NEWS

NEWS

Keeping you up to date with Project Seagrass news and views with a mixture of field notes and commentary on seagrass and marine conservation topics.

One man went to sow

Guest blog by Mike Furness about his experience as a volunteer during seagrass planting week. It was smelly; it was noisy; it was heavy; it was cold. It was buzzing, vibrant and invigorating. Overwhelmingly it was about camaraderie, enthusiasm and shared purpose, and all set on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast.

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New life and new hope

Ah, the long awaited bank holiday weekend is almost here, but this time the circumstances are more than a little unusual. Instead of heading to the beach we will be staying at home, not just to look after ourselves but to support our NHS and it’s amazing staff. Easter is

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The Isolated Conservationist

You are not alone! We are all having to take a pause from our chaotic lives in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We must support our health care services and the incredible frontline workers by staying at home. Our ocean optimism and motivation to protect our planet does not stop for

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Mosquito nets: Are they catching more fishes than insects?

Mosquito nets designed to prevent malaria transmission are used for fishing which may devastate tropical coastal ecosystems, according to a new scientific study. The researchers found that most of the fish caught using mosquito nets were smaller than a finger and potentially collect hundreds of individuals. Malaria is a serious

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Oceans Festival 2019

Oceans Festival was a day to celebrate work being carried out by scientists, educators, volunteers, artists and many more. There was a variety of stands all sharing the same passion for our oceans. With stalls selling sustainable and plastic free items to beautiful artwork of marine mammals as well as yummy

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Project Seagrass: A Year In Review 2018-2019

Richard Lilley Every year, as a charitable organisation, we have to write a report highlighting the previous 12 months activities. In our early days as a charity these seemed fairly straightforward, but as I sit here to write this, I find it very difficult to decided what to include. A

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Spotlight on Scotland: The Sound of Jura

The weather in Scotland has been beautiful recently making the start of my Spring fieldwork very enjoyable – although surface water temperatures of 7 or 8℃ was a swift reminder that winter has only just left us! Last week I was very lucky to be shown around the Taynish peninsula

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Dear Santa

Dear Santa, We have tried to be responsible people all year. We are really hoping that this year we get the thing we have always wanted – healthy and productive oceans. We know that people haven’t looked after the oceans from the first time they were given to us, and

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Coldplay Ticket Competition, Photo Credit Anna Lee
Coldplay

And the winners are… Coldplay Competition winners announced

Earlier this year, Project Seagrass launched a creative competition in collaboration with our official patrons, Coldplay. The competition invited entrants to submit inspiring, impactful, and creative designs communicating one of the following five themes: 1. The importance of seagrass 2. Seagrass and people 3. Seagrass around the world 4. Seagrass

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Seaweed being grown along a line.
Global Seagrass Challenge

Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life

Seaweed farming is a rapidly expanding global industry. As a food resource, it has high nutritional value and doesn’t need fertilisers to grow. Seaweed provides valuable habitats for marine life, takes up carbon and absorbs nutrients, plus it helps protect our coastlines from erosion. Usually, seaweeds grow on hard, rocky surfaces. Yet, to

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An information board with information about Porthdinllaen in North Wales. On the left hand pillar of the board is a QR code where users can scan to receive further information about the seagrass meadow in Porthdinllaen.
HistoryPoints

QR code on Wales Coast Path reveals the story of seagrass

A new QR code on the Wales Coast Path at Porthdinllaen and Morfa Nefyn reveals the story of the large seagrass meadow in the shallow water. Thousands of people visit this area every year to enjoy its natural beauty, but few are probably aware of the seagrass meadow – estimated

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Three members of the Harvell Lab are crouched and kneeling in a seagrass meadow at low tide. They are examine the health of eelgrass along a transect line.
eelgrass wasting disease

AI-powered analysis uncovers marine herbivores’ impact on eelgrass disease spread

Eelgrass, a type of flowering seagrass found in temperate zones around the world, provides habitat for many species, protects coastlines, improves water quality, sequesters carbon and supports fishing economies. The foundation of a highly productive marine food web, eelgrass’s health is paramount but mysterious. Scientists have long studied how terrestrial

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Gathaagudu is an area of natural beauty. Credit: Cat Williams
local knowledge

Partnership is key to restoring shark bay seagrass

Gathaagudu/Shark Bay is located on Malgana (pronounced Mal-guh-nuh) Country. It’s a place of great natural beauty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The landscape is a stunning array of colors as the desert meets the ocean. Below the sea’s surface, 4,000 square kilometers of seagrass meadows sway. That’s equivalent to

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