Welcome to OCF’s insights from the marine and coastal sector. This week we have summarised the most relevant stories for you from across these sectors: Fisheries, Offshore Wind, Offshore Industries, Science, Aquaculture, Conservation, Climate and Marine Pollution.
Fisheries
Professor Rebecca Selden is creating a “spatial sea map” designed to illustrate the adaptive styles of 266 fishing communities stretching across the East Coast from North Carolina to Maine. It is one of the first projects to provide detailed, high-resolution information about how individual communities could change their fishing patterns in response to climate change. Such community-level information is critical to understand which communities might be most vulnerable or resilient to changes in the distribution of species that they fish.
Falling revenue and rising costs have hit Alaska’s fishing industry hard, according to a new study by NOAA Fisheries. NOAA found that profitability dropped by half from 2021-23, and wholesale prices dropped by a quarter in 2022-23. This left the Alaskan seafood industry with a total direct loss of $1.8 billion in 2022-3 and the loss of about 38,000 jobs.
New legislation implementing a range of short-term management measures for certain species of fish was introduced to Parliament last week. These new arrangements have been identified within the first Fisheries Management Plans (FMP) as priority to help provide additional protection to vulnerable stocks. The measures, which are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, are expected to come into force on 16 December 2024.
The new All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries ( APPG) met last week to elect officers and map out a cross-party work programme to promote and support a sustainable and thriving UK fishing industry in Parliament. Anna Gelderd, MP for South East Cornwall, released a statement affirming a commitment to ensuring a just transition for fishing communities in the renewable transition.
Atlantic salmon stocks in the Tyne remain buoyant despite stocks across England reaching new lows. The River Tyne’s salmon stocks are the only location where they remain “not at risk” and the Coquet and Wear are amongst only three rivers nationally where stocks are deemed to be “probably not at risk”.
The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) has confirmed a 2 year extension to its innovative Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), emphasising the urgent need for responsible management of pelagic fisheries.
The North-West Herring Advisory Committee issued a public statement addressing misrepresentation by some organisations that resigned from the committee.
The Norwegian Pelagic Fishing Report: Week 41 of 2024 showed a productive week for Norwegian Spring Spawning herring fisheries, while the mackerel fishing season draws to a close.
Aquaculture
A newly published study revealed an uneven distribution of animal welfare risks across aquaculture, with severe effects on welfare for some species, but negligible impacts on others.The global aquaculture industry has tripled in size since the year 2000 and billions of individual aquatic animals are now being farmed without basic information that could help ensure even minimal welfare standards. Notably, the study challenges the notion that prioritising animal welfare is incompatible with addressing food security, suggesting proactive welfare approaches are needed to inform consumer choice.
85% of people polled in the UK believe the welfare of fish should be protected to the same or greater extent as other farmed animals and 91% of people polled across nine other European countries also agreed with this. Compassion in World Farming and Eurogroup for Animals are now calling for stronger legislation for farmed fish.
More than a million salmon have died this year at a farm belonging to the UK’s largest supplier, Mowi, in the biggest mass die-off of farmed salmon in Scotland in a decade.
Offshore Wind
A new type of generator developed by Edinburgh engineers could reduce the cost of electricity produced by offshore renewable technologies. The modular system can be easily transported to renewable energy installations and assembled into a complete power system. Unlike conventional systems, each module can be added, replaced or moved individually, meaning energy companies can keep operations running without long downtimes, the team says. The new technology also enables companies to upgrade their systems over time without major overhauls.
A new report titled “Race to Renewables” found 39% of offshore wind professionals across Europe surveyed believed the lack of temporary power solutions were the biggest barrier to growth. The report warns persistent temporary power issues could prove costly for the industry, as the high targets set by European governments may not be met if solutions are not found, however Aggreko hopes the report will help support the industry in addressing these issues.
A wind farm off the coast of Fife has started generating power into the national grid. Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) wind farm is expected to be completed and fully commissioned by next summer, powering around 375,000 homes. RSPB Scotland are concerned the farm puts birds such as puffins, gannets and kittiwakes at risk, however are working with Neart na Gaoithe and other offshore wind farms to try and reduce harm to seabirds.
Turbine installation has been successfully completed at the 476 MW Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, which will supply around 475,000 households with renewable energy while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 800,000 tons per year when fully operational. With this project, Iberdrola is on track to have nearly 5,000 MW of offshore capacity globally by the end of 2026.
A floating offshore wind project being developed off the coast of Ulsan, Korea, has secured a transmission service agreement (TSA) with Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) for a total of 1125 MW of clean power to be injected into Korea’s national grid.
The U.S. is ramping up plans for a major increase in offshore wind production, however extreme weather impacts on offshore wind turbines are not fully understood by the industry. A comprehensive review critically examined the landscape of tropical storm observation technology, finding the intensity of extreme weather events is not well predicted by traditional methods. They believe better models and data are needed to bridge between the scales of weather data, whole wind farms, and individual wind turbines, to inform and revise design standards.
BP (LON:BP) is reportedly considering the sale of a minority stake in its offshore wind business as it looks to reduce the scale of its investment in the sector. BP is currently developing offshore wind farms in the UK, United States, Germany, South Korea and Japan, with none currently in operation.
Catherine Leaf, who has 10 years experience supporting oil and gas decommissioning projects, has written a piece on how offshore wind can learn from oil and gas decommissioning to create a circular economy framework.
Offshore Industry
The relatively recent process of 3D mapping the ocean floor has allowed nations to assert their sovereignty over newfound undersea features, known as “bathyonyms”, and Dr Sergei Basik fears that newly ‘discovered’ underwater topographical features are paving the way for nation states to exploit previously untouched marine resources. Some countries are seeking to demonstrate that a nearby seabed is part of their continental shelf and therefore belongs to them, potentially extending underwater sovereignty by as much as 350 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline.
A report by the Ocean Data Action Coalition, Tides of Transparency, has summarised its first mapping of industrial ocean data sharing, and sheds light on the fragmented nature of private sector contributions.
Nearly 38,000 UK jobs are set to be created across the UK after a total of £63 billion of investment was announced around the International Investment Summit. More than £24 billion of private investment was dedicated to the growth of pioneering energy projects.
Conservation
A flagship report “Ambition, Action, Impact: The Ocean Decade Pathway to 2030 – Consolidated Outcomes of the Vision 2030 Process” identifies key priorities and transformative actions to advance ocean knowledge and science as part of the Ocean Decade.
A new report, On Track Or Off Course?: Assessing Progress Toward The 30×30 Target For The Ocean, offers a ‘sobering reality check’ for the world’s oceans as nations continue to fall short of pledges to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. At current rates, just under 10 percent of the world’s oceans will be protected by 2030.
A new report warns studies establishing a direct causal link between acidification and marine life are currently lacking, but are needed so policymakers can make informed decisions. The report is calling for focused research that provides “incontrovertible evidence” of how ocean acidification impacts marine life, with ocean acidification recognised as one of nine key planetary boundaries that, if breached, would make Earth less habitable for humans.
The regional assembly of Portugal’s Azores Islands approved the creation of the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic. The network will encompass almost 300,000 square kilometres, and ensures the preservation of underwater mountain ranges and vulnerable marine ecosystems, including deep-sea corals, hydrothermal vents and marine species. The approval places the archipelago at the forefront of global ocean conservation that aims to achieve the goals set by the United Nations of protecting 30% of the Earth’s land and sea by 2030 under a global pact adopted last year.
Oceanographic connectivity (the movement and exchange of water between different parts of the ocean) is a key influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean. Protecting reefs is essential in this area, particularly for rapidly growing local communities, which are highly dependent on reefs and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The discovery highlights efficient conservation area prioritisation should include connectivity for decision making for Marine Protected Area management across country borders.
ASICs new report calls on the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to take urgent action to protect the Southern Ocean. CCAMLR Members have proposed four scientifically robust MPAs that could protect nearly 3% of the global ocean, which would be the largest act of ocean conservation in history.
Removing the pressure of continued abrasion from recreational mooring, by use of the Stirling Advanced Mooring System (AMS), can enable the recovery of seagrass habitat. Between 2019 – 2023 a 212% increase in seagrass density was recorded in Cawsand, England, and the AMS had proven successful overall in terms of community acceptance and user experience, despite evidence of seagrass bed recovery not being available at the time of carrying out the interviews.
A new paper presents evidence from across England that demonstrates IFCA-led progress in marine protected area (MPA) management, proposing the IFCA model and mode of practice is tailored to deliver effective MPA networks that are equitably governed with attention to sustainable use and the livelihood needs of local communities.
New research has upended the assumption that the main driver of declining southern resident orca populations around British Columbia was the catastrophic collapse of chinook salmon, revealing southern resident orcas have far more access to salmon than their much healthier northern resident relatives. Instead, researchers believe noise from marine traffic poses a much larger threat, “masking” communication between orcas and interfering with their ability to hunt. This threat is set to escalate with liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports set to start in BC in 2025. The North Coast Cetacean Society estimates increasing tanker traffic will kill more than two fin whales and 18 humpbacks each year due to ship strikes.
Puffins, Manx shearwaters and kittiwakes on Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland have been dying, with Puffin numbers declining by 74% since 1991, largely due to invasive rats and ferrets. The £4.5m Life Raft project is in its final phase of eradicating these key predators, with 40 scientists, researchers, conservationists and volunteers putting the first poisoned food into the bait stations. The project will continue until 2026, when all ferrets and rats are hoped to be gone.
Climate
A new Greenpeace International report, In Hotter Water: How the Global Ocean Treaty can boost climate action, summarises scientific findings over the last five years which raise the alarm about ocean warming, coral bleaching, shifting marine species distributions, sea ice loss, sea level rise and extreme weather events.
A new Environment Agency monitoring tower installed in Poole Harbour will answer the mystery of how newly created salt marshes store carbon. This tower will be the first to monitor what happens to carbon within a habitat as it changes from dry land to a salty wet intertidal habitat when the existing flood embankment is breached as part of the Moors at Arne project.
A marine animal rescue group, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), fears climate change is responsible for a rise in the number of seal pups that need rescuing. Severe storms are occurring more frequently, leading to a higher number of casualties, a severe threat to a population of only 350,000 worldwide.
Science
A new-to-science hammerhead species, the shovelhead shark, has been hiding in plain sight due to its close resemblance to a long-lost relative, the bonnethead shark. A breakthrough study confirmed that these are two distinct species who diverged 3.5 million to 5 million years ago. While scientists recognise a high risk of the species going extinct before we get a chance to know it, the discovery will enable the implementation of conservation measures tailored to each species.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have analysed down to the smallest detail the structure and function of two previously unexplored weapons of the predatory bacterium Aureispira. The weapons are a molecular grappling hook, which Aureispira uses to catch its prey, and a spring-loaded cannon, which it uses to kill it. They believe it may be possible to use such predatory bacteria to combat blooms of algae or to deliver active ingredients to individual body cells.
Marine Pollution
Bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay in Florida and Barataria Bay in Louisiana are exhaling microplastic fibres, according to new research. The study found the microplastic particles exhaled by bottlenose dolphins are similar in chemical composition to those identified in human lungs. In humans, inhaled microplastics can cause lung inflammation, cardiovascular issues, reproductive issues, and possibly cancer, so dolphins may be at risk of similar health problems.
A new study put plastic beach litter through underwater acoustic testing found a torn plastic party balloon and a delicious squid could be easily confused by whales that hunt with soundwaves in the lightless depths of the ocean. In fact, one hundred percent of plastic marine debris tested had either similar or stronger acoustic target strengths compared with that of whale prey items, further illuminating the growing threat plastics pose to these animals.
The University of Portsmouth teamed up with the Marine Conservation Society (MSC) to test for PFA chemicals in Langstone Harbour, Hampshire, which is home to harbour seals and a diverse range of birds. Researchers discovered the levels of forever chemicals rose in a highly protected marine area after sewage discharges, and seaweeds could be acting as a reservoir for them. One particular PFA chemical was more than 6,000 times higher in seaweed than the amount found in the surrounding water.
A new study provides insights into the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on deep-sea microbial communities.
The Ukrainian delegation successfully prevented the chairmanship of the Black Sea Protection Commission, the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, from being transferred to Russia during the 44th regular session. The commission’s primary objectives include protecting the Black Sea marine environment from land-based pollution, preserving the sea’s biological and landscape diversity, and combating pollution from oil and other harmful substances in emergency situations.
Samoa says 200,000 litres of diesel has leaked into the sea after HMNZS Manawanui hit a reef, with residents calling for compensation and an independent inquiry amid the destruction of coral reefs and an oil spill in an island nation. Experts say it is crucial to remove the fuel before cyclone season in November, which could lead to the ship moving or breaking up.
Mysterious blobs that are slimy on the outside and firm and spongy on the inside have been washing up on the shores of Newfoundland, baffling residents and marine scientists. They have been found along more than 28 miles of coastline, however they currently know more about what it’s not than what it is.
Opportunities
Is Marine Licensing working for you? The SUDG is seeking views from industry, regulators and conservation bodies, on the operation of current regulatory systems. They are particularly interested in evidence from examples which could act as case studies for the views expressed. Fill in the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/aA8Lfgiz8PmJf4io9, or download the word document on their website and return to info@sudg.org.uk by 31 October, 2024.
Marine Media
Dive into a podcast discovering whether we are bringing blue whales back from the brink.
Watch American research group Ocearch’s efforts to catch, tag and track the elusive Mediterranean great white sharks in Europe last summer.
Read the story behind the image that changed the world’s stance on commercial whaling and marked the beginning of Greenpeace’s “mind bomb” campaign.