, a friendly I am extremely grateful to have been and mussel. Mostly very different ings ensure that readers will be engaged writing style ensures that they aren’t involved in the first microplastic from my own research knowledge but Jellyfish: A Natural History and entranced on every page. This is a overwhelming. For example, the section Author: Sara Lourie conference, and I have left with similar talks were grouped together book you may read from cover-to-cover or describing the biology of sea squirts ISBN: 978-1-78240-321-0 a feeling of great motivation to usefully to allow a greater degree of you may simply dip into it now and again, starts with: ‘Life for tunicates is one Published by: University of Chicago Press continue microplastic research! comprehension. Talking to the student but it is a book you simply have to have. long meal’ and a piece on the surpris- Upon receiving a review copy of Sara Imogen Ellen Napper and keynote presenters afterwards Kelvin Boot ([email protected]) ingly sophisticated vision of box jellyfish Lourie’s Seahorses, I couldn’t help but feel was also highly beneficial in giving includes the (not very comforting) thought a sense of anticipation for the celebration The 13th MBA Postgraduate an insight into academia at different that, if you bumped into one, ‘it might of the Syngnathidae family I was holding. The Marine World: A Natural History Conference, Portsmouth points of a scientist’s career and advice be your fault and not the jellyfish’s’. Lourie is a leading specialist in seahorse for how to progress in the field. of Ocean Life From marvellous descriptions of taxonomy and approaches her subject used the MBA student bursary fund For me, the highlight was the chance oceanographic basics, to fascinating from an interdisciplinary tack, elucidating Ito help fund my attendance at the to give a talk on my master’s research Author: Frances Dipper nuggets of animal behaviour, there is not only the more scientific aspects of 13th MBA Postgraduate Conference, project, ‘Do Foraminifera need silicon ISBN: 9780957394629 something here for everyone. I always seahorses, pipefish, and sea dragons (for hosted by the University of Portsmouth. to calcify?’. This was the first time Published by: Wild Nature Press thought I would hesitate to say this, instance morphology, evolution, behaviour, Friends of mine had attended the I had presented work to a majority This momentous book covers so because there is such a wide range of and reproduction), but also touching upon previous year’s conference in Belfast and unknown audience. While initially much ground that it is very difficult to good publications out there, but here their place in mythology. Each of the 57 spoke very highly of it so myself and six unnerving, I enjoyed the opportunity do the range and appeal of its contents members of the Syngnathidae family is of my course mates registered to attend and I received a positive reception to Author: Lisa-Ann Gershwin justice with a short description. Sec- given a page spread incorporating not only and present the results of our master’s my talk and useful feedback regarding ISBN:13:978-0-226-28767-6 tions describe the physical nature of the a vibrant accompanying photograph, but research projects. The conference was possible areas of investigation for my Published by: University of Chicago Press oceans and the different environments also a distribution map and life-sized sil- a very well organized event by the project and presentation style. I now I think I have been stung by jellyfish they support before leading into very houette of the creature. These silhouettes PhD students of Portsmouth, with feel much more able to give future more times than not when going for a much the largest part which highlights are an effective and enjoyable reminder talks and posters presented by students presentations and able to commu- swim in UK waters, perhaps more so in the staggering diversity of marine life of the size range of these fascinating intermixed with keynote speakers nicate my findings more clearly. the Mediterranean, and when it comes to from lichens, rotifers and sponges creatures: from less than an inch, to over and workshops focusing on how to In conclusion, attending the the Pacific nothing could match the swipe to blennies, dugongs and terns. The a foot in length. The descriptions of each successfully utilize social media as a conference was a great success and of tentacles of the Portuguese-man-o’war marine life chapters display examples species afford the opportunity to learn scientist. A great diversity of talks and I look forward to attending more (not strictly a jellyfish), the pain of which of individual species in each group from not only about their biological traits, but poster presentations were on show, scientific conferences which hopefully threw me out of the water. Despite a feel- UK seas and further afield with concise also their ecological importance. A section addressing a range of questions from will be just as successful as this one. ing of being persecuted by jellies through- but informative descriptions. For me, of the book is dedicated to the threats mapping sharks in the Irish Sea and Jack Dickenson out my life I still find them fascinating however, their greatest interest lay in seahorses face, through destructive

30 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 31 Sharing marine science Sharing marine science fishing, aquarium trades, and use in must become trying in the absence of some traditional medicines. From this, anyone to disagree with. There is a hint Are you a marine postgraduate student? Come and join us in The nearby town of Falmouth boasts the world’s third largest Lourie then signposts readers towards of hypocrisy as well—Durant is not a Cornwall, UK next year for the 14th Marine Biological Association natural harbour, and has grown into a busy port over the last 400 Postgraduate Student Conference! The meeting will be held in years. Alongside the economic prosperity brought by the town’s Project Seahorse www.projectseahorse. vegetarian and I found myself wonder- April 2017, at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus. relationship with the sea, Falmouth is a hugely popular sailing and org (of which she is a research associ- ing why whales and dolphins deserve This is the first time the meeting has been held in Cornwall, and leisure destination. Rich history, great atmosphere and beautiful ate), and other such campaign groups. such fanatical protection but it is okay to postgraduate students from the University of Exeter are putting scenery make the location a perfect place for a marine Seahorses is not only informative, but intensively farm and eat terrestrial animals. together an exciting programme of student talks, keynote conference. also a crucial resource which serves Fact and fiction are entwined, so speakers, workshops, field excursions and nightly social events. Please keep an eye on the website, which will be updated as as a reminder of the wonder of these there are plenty of references to real The team—Bethany Clark, James Duffy, Billy Heaney, Callum the programme gets finalized, and get in touch if you would like creatures, and the ever-present need to people and organizations, and a whole Laver, Jen Lewis, Sara Mynott and Sarah Nelms—are studying a more information! We look forward to welcoming you in Cornwall protect them. A gem of a book to be flotilla of disturbing facts about what broad range of marine topics, including movement ecology, remote next year. enjoyed by armchair marine enthusiasts, Man has done to the oceans drawn sensing, fisheries, climate change, sensory ecology, and pollution. Jen Lewis ([email protected]) conservationists, and divers alike. from well-thumbed scientific papers. Emmie Readman ([email protected]) In places the writing is clunky and there are many passages that ring a bum note; the Mediterranean sea is ‘tropical’, a dive The Activist instructor who refers to his ‘flippers’, and a dolphin that keeps both eyes on him as it swims past—I don’t know if a dolphin using a combination of excellent photo- can do that but these things distract the graphs, diagrams and figures of scientific (more pedantic) reader from the story. data to illustrate the chapters covering Connon is not one to pull his the range of shallow sea ecosystems, emotional punches; The Activist is including both hard grounds and soft sedi- not subtle and is unlikely to appeal to ments. Focus is given to the shallow sea those who prefer the evidence-based ‘key habitats’: kelps, seagrass meadows, approach to influencing behaviour. maerl beds, and biogenic reefs. The However, despite the corny moments final chapter of the book is dedicated to it is earnest in its intentions and is a discussing how shallow sea ecosystems rousing tale, told with passion and pace. are changing, including the expansion of Guy Baker ([email protected]) non-native taxa and impacts of human activities. Highlights for me include a great summary of the history of UK marine Collins New Naturalist Library: biology, including the establishment of Shallow Seas the Marine Biological Association (MBA) in Plymouth and the university-associated Author: Peter Hayward marine laboratories. However, on page six, ISBN: 9780007307302 the author makes the (understandable) Published by: Harper Collins error of confusing the MBA with Plymouth Author: Alec Connon I am a big fan of the New Naturalist Marine Laboratory (PML), another of the ISBN: 978-1-901514-25-4 series, cherishing copies of the other seven Plymouth marine research institu- Published by: Ringwood Publishing ‘marine’ volumes. I often turn to Sir Alister tions. As with Seashore, I particularly like The Activist is a novel about a young Hardy’s The Open Sea for inspiration and the explanation of the physical environ- man from a Glasgow estate and his to enjoy his stunning water colours of ments of shallow sea ecosystems and journey of environmental activism. From plankton. Peter Hayward’s previous New the impact on the biology and ecology his epiphany with a dolphin in Belize, Naturalist volume Seashore is also a great of the fauna that reside there. If you are we follow Thomas Durant as he battles read, so I welcomed the opportunity to a fan of the New Naturalist series, then whalers on the high seas, falls from grace review his new book Shallow Seas. You this book is for you, both easy-reading in Japan and has a showdown on live TV. should never judge a book by its cover, and informative. If you have never read The story really takes off when he however, other New Naturalist fans will a New Naturalist book before, then joins Sea Shepherd and campaigns to know that the cover artwork is always a Shallow Seas is also for you, for both the end ‘scientific whaling’ in the Southern joy, and Peter’s new book does not disap- familiar expert and the unfamiliar novice. Ocean. The protagonists exchange point with a vibrant cartoon illustration of Michael Cunliffe ([email protected]) torrid tales of environmental destruction some of the characters discussed in the Marine Biological Association & Plymouth but life aboard Sea Shepherd’s vessel volume. The book is distinctly benthic, University Image: Sean O’Hea

32 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 33 Sharing marine science

Why the world needs trained marine biologists n the last few months I’ve met many and how this will affect the oceans. used as active compounds in drugs and people who, once they became Comprehending large-scale fisheries therapies against diseases including Iaware that I was heading to study and overfishing is a big challenge! Con- cancer. The oceans are a promis- a master’s degree in marine biology flict between ecological and economic ing source for the next generation in Plymouth, asked me what does interests creates a lot of social and of pharmacological treatments. a marine biologist usually do? environmental pressure. The four most We are keen to invest money in Marine biological studies include, important marine fish species on the training doctors and nurses who amongst other subjects, the role of the world sea food market are cod, salmon, provide our healthcare; do we apply the same standards to training marine biologists, with their knowledge and skill in the areas mentioned above that help us understand the oceans that feed us, give us fuel and maintain the air we breathe? If not, why? Funding research is the key to increasing our knowledge to benefit everyone on the planet. Training scientists is expensive but the benefits for society have to be worth the initial expense, not just in monetary terms, but also in health and wellbeing. A minimal contribu- tion through everyone’s taxation has to be the easiest way to provide the funding required in order to train the people who can make such a positive contribution to your world and your future: marine biologists. Mariano Peruzzo won an MBA student bursary to present at the 13th MBA Postgraduate Mariano Peruzzo Mem.MBA Conference in Portsmouth. He is pictured here with some of his artworks; the can whale is being auctioned to help the MBA support marine biology students. Biegelmeyer R et al. (2015) Sphingosines derived from marine sponge as potential multi-target drug related to disorders in oceans in the cycling of matter, for tuna, and sea bass. We need to deter- cancer development. Marine Drugs. 25;13 (9): 5552–5563. doi: 10.3390/md13095552. example oxygen. The Earth’s oxygen is mine how fish farming and sustainable Kark S, Brokovich E, Mazor T, Levin supplied in great quantity by tiny ocean exploitation of wild stocks will help N. (2015) Emerging conservation chal- plants such as phytoplankton. Most of to feed a growing world population. lenges and prospects in an era of offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation. the Earth’s oxygen comes from these Pollution, such as plastics and Conservation Biology: doi: 10.1111/ phytoplankton that live near the water’s contaminants are a global issue, and cobi.12562. [Epub ahead of print] surface and drift with the currents. worldwide concern has grown con- Lozier MS. (2010) Deconstructing the conveyor belt. Science: 328 (5985):1507– The fact is that more than 70% siderably in recent decades. Harmful 1511. doi: 10.1126/science.1189250. of the planet’s surface is covered by levels of pollutants in the biota mean Quaas MF, Reusch TB, Schmidt JO, oceans, and this affects the global hazards for humans and raise questions Tahvonen O4, Voss R. (2015) It is the equilibrium in temperature ranges, that need answers as soon as possible. economy, stupid! Projecting the fate of fish populations using ecological-economic global migration of heat energy Other human impacts include modeling. Global Change Biology: doi: such as the Gulf Stream in Atlantic oil and gas exploration and extrac- 10.1111/gcb.13060. [Epub ahead of print] waters, and the general ocean circula- tion, sea floor mining, fisheries, and Richardson TL and Jackson GA (2007) Small phytoplankton and carbon export tion which is still under study. intensive aquaculture. Conservation from the surface ocean. Science: 838–840. One of the key challenges is that of marine biodiversity can play a role doi: 10.1126/science.1133471 we need to understand how the in dealing with the negative impacts Shim WJ, Thompson RC. (2015 Oct) Microplastics in the ocean. Archives composition of the atmosphere, in our way of life have on the oceans. of Environmental Contamination and particular carbon dioxide absorp- We bio-prospect chemicals from Toxicology: 69 (3):265–268. doi: 10.1007/ tion and storage, will change in the algae and invertebrates like sponges, s00244-015-0216-x. Epub 2015 Sep 2. future with increasing temperatures worms and snails. These have been

34 The Marine Biologist | October 2016 October 2016 | The Marine Biologist 35 Issue 8 of The Marine Biologist TheMarine

BiologistThe magazine of the marine biological community

April 2017

www.mba.ac.uk/marinebiologist