New research sheds light on previously unreported complexity in maritime traffic during the first year of COVID-19. The study, led by researchers at the Marine Biological Association and the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative, assessed changes to global shipping and fishing activity, revealing in unprecedented detail how the rapid implementation of restrictions and lockdowns affected human mobility … Read more
Every year, around 70,000 turtles and 200,000 seabirds die as a result of being caught as bycatch in EU fishing fleets. Bycatch is when other marine species are unintentionally trapped by commercial fishing gear. This can account for up to 40% of total fishing catches, globally reaching as much as 38 million tonnes discarded per … Read more
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) welcomed scientists from Universidade do Porto in Portugal to meet with the Sims Lab team and discuss the results of a recent shark tagging expedition. Dr Nuno Queiroz, Head of Movement Ecology Group at CIBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos) and Tiago Cidade, PhD Student, CIBIO, visited … Read more
The deep ocean provides a wide range of valuable ecosystem services to the planet; but it remains largely unexplored due to its size and inaccessibility. Marine biologists have long known that many marine predators dive vertically into the deep ocean, but the reasons behind this behaviour were largely a mystery. Many predator species have been … Read more
Today we are celebrating Marine Biology MRes graduate Max Kimble! During his placement at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) Max worked in the Sims lab, creating a species distribution model for the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in the North Atlantic. Max looked at over 121 shark movement tracks, combined with satellite data, to reveal the … Read more
Large marine animals such as sharks and whales have huge ecological, social, economic, and cultural importance, but are under great threat from collisions with ships. Copyright: Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch In a recent article published in the journal Nature, experts from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and University of Southampton (UoS) warn that coordinated action is needed … Read more
Rarely observed circling behaviours of endangered basking sharks have now been explained as ‘shark speed dating’ courtship displays, thanks to a new study. Marine biologists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the Irish Basking Shark Group and colleagues have led ground-breaking research which reveals the circles of basking sharks seen off western Ireland are engaged … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
The Laboratory,
Citadel Hill Plymouth,
Devon
PL1 2PB, UK
The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. We're working with our ever-growing membership to provide a clear and independent voice on behalf of the marine biological community