Marine Directorate Communications
Written 357 posts
A new data recording system for fish sampling
14th January 2016
As 2016 gets off to a somewhat stormy start, scientists onboard the MRV Scotia are welcoming a new data recording system that will not only reduce the chance of error but will also speed up the process for recording important statistics. Fish sampling is a very important part of fisheries research, contributing to a number…
Citizen Science Project – Can you help?
8th January 2016
In the last few years, Sarah Hughes an oceanographer at Marine Scotland has discovered a large dataset of coastal temperature data that sits in the archives of the UK Meteorological Office but has not been entered into ocean databases. These are daily/twice daily observations of coastal temperature taken at numerous coastal sites around Scotland, usually…
MRV Scotia: Survey 0116S Programme
7th January 2016
Duration: 5 – 20 January 2016 Fishing gear: BT 101 with tickler chains; flats and rockhopper ground gear; Sediment Sampling: Day grab and sieves; Litter sampling: Catamaran neuston trawl; Plankton net; Water sampling: Aquatracka fluorometer, Seabird 19 and sled. Objectives: To undertake water, sediment and biological sampling for the Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP);…
Marine Scotland Science Launch Fish Necropsy Manual
29th December 2015
Aquaculture and fish health colleagues in Marine Scotland Science (MSS) have recently launched a Fish Necropsy Manual – an online interactive website covering 10 important fish species in aquaculture or fisheries. In addition to the thoroughly illustrated necropsy technique, the manual contains additional information on: functional anatomy, post mortem phenomena, laboratory technical requirements, animal welfare, a dedicated glossary…
What lies beneath Rockall?
18th December 2015
Rockall, a tiny island not much bigger than a house, sits on the very extremity of Scotland’s marine environment. Some 180 miles due west of St. Kilda, it is buffeted year round by the extreme winds and swell that the North Atlantic weather generates. As such, it is Scotland’s only truly offshore shallow water ecosystem….
Marine Scotland Staff Clean Up: 10 December 2015
16th December 2015
Not one to let a bit of cold weather, and a lack of helpers deter him, our intrepid litter-picker-upper, Danny Pendrey, ventured out last week to keep on top of the beach litter and ensure all the fantastic clean-up work him, and his team, have done isn’t in vain. Totals to date are: Bottles and…
Eco City Award for Marine Scotland Volunteers
9th December 2015
Congratulations to Danny Pendrey and volunteers for their recent Eco City Award from Aberdeen City Council (ACC). The award was given in recognition of the beach cleans that Marine Scotland (MS) staff have been conducting since the beginning of the year. Danny Pendrey not only organised the clean-ups, for MS staff, but has been heavily…
MRV Alba na Mara: Survey 1915A Programme
8th December 2015
Duration: 4-18 December 2015 Equipment: Sandeel dredge × 2 (modified 4′ scallop dredge with 6″ teeth and spare toothbars) with towing bar and camera attachment; TV camera; and Minilogger (or equivalent – DST). Objectives: To determine the abundance, length and age of sandeels in the sediment in regions east of the Firth of Forth and…
Marine Scotland Scientists Contribute to Management and Control of Important Salmon Parasites
4th December 2015
Marine Scotland scientists have recently carried out two studies, funded by the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF), to determine the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) against important parasites of marine salmonids – Lepeophtheirus salmonis, often referred to as the salmon louse, and Paramoeba perurans, which is responsible for amoebic gill disease (AGD). As well as…
Protecting the Ocean Quahog
3rd December 2015
The Ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, is a large marine bivalve that can live for over 500 years. This makes it one of the longest lived animals known to science. It is found around British and Irish coasts and lives in sediments from just below low water to depths of about 500 metres. They are often…