During the 2021-22 academic year Project Seagrass welcomed Ellie Postlethwaite to undertake an internship. In our Q&A, Ellie shares her experiences of her internship with Project Seagrass and discusses what she has gone on to do next. Who/What inspired you to apply for an internship at Project Seagrass? As a
To protect and restore seagrass, we need reliable maps showing where seagrass is growing and how this is changing over time. Global seagrass distribution and status is difficult to map and monitor, largely due to its widespread distribution and the relatively limited scientific resources focused on seagrass. Mapping work to
During the 2021-22 academic year Project Seagrass welcomed Lowri O’Neill to undertake an internship. In our Q&A, Lowri shares her experiences of her internship with Project Seagrass and discusses what she has gone on to do next. Who/What inspired you to apply for an internship at Project Seagrass? My lecturer,
Seagrass meadows and their elusive inhabitants, dugongs, are under threat across Asia. To tackle this, conservation experts, policymakers, and researchers from across the region gathered in Bangkok in February 2025 for the First Asian Regional Dialogue on Seagrass and Dugong Conservation. The goal? To find real, actionable solutions to the challenges
Between the 8th and 10th April 2025, Project Seagrass will join other scientists and conservation professionals in Arcachon, France for the 2nd European Seagrass Restoration Workshop. Hosted by The Seagrass Consortium the workshop follows on from the inaugural workshop held in Portinho da Arrábida, Portugal in 2010. The 2025 workshop
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. The author is Siripannee Supratya. Siripannee Supratya (Noina) is a Thai journalist focusing on the environment, science, laws and socio-political happenings. In addition to her journalism work, she is a creative communicator and a professional diver. She is on
The Project Seagrass team have been busy working on a range of new features within SeagrassSpotter. Since our last major update in 2023, we have been working to further enhance your experience when participating in the programme and are super excited to share the latest developments. In response to your
A new study led by the University of South Florida highlights the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems in shallow water near the shore —an area that many beachgoers don’t realize is highly important to fish populations. Known as tidal flats, these coastal waters are characterized by a complex mosaic
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
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
During the 2021-22 academic year Project Seagrass welcomed Ellie Postlethwaite to undertake an internship. In our Q&A, Ellie shares her experiences of her internship with Project Seagrass and discusses what she has gone on to do next. Who/What inspired you to apply for an internship at Project Seagrass? As a terrestrial biologist I had actually never heard of seagrass before! My initial placement year was cancelled due to Covid restrictions and I was looking through placements that previous Cardiff University Biology students had undertaken and came across Project Seagrass. After a little bit of research I realised just how important seagrass was and instantly found it super fascinating. I found the ecosystem services that seagrass provides so interesting during my studies and realised this was the perfect placement for me, so applied and got the position. What have you been up to following your internship with Project Seagrass? Since completing my internship with Project Seagrass I completed my degree in Biological Sciences at Cardiff University with a 1st class. Upon graduating I started an Ecology and Environment graduate scheme with RSK, spending time in UK ecology and International Biodiversity. My year placement a Project Seagrass definitely helped me to get on this scheme, having first hand experience set me above many other candidates. However I am still truly obsessed with seagrass, whenever I am near the beach I’m on the look out for seagrass and love to stay up to date with the latest research. Reflecting on your time with Project Seagrass, what were the main skills you developed during your internship? I have to say the main skills I developed during my year with Project Seagrass was research and fieldwork. Having the chance to conduct my own mini research project, looking at why a small meadow of seagrass persists and isn’t expanding within Cardiff Bay gave me skills from project management, to organisation and planning. It allowed me creativity to develop my own set of questions and work out the best methodology to answer these questions. Also having the opportunity to go on several fieldworks during the year expanded my skills of problem solving, resilience and a much deeper understanding of science. Furthermore, during my placement my science communication skills were enhanced, from posting on Project Seagrass’ social media accounts, to running stalls at events as well as leading workshops to secondary school ages children. These experiences not only opened my eyes to science communication but helped develop my skills in presenting, being engaging, and confidence. What was the highlight of your internship experience with Project Seagrass? The highlight of my time at Project Seagrass was just the amount I got to be involved with and having the most incredible and supportive team around me. From fieldwork in the Isle of Weight to up in Orkney, I was surrounded by people fueling me with knowledge, support and skills. Some of the top highlights though have to be helping construct the first UK seagrass nursery, collecting seeds for the Seagrass Ocean Rescue program and getting to run my own project. What advice would you give to people looking to pursue a career in the marine conservation sector? My advice for anyone looking to pursue a career in marine conservation is experience and enthusiasm. As much as a degree helps you gain the basic understanding, getting hands on experience gives you so many more skills than a degree can ever teach you. Getting in touch with your local marine biology groups (Facebook is a good place to find these), the wildlife trust or many companies now offer summer internships which you can often get subsidies through your university. Experience such as diving and on boats is also valuable experience for marine conservation careers. Being enthusiastic is invaluable, showing passion and excitement is one of the best skills you can have.
To protect and restore seagrass, we need reliable maps showing where seagrass is growing and how this is changing over time. Global seagrass distribution and status is difficult to map and monitor, largely due to its widespread distribution and the relatively limited scientific resources focused on seagrass. Mapping work to date has been a slow and expensive process with the status of many seagrass meadows remaining unknown. However, by combining emerging technology with community-powered science we can speed up this process. A recent study has developed a novel deep learning model ( SGDenseNet) that uses satellite imagery to map seagrass meadows more efficiently. To test the accuracy of the model, the researchers used SeagrassSpotter data to help validate the study. Classification results on 1,067 locations from Seagrass Spotter project. Green points indicate locations where the SGDenseNet model correctly classified the presence of seagrass, while red points represent locations where the model misclassified the data. Source: Peng, et al 2025 How SeagrassSpotter Data Helped Researchers used 1,067 independent seagrass field data samples from SeagrassSpotter to test the accuracy of their deep learning model. The SGDenseNet model correctly identified seagrass 81% of the time when compared to real-world SeagrassSpotter data suggesting the model has significant potential for helping researchers track seagrass globally, making conservation efforts more targeted and effective. One of the biggest challenges in mapping seagrass is telling seagrass apart from similar-looking underwater habitats such as algae, coral, and sand. These environments often have overlapping spectral signatures—essentially, the way different materials reflect light—which makes them hard to distinguish using traditional methods. By using deep learning, the SGDenseNet model was able to analyse subtle spatial differences and improve accuracy significantly. It’s for these reasons that we created a separate “absence” feature within SeagrassSpotter, to track places where seagrass isn’t growing, which can help researchers differentiate different habitats that may look like seagrass from space. We often get asked, “Where does SeagrassSpotter data go?” This study is a perfect example of how your contributions help to drive real scientific progress. By sharing your sightings, you’re not just taking a photo—you’re helping scientists build better tools to protect seagrass around the world. SeagrassSpotter data has also been utilised as part of other research including a study assessing how genetic variation and genetic differentiation vary among Zostera marina meadows in Northern Europe and as part of a study assessing the effect of wave exposure on sedimentary carbon and nitrogen accumulation in Zostera marina meadows at the Swedish west coast. Want to be part of this effort? Download the SeagrassSpotter app, log your sightings, and make a difference for the future of our oceans!
During the 2021-22 academic year Project Seagrass welcomed Lowri O’Neill to undertake an internship. In our Q&A, Lowri shares her experiences of her internship with Project Seagrass and discusses what she has gone on to do next. Who/What inspired you to apply for an internship at Project Seagrass? My lecturer, Dr. Penny Neyland. I was desperate to find an internship in marine biology for my year in industry (part of my 4-year undergraduate degree at Swansea University), and she put me in touch with Dr. Richard Unsworth. It was an opportunity I jumped at without hesitation. In hindsight, I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity Dr. Unsworth gave me. What have you been up to following your internship with Project Seagrass? After completing my internship, I graduated with a first-class marine biology with a year in industry degree from Swansea University. I then worked as a research technician in an aquaculture research institution for six months with Pontus before being accepted into a PhD program at Deakin University, Australia. My PhD focuses on salmon lice (parasites), and I have the incredible opportunity to live in Australia while conducting experiments in Norway—allowing me to travel as part of my research. It means I’ve been incredibly busy but deeply involved in cutting-edge science, which is all I ever wanted to do. I am super happy! Reflecting on your time with Project Seagrass, what were the main skills you developed during your internship? Research was the key skill I developed during my internship, and the experience I gained was equivalent to a master’s degree (according to my PhD supervisors), making me eligible for PhD programs. Beyond research, I also grew in teamwork and confidence—the Project Seagrass team was so skilled in different ways, and despite often feeling like everyone else was more knowledgeable, I always felt like I belonged because of the family-like vibe of the team. They truly wanted to help me grow and I felt that very strongly. Another crucial skill was science communication—sharing knowledge in ways that made seagrass conservation accessible and engaging to everyone. This ability to communicate science effectively is essential in conservation, and I’m grateful for how much I developed in this area as science communication was also incredibly important for Project Seagrass. What was the highlight of your internship experience with Project Seagrass? One highlight was leading my own blue carbon research project—a cutting-edge topic with very few experts, which gave me a niche advantage when it came to building my CV after I graduated. I also loved travelling to Loch Craignish in Scotland, assisting PhD students with their research, from taking blue carbon cores to sampling seagrass meadows for invertebrates. I had never been to Scotland and this was such an exciting time for me. However, my biggest highlight was being part of the Seagrass Ocean Rescue North Wales programme, collecting seeds to restore seagrass meadows across Wales. As a proud Welsh girl, this project meant so much to me—it was amazing to help bring back nature that had been lost from our own Welsh shores. I was truly proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to be a part of it. What advice would you give to people looking to pursue a career in the marine conservation sector? Gain relevant education and skills – A degree helps, and skills like diving certifications or GIS can give you an edge. Get hands-on experience – Volunteer with agencies, charities, or research labs (literally anywhere remotely related to conservation or science) . Bug your lecturers to let you help in their labs, reach out to marine biology groups & assist with social media outreach—anything and everything adds up! Explore different career paths – Marine conservation isn’t just about fieldwork. It includes environmental education, research, policy, and advocacy, so research different options to find where you fit best. Be flexible – Some of the best opportunities won’t be on your doorstep. I never imagined moving to Australia for a PhD, let alone getting accepted into the programme—but taking the leap was the best decision I ever made. Jump at every opportunity—because the worst that can happen is someone says no. The best? It could change your life (as cliche as that sounds, it’s true!).
Seagrass meadows and their elusive inhabitants, dugongs, are under threat across Asia. To tackle this, conservation experts, policymakers, and researchers from across the region gathered in Bangkok in February 2025 for the First Asian Regional Dialogue on Seagrass and Dugong Conservation. The goal? To find real, actionable solutions to the challenges facing these vital ecosystems. At this event, we were invited to share our learnings from over two decades of hands-on experience across Asia, where research outputs from our executives, Leanne, Ben and Richard, have been pivotal in shaping understanding of the crucial role seagrass meadows play in supporting livelihoods and food-security – research that embraces our social-ecological systems approach to seagrass conservation. Our CEO, Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, whose own seagrass journey began in this region more than two decades ago was delighted to attend the event, reconnect, and talk about the Global Goals, specific global challenges for seagrass, and need for robust data achieved through broader scientific approached and transdisciplinary collaboration. Leanne presenting at the First Asian Regional Dialogue on Seagrass and Dugong Conservation Bridging the Gaps in Policy While many Asian countries already have laws to protect seagrass and dugongs, enforcement remains a challenge due to budget constraints and fragmented conservation efforts. Some countries manage seagrass and dugongs separately, which weakens conservation impact. Experts at the dialogue called for stronger, integrated policies, better coordination between government agencies, and increased scientific input to guide decision-making. Better Mapping & Data Sharing Accurate data is key to protecting seagrass meadows, but many countries struggle with inconsistent monitoring and difficulty accessing research. Political and security concerns can also make cross-border data sharing complicated. At the dialogue, Leanne emphasised the importance of community-driven data collection, improved mapping techniques, and innovative technology to track seagrass health and dugong populations. In her presentation, she highlighted how citizen science (building on our SeagrassSpotter programme) can drive more effective conservation. Participants also discussed the need for regional cooperation in data sharing to bridge knowledge gaps – efforts we’re leading by making SeagrassSpotter data accessible to all. A Coordinated Approach to Conservation From government agencies to NGOs and private companies, many groups are working to protect seagrass and dugongs – but often in isolation. The dialogue highlighted the need for better knowledge-sharing, and we hope to lead that charge. Our own strategic objectives align closely with the key outcomes of the dialogue. The message from the event was clear: protecting dugongs and seagrass in Asia requires stronger collaboration and smarter policies. By building on our own expertise and strengthening regional partnerships, we will secure a future where these vital ecosystems, and the communities that rely on them, continue to thrive. Presentations and a summary of the event from the organisers can be found here. Global expects converge to address gaps for seagrass and dugong conservation in Asia.
Between the 8th and 10th April 2025, Project Seagrass will join other scientists and conservation professionals in Arcachon, France for the 2nd European Seagrass Restoration Workshop. Hosted by The Seagrass Consortium the workshop follows on from the inaugural workshop held in Portinho da Arrábida, Portugal in 2010. The 2025 workshop is centered around coalition and shared learning with the theme “Towards a European Seagrass Restoration Alliance” which centres the conference’s aim to mark the start of a new era for transnational collaboration for seagrass restoration in Europe. Members of the Project Seagrass team will be involved in the following: Workshops Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Richard Unsworth and Dr Per-Olav Moksnes (Göteborgs universitet) will be co-hosting a workshop on Zostera marina seagrass restoration with a focus on disseminating operational techniques whilst also exploring potential project synergies and the opportunity for future collaboration. Nursery Lead, Emily Yates will be co-hosting a workshop with Dr Laura Govers (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) on the role of Seagrass Nurseries in supporting the scaling of seagrass restoration efforts in the field, but critically for developing the scientific knowledge that underpins restoration success. Talks In her talk, Project Seagrass CEO, Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth will talk about the planetary role of seagrass conservation noting that seagrass is part of the highly complex jigsaw of planetary recovery. Everywhere there is seagrass, there are people that depend on it for food, subsistence, or cultural fulfilment. It delivers planetary and human wellbeing across its near global range. Seagrass has previously been dismissed as the ugly duckling of the marine world. But there is beauty in a plant that sustains millions of people across the globe. In fact, this marine plant contributes to most of the targets within 16 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals but it’s only as a connected, collaborative society that will we be able to rise to the global challenges facing seagrass. Dr Richard Unsworth will deliver a talk on current and future perspectives of Zostera marina seagrass restoration. Senior Scientific Officer, Anouska Mendzil will deliver a talk on the UK’s largest in-field seagrass (Zostera marina) scientific methodology planting trials, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue: Solent programme. Funded by WWF, the programme aims to identify and test the most successful and efficient planting methodology to enable increased seed germination and survival for active restoration projects at scale. The talk will discuss the methodologies utilized as part of the trials as well as emphasizing the importance of funding for monitoring being accounted for within projects long after the active restoration stage has been completed. Posters Alongside the workshops and talks, members of the team will be presenting posters at the conference. Seagrass Restoration Research Assistant, Bridget Patterson will present a poster on the unpredictable challenges currently faced by temperate intertidal seagrass restoration projects, sharing lessons learned from Project Seagrass’ involvement in the Seagrass Ocean Rescue: North Wales programme. Bridget will discuss the reasons that intertidal Zostera marina planting efforts on the Llŷn Peninsula were unsuccessful as well as sharing the most effective planting method in this area. Bridget will present a second poster calling for data for a new seagrass restoration meta-analysis. Building on our own Project Seagrass restoration data, we will be calling for other data from any seagrass restoration attempt. The aim is to build a meta-analysis that includes satellite-derived abiotic data to compare methodology and environment on a global scale. Bridget will discuss the findings of our meta analysis and talk to other restoration bodies about adding their data. Senior Science Officer, Dr Hannah Green’s poster will present the findings from experiments carried out at the Project Seagrass Seagrass Nursery to investigate the impact that timing, planting method, and sediment type used for Zostera marina seagrass restoration had on germination rate and seedling establishment under semi-controlled conditions in a nursery setup. Science Officer, Emma Fox will present a poster on Nanozostera noltii transplants. Higher success rates are needed to scale up seagrass restoration to ensure the level of ocean recovery required. An increasingly used method across the Northwest Atlantic has been the transplantation of Nanozostera noltii cores, resulting in varied success. This method relies upon the use of natural beds as donor material. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the impact of core removal on the natural beds in deciding whether this is a suitable restoration method when scaling up. To increase knowledge and develop best practices, recovery of the donor meadow was looked at across sites in Essex, South Wales and Scotland. Emma’s poster will present data from these sites, examining the length of time for the natural bed to recover and the variation in recovery rates. This research has implications for beds selected as donor material and, subsequently, has led to the development of trials using Nanozostera noltii from the Project Seagrass Nursery. Explore the full ESRW programme via the European Seagrass Restoration Alliance website.
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. The author is Siripannee Supratya. Siripannee Supratya (Noina) is a Thai journalist focusing on the environment, science, laws and socio-political happenings. In addition to her journalism work, she is a creative communicator and a professional diver. She is on Bluesky and X. When Piyarat Khumraksa started combing through five years of Thai government data on dugong deaths, she did not anticipate uncovering a crisis of national significance. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) had recorded far more deaths in 2023 and 2024 than previous years, but the reason was not clear. Khumraksa is a marine veterinarian who works along southern Thailand’s coastal provinces of Krabi, Trang and Satun. She is based at the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre, overlooking the lower Andaman Sea. Here, once-thriving seagrass meadows have been disappearing, along with the dugongs that rely on them for sustenance. “We first noticed problems with the seagrass five years ago, but it became critical in 2023 and 2024,” Khumraksa says. “The dugongs that were living in this area have now migrated to find seagrass along the west coast in Phuket, Phang Nga and Ranong provinces. This is the first time we have witnessed such a thing happening.” When dugongs are washed ashore in Thailand, they are rarely alive. A deceased animal that washed up in Krabi province on 30 December brought the total death count to 45 last year. In 2023, there were 40 deaths. In October 2024, the minister for natural resources and the environment, Chalermchai Srion, stated that dugong mortality in Thailand usually averages 13 per year. Stranding hotspots are concentrated in Trang province, especially around Mook and Libong islands. Khumraksa says this is where previously vast seagrass beds have vanished. Dialogue Earth spoke to Milica Stankovic, who works in the lab at the Seaweed and Seagrass Research Unit at southern Thailand’s Prince of Songkla University. She shares the example of Krabi’s Ao Nammao Bay, where seagrass coverage has plummeted from a healthy 60%, to 1% in 2024. A leading theory behind the seagrass die-off is changes in global climate patterns that trigger cascading effects. One of those effects is unusually low tides around Thailand, which fatally expose swathes of seagrass. Various efforts are now being made to support Thailand’s dugongs, including seagrass restoration. But there are fears the population will not be able to recover to its former size. Plummeting numbers According to a DMCR survey, Thailand had 273 dugongs in its surrounding waters in 2022, mostly living along the west coast in the Andaman Sea. Based on recorded deaths alone, Thailand may have since lost around one-third of that population. The true toll may be even higher, as many carcasses likely go undiscovered. Dugongs are categorised as vulnerable on The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. That is one stage before endangered. The only purely marine grazing mammal alive today, they feed almost exclusively on seagrass. This was once abundant in the warm, shallow waters of the Andaman Sea off south-west Thailand. Historically, dugongs were hunted for their tusks, meat and even their tears, which were used for their supposed aphrodisiac properties. They have been protected under Thai law since 1961. Today, hunting poses less of a threat, as the spiritual significance of the dugong has evolved to protective respect. The animal has also become valued for its appeal to ecotourists. Despite this legal protection, the trend of losses highlighted by Khumraksa raises worrying questions. Many of the dugongs that washed out of the Andaman Sea between January 2019 and November 2024 were emaciated. Only 12% of dugong deaths could be attributed to direct anthropogenic factors, such as fishing gear entanglement or boat collisions. While some tusk poaching was observed, Khumraksa says this appeared to be opportunistic and occurred after death. According to autopsies, plastic ingestion was also minimal, ruling out this pollution as the primary cause of death. In 40% of dugong deaths, the exact cause could not be determined due to advanced decomposition. Khumraksa says she has begun seeking out help from universities and researchers, so that she might investigate what constitutes “natural causes” among these deaths. She wants to establish whether starvation, disease, or a combination of factors could be responsible for the recent spike. So far, her own findings already point to a clear trend: as seagrass meadows decline, dugong deaths increase. Low tides and no green grass While many researchers are linking seagrass decline to the rise in dugong deaths, the authorities remain cautious. The DMCR’s director-general, Pinsak Suraswadi, cites other factors – such as disease, grazing pressure from other species and habitat damage from coastal developments – that could also be contributing to the crisis. Nevertheless, the widespread loss of seagrass remains a major concern. While seagrass naturally experiences seasonal variations, experts stress the current level of degradation is unprecedented. Suraswadi tells Dialogue Earth that researchers are working to establish what is causing the seagrass die-off. A key theory points to the prolonged exposure of intertidal seagrass to air, which is occurring during unusually low tides. “Data from 2023 shows water levels at low tide are lowered by 20-30cm – the seagrass gets exposed for a bit longer,” explains Suraswadi. “Seagrasses in deeper zones survive, but then they have grazing pressure from other surviving marine animals that also feed on seagrass.” Suraswadi attributes this retreat to natural, recurring variations in oceanic and atmospheric conditions called climate oscillations. The famous El Niño/La Niña system is one of these, but there are several others. It is not yet clear what exact oscillation may have caused the recent low tides, but, combined with higher-than-normal air temperatures, some experts think this change could have driven Thailand’s seagrass into trouble. “These past few years, low-tide marks have been dropping lower, exposing seagrass to extreme temperatures for longer periods,” says Suraswadi. “This has made us realise we need more expertise in physical oceanography [to fully understand the impact on marine ecosystems].” The Seaweed and Seagrass Research
The Project Seagrass team have been busy working on a range of new features within SeagrassSpotter. Since our last major update in 2023, we have been working to further enhance your experience when participating in the programme and are super excited to share the latest developments. In response to your feedback, the new functionality focuses on introducing ways for you to interact with each other, as well as introducing an element of healthy competition as we seek to widen our reach, grow the community mapping the world’s seagrass, and contribute to solving global challenges for seagrass! One of the six global challenges facing seagrass conservation is obtaining and maintaining information on the status and condition of seagrass meadows around the world. SeagrassSpotter makes a vital contribution to this, providing open access seagrass data that has been used in various scientific publications, from deep learning algorithms, to accessing genetic connectivity of seagrass populations. Explore some of the new functionality below: Leaderboards Think Duolingo, but for seagrass! The new Leaderboards within SeagrassSpotter showcase users with the Most Sightings, Most Countries Visited, and highest number of Species Found. With Yearly and All Time views available, users have a range of options to explore the sightings of their fellow SeagrassSpotters. And if your competitive spirit inspires you to head out to your local beach in search of seagrass, we’d love to see your sightings! Achievements Following the latest update, you might have noticed some new badges on your profile. This forms part of a host of new Achievements that SeagrassSpotter users can work towards. Ranging from the number of sightings uploaded to more specific achievements such as taking a photo with seeds or flowers or, there are a range of different achievements to unlock. Interactivity Users now have the opportunity to interact with each other’s seagrass sightings. Alongside new Like and Comment functions, users can now Favourite a seagrass sighting, making it easily accessible to find again via the My Favourites section in My Profile. Users can also make use of a new ‘I’ve spotted this too’ function, helping the community to confirm data points for sightings. We love to hear your feedback! SeagrassSpotter is constantly developing in response to its users. Please send any comments or feedback you have to seagrassspotter@projectseagrass.org .
A new study led by the University of South Florida highlights the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems in shallow water near the shore —an area that many beachgoers don’t realize is highly important to fish populations. Known as tidal flats, these coastal waters are characterized by a complex mosaic of habitats, such as sand, mud, coral rubble, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, coral reefs and mangroves. They are vital nursery grounds for diverse marine life, including reef fish, sharks and rays and are critical to global seafood supplies, local economies and overall marine health. The findings from a team of interdisciplinary marine experts, “Habitat management and restoration as missing pieces in flats ecosystems conservation and the fishes and fisheries that they support,” are published online in Fisheries. The team created 10 core strategies that boaters, anglers, wildlife managers and policymakers can adopt to prioritize and preserve marine flat ecosystems including seagrass meadows from humans and intensified weather events. At the top of the list is considering fish, such as tarpon, as flagship and umbrella species, as their protection would benefit additional species that use the same habitats. They urge habitat management and restoration to be at the forefront of the community’s mind, starting with integrating them into local government and coastal development and planning processes. Recent research from Project Seagrass, based on a fishery in South Florida, highlights the need for more diverse knowledge holders in local knowledge research and application to ensure that management recommendations arising from local knowledge are not skewed towards the most vocal individuals. The University of South Florida team believes this will lead to resilient shorelines and shallow-water habitats, providing long-term benefits for coastal communities and the marine life that depends on them. “The ecological connections between these ecosystems and other marine habitats are vital for the lifecycle of various species, many of which are integral to fisheries,” said Lucas Griffin, assistant professor in the USF Department of Integrative Biology. For the last decade, Griffin has studied fish and their migration patterns in a variety of areas, including the Florida Keys, witnessing firsthand how tidal flats are rapidly changing. Inspired by that work to take action, Griffin partnered with experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Carleton University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to develop a plan that can be applied locally and globally to help protect tidal flats. “The Florida Keys are a biodiversity hotspot where wildlife and fish depend on flats habitats,” Griffin said. “But these ecosystems are at risk—from coastal development and harmful algal blooms, to heat waves and boats running aground on sensitive habitats, like seagrass. Iconic recreational fish like tarpon, permit and bonefish rely on these flats, contributing millions of dollars to the local economy each year. “Despite their importance, there is not a lot of direct habitat management to protect these ecosystems. We need to address questions like how much good habitat remains, what can be restored and what has already been lost.” Overfishing, habitat degradation, coastal development and environmental conditions have contributed to these fragile habitats disappearing around the world. In Florida, intensified weather, such as heat waves and hurricanes, has further compounded these issues. “Effective habitat management and restoration are critical, but have been overlooked for flats ecosystems,” Griffin said. “Implementing these principles can help secure the biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem services that millions of people depend on.” More information: This article is republished from PHYS.ORG and provided by the University of South Florida. Study: Habitat management and restoration as missing pieces in flats ecosystems conservation and the fishes and fisheries that they support,, Fisheries (2025). Flats ecosystems are characterized by a complex mosaic of habitats, such as sand, mud, coral rubble, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, coral reefs and mangroves. They are vital nursery grounds for diverse marine life, including reef fish, sharks and rays. Credit: Andy Danylchuk, University of Massachusetts Amherst
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 at risk 5. Seagrass life Over 200 entries were submitted across the 5 categories. Following close consideration by a judging panel consisting of the Project Seagrass team, Coldplay management team, and independent judge, Award-winning artist and author Janina Rossiter, we are pleased to announce that the winners are: Category One: The Importance of Seagrass Winner: Joy Clifton Commended: Hannah Oakes Category Two: Seagrass and People Winner: Panka Eszenyi Commended: Jessica Clarke Commended: Maria Navya Fernandes Category Three: Seagrass around the World Winner: Kyle Walford Commended: Emma Lopes Category Four: Seagrass at Risk Winner: Clarisse Carré Commended: Alicia Hayden Category Five: Seagrass Life Winner: Andrea Baez Trejo Commended: Pablo Andres Dueñas Diaz Commended: Nicola Schlagenwerth The 5 winners will receive a pair of tickets to see Coldplay perform live at Wembley Stadium in London in summer 2025! We will be sharing more information on the winning entries in the coming weeks.
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 farm seaweed, potential areas need to be easily accessible and relatively sheltered. This is where seaweed can grow with limited risk of being dislodged by waves. Seaweed farms in Asia, in countries like China and Indonesia, are responsible for more than 95% of global seaweed production. Seaweed farms, particularly those in Southeast Asia, are commonly in the very same environments where seagrass meadows thrive. Competition for resources ensues. Evidence shows that tropical seaweed farms, when placed in or on top of tropical seagrass meadows leads to a decline in the growth and productivity of seagrass. There is also evidence that seaweeds outcompete seagrasses in cooler waters, especially when nutrients in the water are very high. Despite negative interactions, such as shading, between seaweed and seagrass, some scientists now advocate for a global expansion of seaweed farming in areas where seagrass grows. This call, comes at a time when seagrass global initiatives are trying to stem seagrass loss. Efforts are underway to expand these habitats to their once extensive range to help fight climate change and biodiversity loss. Seagrass meadows are a crucial store of carbon, providing habitats for a wide array of animals. Why farm seaweed on top of seagrass? The reason that some scientists are advocating for farming seaweed in seagrass is that their research claims that the presence of seagrass reduces disease causing bacterial pathogens by 75%. A major win for a relatively low tech industry where seaweed disease outbreaks hinder production. These scientists are not the only ones advocating for seaweed production at scale. Global conservation charities, like World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, as well as the Earthshot prize launched by Prince William all support seaweed cultivation programmes in areas likely to contain abundant seagrass. However, together with other scientists, we have argued in an academic response in the journal PNAS that their claim is premature. We are concerned that, without appropriate management, these seaweed programmes threaten marine biodiversity and the benefits that humans get from the ocean. Despite historic and globally widespread seaweed cultivation, effects on seagrass have mostly been ignored. Where studies exist, effects have been negative for seagrass, its ability to capture carbon, and the diverse animals that call it home. Entanglement of migratory animals, such as turtles and dugong with seaweed also needs wider consideration. This is especially the case given new legal frameworks to protect their habitat, and there is ongoing concern for these species being killed by seaweed farmers. The equity of coastal fishing grounds also comes into question, as communities that use seagrass for fishing are most likely to lose access. Conservation charities advocate for tropical seaweed farms for good reason. This is to improve community resilience in the face of degrading coral reefs and overfishing. While projects mostly have the best intentions, they often don’t consider cascading unintended consequences, nor the equity of the whole community. In reality, seaweed farm placement is effectively akin to ocean grabbing (the act of dispossession or appropriation of marine resources or spaces) with farmers winning on a “first come, first serve” basis, despite not owning the seabed. Some seagrass meadows in Zanzibar, Tanzania, have recovered since seaweed farms have been removed. GoogleEarth Sustainable standards If seaweed farming is to be expanded, standards for sustainability must be upheld and strengthened. In 2017, a sustainable seaweed standard was launched by the Aquaculture and Marine Stewardship Councils. But few tropical seaweed farms meet the criteria outlined in this standard due to known consequences that affect seagrass (rightly defined in the standard as vulnerable marine habitats) and likely negative effects on endangered species, like dugong, that frequent seagrass habitats. Seaweed cultivation strategies have mixed evidence for long-term success. In Tanzania, many farmers have abandoned the industry due to low monetary rewards compared to the investments they put in, and some evidence suggests that the activity reduces income and health, particularly for women. Where seaweed cultivation has been implemented to reduce fishing pressure, it has instead increased (and often just displaced) fishing activity. Given the rapidly increasing threats faced by tropical marine habitats despite the role they play in climate resilience, understanding trade-offs prior to large scale expansion of seaweed farming is a priority. To reduce further any negative effects, international programmes and research advocating for large-scale seaweed farms need to align more readily with the seaweed standard. More information: This article was published in The Conversation Jones. et al, Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass, PNAS (2025). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.242697112 Seaweed farms are often placed on top of seagrass meadows. Niels Boere/flickr A women prepares seaweed ropes for deployment in the Wakatobi, Indonesia. Benjamin Jones/Project Seagrass
