Category: Coastal and marine

Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Critically endangered penguins face higher risk of fisheries competition when fish are scarce

The decline of the African penguin The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) population has plummeted by nearly 80% in the past three decades, in part due to competition with the local purse-seine fishery which targets the penguins’ key prey of sardines and anchovies. To understand the role of fisheries in the penguin decline, a fishery closure experiment was conducted between 2008 and 2021 around two pairs … Continue reading Critically endangered penguins face higher risk of fisheries competition when fish are scarce

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Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Understanding the harvest of Chilean kelp forests: Moving toward sustainability

Blog post written by Alejandro Pérez Matus to discuss their latest study which aimed to help us understand kelp recovery after harvesting. This blog post is also available in Spanish here. Humans have been connected to kelp forests for more than 16,000 years. It is hypothesized that these underwater forests helped early coastal communities migrate from northeast Asia to the Americas. Today, the ecosystem services … Continue reading Understanding the harvest of Chilean kelp forests: Moving toward sustainability

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Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Entendiendo la cosecha de los bosques de macroalgas en Chile: Avanzando hacia la sostenibilidad

Entrada de blog escrita por Alejandro Pérez Matus para discutir su último estudio, que tenía como objetivo ayudarnos a entender la recuperación del alga después de la cosecha. Esta publicación del blog también está disponible en inglés aquí. Los humanos hemos estado conectados con los bosques de algas pardas por más de 16.000 años. Se hipotetiza que estos bosques submarinos ayudaron a las comunidades costeras … Continue reading Entendiendo la cosecha de los bosques de macroalgas en Chile: Avanzando hacia la sostenibilidad

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Careers, Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Amanda Hsiung: Effectiveness of novel hybrid mangrove living shorelines is context dependent

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Coastal areas are increasingly vulnerable to hazards such as erosion and flooding, and there is growing recognition that nature-based approaches can play an important role in coastal protection because they can adapt to changing environmental conditions. As new approaches are developed, it is important to test how well they perform under different environmental contexts and to … Continue reading Amanda Hsiung: Effectiveness of novel hybrid mangrove living shorelines is context dependent

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Careers, Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Leia Navarro-Herrero: Seabird-vessel interactions in industrial fisheries of Northwest Africa

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview Seabirds and fisheries almost inevitably meet at sea because we depend on the same marine resources. Interactions become direct when seabirds deliberately follow vessels to take advantage of what seems like an easy meal. We have long known this can pose a serious threat. A seabird may dive for bait on a longline or approach a … Continue reading Leia Navarro-Herrero: Seabird-vessel interactions in industrial fisheries of Northwest Africa

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Careers, Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Abigail Keller: Managing a marine invasive species in a changing world

Shortlisted for the 2025 Southwood Prize About the research Overview When should an environmental manager stop resisting change and accept a new ecological trajectory? This question will become a hallmark of natural resource management under global climate change, particularly for a marine invasive species like the European green crab. While this crab species can drive profound ecological change, it can quickly recolonize after removal, leaving many … Continue reading Abigail Keller: Managing a marine invasive species in a changing world

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Coastal and marine, Research summaries

Research and Elimination of Archipelago Racoon Dogs

Mikko Toivola and co-authors share a summary about their latest study which focuses on the movements of an invasive mesopredator within the Archipelago areas of Finland. The raccoon dog has been known to occur in the archipelago areas of Finland for a long time. However, the role of the species as part of the archipelago ecosystem is largely unknown. How many individuals live in a … Continue reading Research and Elimination of Archipelago Racoon Dogs

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Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Albatrosses make distinct flight hops when following fishing vessels

In their new study, “Immersion patterns alone can predict vessel following by albatrosses”, Jonathan Rutter et al. present a new behaviour-based method to detect previously hidden interactions between seabirds and fishing vessels. In oceans around the world, seabirds follow fishing vessels looking for easy meal. This puts them at risk of bycatch, when birds are killed after getting caught or colliding with fishing gear. A … Continue reading Albatrosses make distinct flight hops when following fishing vessels

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Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Seals avoid an operating tidal turbine

Authors of a recently published study discuss how their research discovered that seals exhibit avoidance of turbines during operation. This finding is important for industry developers and regulators, as lower numbers of seals close to the turbine reduces the potential for fatal collisions and injuries. The rise of the tidal energy industry The marine renewable energy sector is growing rapidly. Offshore wind is well established, … Continue reading Seals avoid an operating tidal turbine

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Coastal and marine, Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Collision avoidance: Navigating ships through recovering whale populations

In this blog post, Emily Hague and team discuss their latest research into the importance of careful consideration of collision-mapping approach and data selection when it comes to predicting high-risk vessel collision areas for whales. For conservationists and those that care about nature and our planet, the news can feel incredibly bleak, with daily (deservedly) scary stories of extreme climate change related temperatures, species fighting … Continue reading Collision avoidance: Navigating ships through recovering whale populations

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