Mainstreaming Habitat Management Objectives in an Ecosystem-Based Approach to Management of Scallop Fisheries Scallops are a high-value resource and support major demersal fisheries, particularly in the UK where they are the third most valuable landed species (£60 million in 2024). This study contrasts reg...

This review highlights the need for a more explicit ecosystem-based management approach in scallop fisheries, emphasizing seabed habitat protection and recognizing their role as vital for key life history stages such as spat settlement.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

What are the emerging issues & opportunities that may impact the UK marine and coastal environment and its ability to deliver ecological, climate, social, & economic outcomes over the next 25 years?

Please share your thoughts for this horizon scan by commenting below or messaging me. Pls share 🙏

Reverend Jesse Jackson called on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope; to step forward and say “Send me” wherever we have a chance to make an impact.

How fortunate we were that Jesse Jackson answered that call. What a great debt we owe to him.

Humanity heating planet faster than ever before, study finds Researchers identify sharp rise to about 0.35C every decade, after excluding natural fluctuations such as El Niño

It doesn’t matter whether the rate of global warming is increasing. It’ll never cease to amaze me that people don’t care that it’s happening at all. It should be the most alarming thing ever.

Word 👏

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable

The UK is one of the least food-self-sufficient countries in Europe.

Yet the Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, talks about boosting horticulture and poultry with no mention of seafood.

Once again, aquaculture is missing from the food security conversation.

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

When it comes to seafood, the UK could start by actually eating what it catches...

He might want to start by looking in the mirror...

Really nice to have our #pollack paper out 🎣 full paper here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Releasing pollack at depth could benefit their long-term survival University of Plymouth news: New research led by the University has suggested changing how pollack are released after being caught by recreational...

Great to see this paper out there making a difference to fishing behaviour & conservation. Congrats to @thomasstamp.bsky.social & @rmawer.bsky.social for leading the charge on this work. Honoured to be on the team @plymuni.bsky.social & @thembauk.bsky.social

www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/releasi...

PLEASE share this, far and wide. This kid has trained, relentlessly and meticulously, for over 6 months.

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement becomes UK Law after receiving Royal Assent.

“This is a story of collaboration of over 20 years between policy makers, lawmakers and the scientific community. Working together to safeguard marine biodiversity in the high seas."

How Hinkley Point C's £50m 'fish disco' could save farmland Innovative tech scares fish away from nuclear cooling pipes.

First we have disco scallops (©️ @bd-stew.bsky.social) now we have a Fish Disco.

What next? Drum & Plaice?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Let the party rock on! 🕺

Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) - Photo: Keith Hiscock

Heard about the UK #octopus bloom but haven't had time to read our full report? Check out our 'user friendly' summary in @uk.theconversation.com instead: theconversation.com/octopus-numb...
Kudos to my co-authors: Tim Smyth & Emma Sheehan @thembauk.bsky.social @pml.ac.uk @plymuni.bsky.social 🐙

Octopus numbers exploded around the UK’s south-west coast in 2025 – a new report explores this rare phenomenon

Great write up in @uk.theconversation.com about the Octopus Bloom

It was a real pleasure to talk to BBC Spotlight about the UK #octopus bloom this week. You can watch the full interview here. Huge thanks to our research partners @plymuni.bsky.social & @pml.ac.uk & funders: Defra & Plymouth City & Devon County Councils 🐙

The science behind a sudden octopus surge.

Watch Bryce Stewart as he explains why octopus numbers exploded off the #UK #SouthWest coast in 2025 on BBC Spotlight last night. 

Watch the full interview here 👉 youtube.com/watch?v=BtlsHszyex8

The study, ‘Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) blooms off the Southwest of the UK: History, trends, causes and consequences’, was funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Plymouth City Council and Devon County Council, led by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) in collaboration with Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the University of Plymouth and an independent consultant, and draws on data from scientists, fishermen and citizen scientists.

Hear directly from the scientists uncovering the mystery behind the #OctopusBloom: Dr Bryce Stewart, Prof Tim Smyth & Prof Emma Sheehan explain why #octopus numbers exploded off the #UK’s #SouthWest coast in 2025 - in their new article for @uk.theconversation.com🔗 theconversation.com/octopus-numb...

@bd-stew.bsky.social explaining the Report on the 2025 Octopus Bloom 👇

Octopus numbers exploded around the UK’s south-west coast in 2025 – a new report explores this rare phenomenon Climate-driven shifts in ocean and atmospheric dynamics underpin these recent blooms in octopus numbers in UK waters.

Have you heard about our new report on the UK #octopus bloom? This article in @theconversation.com aims to bring the situation to life and links to the full report theconversation.com/octopus-numb... @thembauk.bsky.social @pml.ac.uk @plymuni.bsky.social #climatechange #fisheries🐙

Read the full report and the non-technical summary report here: www.mba.ac.uk/fisheries-an...

The 2025 Octopus Bloom | Dr Bryce Stewart Explains the Scale, Causes and Consequences YouTube video by The Marine Biological Association

@bd-stew.bsky.social Explains the Scale, Causes and Consequences of the 2025 Octopus Bloom

A new report led by the MBA in collaboration with @pml.ac.uk and @plymuni.bsky.social has revealed that a dramatic population bloom of the common octopus off the southwest coast.

youtu.be/h4cf_tgW4QQ?...

Thanks so much to @marclim-uk.bsky.social for highlighting the work being done by @thembauk.bsky.social on the #octopus bloom. A full report is coming out next week - Tuesday 27th January. Mark your calendars now! 🐙

Welcome to the January 2026 edition of The Marine Biologist.

Underlining the interconnectedness between land, people, and sea, this edition focuses on small-scale fishing. This is a tough but deeply valued way of life that faces mounting pressures.

The seashore is most people’s window on the ocean. Professor Hawkins looks at the threats to coastal seas & asks how do predictions of impacts on rocky shores hold up a quarter century on?

Life on the Rocks with Professor Stephen J. Hawkins 👉 mba.ac.uk/podcast

#TheMarineBiologist  #FieldWorkFriday

Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security This strategic assessment explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity.

Everyone should read this: www.gov.uk/government/p...

Rob Hirst was so much more than a drummer, singer and song writer. The Oils have entertained, inspired, educated & been on the right side of history for over 50 years. I must have seen them live a dozen times, & listened to their songs constantly since I was a little tacker. Rest in Peace legend 🥁🖐️💔

Midnight Oil - Kosciusko (triple j Live At The Wireless - Goat Island 1985) YouTube video by ABC Music

Paying our respects to Australia’s greatest ever drummer. Vale, Rob Hirst.

youtu.be/BPU-xZIpjMo?...

A true legend. Midnight Oil have been on the right side of history for over 50 years & Rob was central to that. The soundtrack to both my youth and middle age