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.

Cuttlefish.

The Cuttlefish: Creatures that call seagrass home

In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. Cuttlefish are molluscs and join squid and octopuses in the Cephalopod family. Predominantly found in temperate and tropical areas, 120 species can be found around the world. Cuttlefish

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Seagrass at Saya De Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean.

Why the BBNJ Treaty Matters for Seagrass

The BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) Treaty is critical for protecting and enhancing seagrass. Most of the world’s seagrass is within national jurisdictions; however, in some locations, such as the Saya De Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean, seagrass is located beyond any national jurisdiction. This means it’s not legally

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Advanced Sustainable Mooring System with monitoring devices

The new mooring systems supporting the Solent’s seagrass

An innovative cross-sector partnership between Project Seagrass, Blue Parameters, and WarrenBoats has enabled the installation of two Advanced Sustainable Mooring Systems (ASMS) at Seaview on the Isle of Wight, relieving pressure on the Island’s important seagrass habitats. Seagrass meadows play a critical role in keeping our oceans healthy and are

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Pollack and Cod in an Orcadian seagrass meadow

Exploring the secrets within Orkney’s seagrass meadows

Around the archipelago of Orkney, are some of the UK’s most pristine seagrass meadows.  With numerous sheltered bays, low numbers of inhabitants, and crystal-clear waters, Orkney’s shores provide the ideal conditions for seagrass. However, much remains unknown about these important ecosystems.  The Highland Park funded Sjogras Partnership was established to

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Lindsey is standing by the coast. She is wearing sunglasses and a hoodie with a turtle on it.

Volunteers’ Week: Interview with Lindsey

At Project Seagrass, we rely on the enthusiasm and commitment of our volunteers who support our work to save the world’s seagrass. We couldn’t do it without you! We spoke to Lindsey, one of our regular volunteers in the Solent about her experiences of volunteering with Project Seagrass: 1. Tell

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Volunteers from Moray Ocean Community and partners at the Inverness Royal Academy Citizen Science day

Interview with Moray Ocean Community

We spoke to Moray Ocean Community about their volunteering in the Moray Firth area and how they integrate the SeagrassSpotter app into their activities. Read the full interview below: Can you tell us about Moray Ocean Community and how it started? Moray Ocean Community started to come together over two

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Europe

Seagrass planting trials underway in Cardiff

Scientists from the marine conservation charity Project Seagrass are undertaking seagrass planting experiments along the South & West Wales coastline, including a new planting site in Butetown along Cardiff’s Foreshore.  Cardiff’s Foreshore is a popular place for sea-angling for species such as cod, which uses seagrass meadows as a nursery

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A screenshot of the research paper "Seagrass meadows globally as a coupled social–ecological system: Implications for human wellbeing" overlain on an image of seagrass in North Wales
new science

Project Seagrass Journal Club: October 2024

We have just launched a journal club for the Project Seagrass team. These monthly meetups work much like a book club, members of the team each suggest a relevant scientific paper, vote on their favourite, then read the winning paper prior to meeting. During the journal club we critically discuss

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A screenshot of the research paper "New directions for Indigenous and local knowledge research and application in fisheries science: Lessons from a systematic review" overlain on an image of seagrass in North Wales
new science

Indigenous and Local Knowledge in Fisheries Science

Seagrass meadows play a critical role in keeping our oceans healthy and stocked with food, providing valuable nursery habitat to over 1/5th of the world’s largest 25 fisheries. Seagrass meadows are also important to small-scale fisheries, particularly as a place to find and collect a reliable source of food with some

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Coastal Communities Network Gathering 2024

Earlier this month Project Seagrass’ Senior Conservation Officer Katy Waring attended the yearly gathering for coastal communities from the Coastal Communities Network  facilitated by Fauna and Flora International. The event was held on the island of Millport at their field studies centre.   The 3-day event was inspiring; groups from around

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From left to right: View of the STARESO harbor entrance with Posidonia meadow islands and an accumulation of dead leaves. Close-up of litter accumulation. Experimental benthic incubation device ('bell') installed on accumulations of Posidonia dead leaves (10 m deep). Credit: G.Lepoint & W. Champenois / ULiège
new science

Dead leaves in sea break down into a compost that produces oxygen

Researchers from the University of Liège (BE) studied the fate of the material produced by Posidonia seagrass meadows. This study, carried out in the Mediterranean Sea at STARESO, shows that the dead leaves of what is commonly known as Neptune grass accumulate in shallow areas, where they break down like

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