The Scottish Association for Marine ScienceNEWSLETTER 25 · 2018-11-16 · 04 The Scottish Association for Marine ScienceNEWSLETTER 25 SAMSnews CONT. Born and educated in Hull, Cyril

THE LAST FRONTIER –DEVELOPMENTS IN MARINE TECHNOLOGY SEE PAGE 6-7

The Scottish Association for Marine Science NEWSLETTER 25 SAMS ISSN

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The Scottish Association for Marine Science NEWSLETTER 2502

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The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is a charity committedto promoting research and education in marine science. It is based at theDunstaffnage Marine Laboratory near Oban, and is a full academic partnerin the UHI Millennium Institute.

SAMS is funded by an agreement with the Natural Environment ResearchCouncil for its Northern Seas Programme, by commissioned research forother public and private organisations, and by donations and subscriptionsfrom its 500+ members from all over the world.

Views expressed in this Newsletter are the views of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of SAMS.

OceanologyInternational 20025-8 March 2002ExCel, London

For more informationcontact:Cheri ArvonioEmail: [email protected]: 020 8949 9889

SAMS Open EveningWed 13 March 200218.30 to 20.30Dunstaffnage MarineLaboratory, Oban

For more informationcontact the editor

Benthic dynamics:in-situ surveillance ofthe sediment-waterinterface25-29 March 2002University of Aberdeen,Zoology Department

For more information seewww.sams.ac.uk

The Greenwich ForumMaritime World 2025:Future Challenges &Opportunities

Conference 3-5 April 2002

Old Royal Naval CollegeGreenwich, London

For registrationemail: [email protected]: 01444 416678

AquacultureInternational 200218-20 April 2002SECC, Glasgow

For more informationcontact:Sue HillTel/Fax: 020 7505 3608Email:[email protected]

www.heighwayevents.com/aq2002/

DevelopmentalEcology of MarineAnimals: Industry,Science & Society2 - 3 July 2002Newcastle, UK

Tel: 01224 273272Email: [email protected]/dema

8th InternationalConference onCopepoda21-26 July 2002

National Taiwan OceanUniversity, Keelung, Taiwan

http://8thicoc.ntou.edu.tw

Underwater OpticsDivision Conference Underwater Optics

2-5 September 2002Cardiff

For information contact:Derek Pilgrim01752 232457or Michael Wall020 7470 4800

Freshwater BiologicalAssociationAnnual Scientific Meeting

Fresh Water in theLandscape

4 – 6 September 2002University of Durham, UK

Contact: Sarah GeeTel: 015394 42468Fax: 015394 88541Email: [email protected]: www.fba.org.uk

Abstract deadline: 13 May 02 Registration deadline: 9 Aug 02

Scottish Marine GroupAutumn Meeting

Thurs 31 October 2002Stirling University

For information contact:Dr Hamish MairTel: 0131 451 3314Email: [email protected]

SAMS MembershipOrdinary: anyone interested in

marine scienceSubscription - £12.

Student: any person under 18, orregistered students at HigherEducation InstitutesSubscription - £5.

Corporate: organisations interested insupporting marine science Subscription - £60.

Unwaged: anyone without a regularwage. Subscription - £5.

For further information and applicationforms please contact the editor.

EditorDr Anuschka Miller

SAMS, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory,Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK

Tel (+44) (0) 1631 559300Fax (+44) (0) 1631 559001

Email [email protected]

To keep up-to-date on events at SAMS,visit our website:

www.sams.ac.uk

PresidentDr Ian Graham-Bryce

Vice PresidentsProfessor Sir Frederick HollidayProfessor A.D. McIntyreDr J.H. SteeleProfessor Sir William StewartProfessor S.A. Thorpe

CouncilMr W.S. BalfourProfessor G.S. BoultonProfessor P.R. BoyleProfessor M.J. CowlingMrs M. CrawfordDr A.C. GoodladProfessor R. OrmondMr. R. SankeyDr P. ThompsonProfessor C.D. ToddDr A.W. TudhopeMrs. J. Twelves

Board MembersProfessor R. CormackProfessor R. CroftsProfessor A.D. HawkinsProfessor A. MillerMr. A.M.J. Wemyss

DirectorProfessor Graham B. Shimmield

SAMS BoardAbout SAMS

SAMS news

Obituaries

Developments in MarineTechnology

The Physics of Loch Etive

Convective Chimneysin the Greenland Sea

A Marine Act for Scotland

The EC Water Framework Directive

Seabed Scars fromDeep-Sea Trawling

Glaciation and Oceanic Circulation

Aquaculture & EnvironmentalResearch

Sustainable Aquaculture @ SAMS

The Scottish Aquaculture Inquiry

QUALITY OF SAMS RESEARCHRECOGNISED

At the end of last year SAMS received theexciting news that our research wasawarded a Grade 4 in the EnvironmentalSciences category of the ResearchAssessment Exercise (RAE) which gradesall research in Higher EducationInstitutions in the UK on a scale from 1 to5. Grade 4 indicates that our science is ofnational excellence in virtually all of theresearch activity submitted, with someevidence of international excellence.Although only the research from 13 UHIstaff members was submitted to theexercise – 11 from SAMS as well as DrStuart Gibb of The North HighlandCollege and Dr Martin Price of PerthCollege - the result reflects mostcreditably on the performance of SAMSover the past 5 years. The overallcontribution of the laboratory’s researchactivities towards the UHI MillenniumInstitute is marked by the substantivecontribution by the NERC staff submittedunder category C (research conducted by

staff contributing to the researchprogramme but not salaried by SAMS/UHI). The preparation for such anassessment requires considerable effort.As the Scottish Higher Education FundingCouncil (SHEFC) had notified UHI only sixweeks before the submission date aboutour new eligibility to participate, I wouldlike to record my thanks to Dr Axel Millerand Ms Jane Foster for working extremelyhard to prepare our submission. Ourforward strategy derives considerablyfrom the Northern Seas Core ScienceProgramme and thus sets the frameworkon which to build the natural systemsscience strategy for the UHI. At a recentpostgraduate conference UHI hasfurther defined and reinforced afuture research strategy.

SAMS SUBSIDIARY FORMED

Following a decision of the SAMS AnnualGeneral Meeting on the 6th November awholly owned subsidiary of SAMS hasbeen formed. SAMS Research ServicesLimited (SRSL) will deliver the commercial

activities of the Association such as theoperation of the hyperbaric chamber andsales from the Culture Collection of Algaeand Protozoa. In addition, SRSL willact as the primary vehicle for theprocurement and financing of thenew building development.

NEW LOOK FOR SAMS

Some of you with a keen eye for detailwill have noticed the new look to boththis Newsletter and the corporate logofor the Association. In keeping withmodern times it was felt that a change

The Scottish Association for Marine Science NEWSLETTER 25 03

SAMSnewsProfessor Graham B. Shimmield, DIRECTOR

Dr Anuschka Miller, EDITOR

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While looks have their place, contentis what matters. This Newsletter is atestament to the breadth of research andactivity undertaken by the Association.

On pages 6 and 7 David Meldrum sharessome personal thoughts on the latestdevelopments in marine technology,which provide the tools every marinescientist needs to explore the TerraIncognita below the surface layer ofthe oceans.

A meeting of the Scottish Marine Groupin November 2001 focused on theadvances - or otherwise - of sustainabilityin the marine environment since the RioSummit ten years ago. Three of thepresentations are summarised on pages10 to 12, exploring the meaning of aMarine Act for Scotland, the state ofthe deep seabed, and new Europeanlegislation designed to improve thecondition of European waters.

A third theme of the Newsletter isthe varied engagement of SAMS withaquaculture (pages 14-16). We useaquaculture to study processes in themarine environment, and investigateenvironmental impacts. We also explorenew avenues towards improvedsustainability. Kenny Black appearedas an independent scientist at theAquaculture Inquiry in the ScottishParliament and shares his impressionsof this experience with us on page 16.

In this issue we also introduce a newpage: In ‘My PhD Project’ a SAMS PhDstudent describes his/her researchproject. In this issue Clara Morri talksabout her Marine Geology projecton the effects of past climate changeson sediments.

These are just some of the subjectscovered in this issue, and I wish youpleasurable reading. ●

Dear SAMS member

Welcome to the spring 2002 editionof the SAMS Newsletter, which marksthe launch of a new layout for thepublication. A new SAMS logorequired the rethinking of someaspects of the design and was awelcome opportunity to update thelook of the Newsletter. I hope theresults will be to your liking.

in logo emphasising the interdisciplinarityof marine science represented by theAssociation would be an importantbenchmark for SAMS. I am delighted atthe finished product, which contains avery strong message of the SAMS name.The logo of SRSL utilises the samegraphic features, albeit in a differentcolour scheme.

I had hoped that the new logo would alsomark the completion and signing of theagreement with NERC, but although thisis in its final stages, it has not yet beencompleted. Nevertheless a full andsatisfactory outcome of the agreement isbut a few weeks away, and we lookforward to the President of SAMS and theChief Executive of NERC confirming thepartnership between NERC and SAMS inthe future.

NEW SAMS COUNCIL MEMBERS

The AGM also saw the appointment ofthree new council members. Dr SandyTudhope and Dr Paul Thompsonstrengthen the academic base of Councilwhilst Mr Bill Balfour contributes hiswealth of experience as a retired lawyer

from the city of Edinburgh. I believe wehave one of the most dynamic andinformed learned society councils that Ihave had the pleasure to be involvedwith. The current membership exemplifieswell the varied but important aspects ofSAMS business. I believe the newmembers will be a powerful asset for thedevelopment of the Association over thecoming years.

PROGRESS ON NEW BUILDINGDEVELOPMENTS

Finally, I would like to update you on thenew building project. At the time ofwriting, the survey work of the groundconditions have been completed. We arenow putting the final touches to asubmission to Argyll and Bute CouncilPlanning Department for amendments tothe original planning consent. Assumingthat this goes according to plan, weexpect the diggers to arrive on site inearly April. It takes, of course, aconsiderable amount of detailed planningto put the legal framework for therelationship between SAMS andDunstaffnage Developments Ltd - awholly owned subsidiary of ERDC in

Partnership – into place. Our relationshiphas been working well, and we areconfident that we will have superb newmarine science research facilities for thenext decades here on the west coast ofScotland. Although much work remainsuntil all the detailed matters associatedwith the new building are completed, Iwould like to record my thanks to Dr KenJones and to Elaine Walton for their helpin getting us this far.

To fully develop the European Centre forMarine Biotechnology, we are currentlyadvertising for the post of ProjectExecutive. He or she, when appointed,will strengthen the directorate team andwill be tasked with delivering this excitingnew project between SAMS and Heriot-Watt University.

2002 has started well with recognition forour international scientific capability.Now our infrastructure is about to bedeveloped in a significant manner.We are looking forward to delivering awide range of core strategic science andresearch projects. It promises to bea good year. ●

04 The Scottish Association for Marine Science NEWSLETTER 25

SAMSnews CONT.

Born and educated in Hull, Cyril Lucasstudied and later worked under Sir AlisterHardy investigating the relationshipbetween plankton and fisheries, and wasinvolved in the development of theContinuous Plankton Recorder. After afew years heading a new branch of theHull Oceanographic Laboratory in Leith,Cyril Lucas was appointed director of theMarine Laboratory Aberdeen in 1948.Under his leadership the laboratoryexpanded considerably both in size andreputation. He was a driving force behindthe development of the UK fisherieslaboratories, and was also heavilyinvolved in international fisheries issues.He retired from his position in 1970 butremained actively involved with the

scientific community, serving for exampleas member of Council of the NaturalEnvironment Research Council from1970 to 1978.

For his outstanding contribution tointernational fisheries Cyril Lucas wasappointed a Knight Commander of theOrder of St Michael and St George in1976. He was also a Fellow of the RoyalSociety and of the Royal Society ofEdinburgh, whose Neill Prize he hadreceived in 1959.

A friendly, humble and quietly spokenman, Sir Cyril Lucas was married andhad three children. ●

Sir Cyril Edward Lucas, former Director of Fisheries Researchfor Scotland and Vice President of SAMS, died peacefully inAberdeen on Monday 14 January 2002 at the age of 92.

Obituary: Sir Cyril Edward LucasBorn Hull, 30 July 1909; Died Aberdeen, 14 January 2002.


David was born and raised in Norfolk,completing his formal education atGreat Yarmouth Grammar School in1952 with A-levels in physics andgeography. It is a testament to hisintelligence, dedication and scientificinsight that despite these slenderqualifications he rose to becomea physical oceanographer ofconsiderable international standing,whose meticulous work and deepinsight commanded the highestrespect amongst his peers, and whosename lives on with the Ellett Line, amajor hydrographic section runningfrom Scotland to Rockall and beyond.

David joined the UK Met Office inOctober 1952, but transferred to MAFF’sFisheries Laboratory in Lowestoft inJanuary 1954 because he had "alwayswanted to do something connected withthe sea". Over the next decade, heabsorbed and mastered the science (andart) of hydrography by participation inwide-ranging cruises, including, notably,the International Council for theExploration of the Seas (ICES) Faroe-Iceland Overflow Experiment of 1958,marking the beginning of a long interestin these dense northern overflows.

The 50s and 60s saw the emergence ofocean variability as a major researchtheme. David brought his key qualities ofmeticulous observation and interpretationto this area of study, and with Arthur Leepublished in the mid 60s important, lucidand pioneering works on the role of thevarious overflows in the formation of theAtlantic’s deep watermasses. Theseseminal works are still in use today.

The Rockall Trough was to be David’smain working area and interest to theend of his career. Right up until hisretirement in 1994, he explored thesewaters. He deployed the first long termcurrent meter moorings in the Trough in1975, planned and participated in theJASIN Air-Sea Interaction Experiment in1978, recovered the first unequivocalevidence of a Slope Current west ofScotland in 1979, and made the firstdirect measurements of overflow crossingthe Wyville-Thomson Ridge in 1987-88.

His many campaigns led to more than80 publications. Nor did this work stopat retirement. As a SAMS HonoraryFellow, David continued his patientelucidation of the long-term trends thatawaited discovery in the data from hismany cruises, until intractable ill healthmade further study impossible.

David’s collaboration with Dunstaffnagebegan when he sailed with the thenScottish Marine Biological Association forthe second ICES Overflow Survey in 1973.This led to his secondment in 1975, andultimately to his transfer to Oban. Here,with Roy Bowers, he built up a respectedMarine Physics Group that combinedintellectual acumen with formidablesuccess in winning lucrative contracts.His attentive mentoring of youngermembers of staff, coupled with his quietmanner and donnish appearance, earnedhim the affectionate nickname of"Professor". But there was steel behindthe gentle exterior, and he was swift,sure and deadly in his many actions todeal with unfairness and intransigencein officialdom.

Despite the honours bestowed on himboth by ICES and the Society forUnderwater Technology, one suspectsthat David derived greatest satisfactionfrom being designated a Data QualityEvaluator for the World Ocean CirculationExperiment (WOCE), from the adoptionof the ‘Ellett Line’ by the community, andfrom the use of its time-series to recordthe arrival-time of particular vintages ofLabrador Sea Water, thus establishing forthe first time their trans-ocean spreadingrates. As he would happily confess, hewas first and foremost a `watermass man’.

David married Sally in Beccles, Suffolk in1963, and they had one son, Tom, in 1969.His wish to have his ashes scattered at seawas fulfilled on 4 November 2001, whenthe ship’s company of RRS Discoverygathered on the after deck for aceremony led by two of David’s oldestcolleagues, Captain Robin Plumley and DrRaymond Pollard. To the sound of a longblast on the ship’s whistle, David, thatgentlest of gentlemen, set forth on hislongest voyage, across the Ellett Line. ●

Obituary: David James EllettBorn Great Yarmouth, 22 July 1934; Died Oban, 5 October 2001.

David Meldrum and Colin Griffiths, SAMS

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The Last Frontier:DEVELOPMENTS IN MARINE TECHNOLOGYDavid Meldrum, SAMS

In a way, though, the explorers of spacehad it easy. The missile programme hadsolved the launcher problems, soescaping the Earth’s gravity waseminently feasible, if expensive. Oncein space the rest was straightforward –limitless supplies of energy from solarpanels, or your personal chunk ofplutonium as in the Voyager craft; nomotion resistance, no corrosion, and soon. But the greatest boon of space wasits transparency to the electromagneticspectrum, allowing unfettered optical andradar imaging of planetary surfaces and,more significantly, ease of radio-communication with the spacecraft.

However, my university education inphysics, coupled with several summersexploring in Greenland, led not to spacescience but to the Scott Polar ResearchInstitute. There I joined a team usingairborne radars to map the Antarcticcontinent, hidden under severalkilometres of ice. Unfortunately ice is notas transparent as space: powers thatcould bounce signals off the moon areneeded to generate detectable echoesthrough 5 km of polar ice. But at leastradio waves do penetrate ice. And we didfind the unexpected – Lake Vostok, deepin the heart of the continent, under morethan 4 km of ice.

When this programme wound down Imoved back to Dunstaffnage in Scotlandto study a natural medium that is, for allpractical purposes, totally opaque toradio waves – the sea. Because of thissimple fact the bottom of the oceans ismuch less well mapped than, say, the farside of the moon, or the surface of Mars.Satellite-borne instruments, which havedone so much to advance our knowledgeof the Earth’s surface and atmosphere,

I grew up in cold war Scotland, where regular reports of missile and bomb testsimbued our daily lives with a distinct sense of unease. Then, in parallel to theArms Race, came the Space Race. Kennedy’s commitment to put a man on themoon within 10 years assured NASA of limitless funds for space exploration.But it was the Voyager missions, the exploration of the outer reaches of thesolar system by small smart probes, that really caught my imagination.

BELOW: Duncan Mercer (left) and Oli Peppe of the SAMS marine technology development group

ABOVE: Deep-sea lander on the afterdeck of the SAMS research vessel Seol Mara

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are powerless to see beneath the surfaceof the ocean. Seabed mappers have torely on acoustic instruments to build upimages of the ocean floor, and theseinstruments have to be within the water.Unlike space, water resists the motionof objects through it: building theoceanographic equivalent of a satellite —an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)– faces the immediate problem ofsupplying the vehicle with enough energyto navigate. And, unlike the days ofVoyager, small nuclear reactors are nolonger popular.

Water friction can, however, be turned toadvantage: the oceans move, and it ispossible to hitch a free, if largelyunpredictable, ride on the back of oceancurrents. At Dunstaffnage I have becomeclosely involved in exploiting this freeride, and in recycling new technologiessuch as GPS for the detailed study ofocean currents. We have deployeddrifting instruments in many areas,

including the polar ice packs, wherethey have yielded new data for theclimate change debate. Elsewhere,the profiling floats of the internationalArgo programme drift for days ondeep currents, surfacing periodicallyto download thermal data that will helpus understand the interplay betweenthe oceanic heat reservoir andclimate change.

This still leaves the ocean floor largelyunmapped: speculative reconnaissance –exploration in the true sense – is largelyruled out. However, change is afoot,spurred by events such as the chancediscovery of the biological communitiesthriving around hydrothermal vents. Plansare well advanced in many countries forthe establishment of ocean observatorieslinked by sea-floor cables - an Internet ofthe deep ocean, open to primary schoolsas well as universities. Instrument pods,connected to the network via sea-floorjunction boxes, will both deliver data and

receive commands and energy. AUVs willnow be able to dock routinely to reporttheir findings and recharge their batteries.The spirit of exploration which has led tosuch amazing discoveries as the volcanicactivity on Jupiter’s moon Io, and LakeVostok in the Antarctic, is about to befostered once more in the oceans.And, connected to the Internet, whatnew wonders will our last frontier reveal –and to whom? ●

First published as THES 'Cutting Edge'feature, 7 Sept 2001. Reproduced bypermission of the Times Higher EducationSupplement, www.thesis.co.uk

David Meldrum heads the Marine Technologysection at SAMS and is a member of theExecutive Group.

The Dunstaffnage site is, in UK terms, uniquely well equipped for marinetechnology development, offering a wide range of sheltered deep-water(to 200 m) trials sites, backed up by vessel, diving and aquarium support.Underpinning this are the multi-disciplinary strengths of the laboratory and itsstaff, including a technology development group which offers cutting edgeexpertise in instrumentation design, platform development and satellitecommunications. Currently the main activities of this group are in free-driftingsensor packages, landers, smart instruments, GPS and telemetry. In addition toour close involvement with the SAMS science mission, we also undertake outsidedevelopment work, recent customers being DSTL, QinetiQ, DEFRA, Shelland the Scottish aquaculture industry.

Technology development at SAMS is led by David Meldrum([email protected], tel +44 1631 559273)

Marine Technology Development at SAMS

ABOVE: Novel drifting buoys increased our understanding of the interaction between climateand Antartic sea ice

ABOVE: Autosub trials in the Firth of Lorne

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It doesn’t take specialist knowledge toappreciate that during both ebb andflood tides The Falls are the physicalmanifestation of a massive transfer ofenergy between the coastal waters andLoch Etive. Eight miles inland at thenarrows at Bonawe there is alsoconsiderable turbulence as the flood tideraces over the shallow sill into the deepupper basin. But where does the energygo? And how does tidal activity modifythe basin water?

Lochs are sinks for substantial volumes offreshwater from their catchment areas.Surface water thus tends to be buoyant,capping underlying more dense basinwater. Surface capping restricts mixing inthe basin, causing the deep water tostagnate.

In the 1970s, Dunstaffnage physicistsmade observations of the hydrography ofLoch Etive from which they determinedbasic principles governing periodicflushing of the upper basin. Stratificationcaused by the freshwater input from theRivers Etive and Awe means stagnationperiods can be greater than two years.

Renewal depends upon seasonalvariations in freshwater input and tendsto occur during times of low run-off.

While seasonal changes may triggerrenewal, the susceptibility of a fjord tothis is controlled by density differencesbetween the water outside the sill and thedeep water within. Gradual modificationof deep water relies on diffusion andmore complex exchange mechanisms toeffect vertical mixing.

The tides and the wind provide the forcesfor mixing. In Loch Etive the tidal range isrelatively small, and despite the powerfultidal stream at Connel Bridge andBonawe, water below sill depth in theupper basin can be surprisingly quiescent.

Tidal energy may be of two forms:barotropic, derived from the semi-diurnaltides, and baroclinic, a consequence ofvariations in water density. Where thebarotropic tide interacts with a rapidchange in topography, e.g. the sill, itsenergy may be converted to thebaroclinic form.

Baroclinic energy tends to propagateaway from the sill to the basin interior,carried by density gradients. This form ofinternal energy is referred to as theinternal tide and has the potential forenhancing vertical mixing in deep water.

OAERRE (Oceanographic Application ofEutrophication in Regions of RestrictedExchange) is a three-year EU-fundedproject to study the processes that leadto eutrophication in fjord-likeenvironments. The physics component ofOAERRE focuses on exchange processes.In June 2001 scientists from SAMS andthe School of Ocean Sciences at Bangorconducted a hydrographic survey ofupper Loch Etive to investigatemechanisms of energy exchange anddispersion at the sill, and the subsequentpropagation and dissipation of theinternal tide.

SAMS research vessels were used toinvestigate the density structurethroughout the upper layers of the basin,and to conduct a detailed 3D survey ofthe flow structure over the sill at Bonawe.Instrumented moorings were deployedthroughout the basin, making continuousrecordings of water temperature, salinityand current velocity.

A first assessment of current data showsan intense jet of water entering the upperbasin over virtually stationary deeperwater. The sheer that develops betweenthese regions is undoubtedly a source ofturbulence and mixing energy. A greatadvantage of using Loch Etive for such asurvey is that the relatively short period ofintense observations can be set againstthe long record of observations in theSAMS archive. ●

Dr Finlo Cottier is a research scientist in theexpanding marine physics group at SAMS.

Energetics in Loch EtiveDr Finlo Cottier, SAMS

The Falls of Lora at the entrance to Loch Etive are one of Scotland’smost dramatic natural sights. Twice a day, during mid-ebb, loch watercascades into the Lynn of Lorne generating the famous seawater falls.

ABOVE: The Falls of Lora at the entrance to Loch Etive

ABOVE: Instrument deployments off the Calanusworking deck in Loch Etive, June 2001

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Deep winter convection in the GreenlandSea was thought to have ceased around1970. Evidence from the structure ofGreenland Sea Deep Water, and fromtracers, suggested that significantventilation last occurred in 1971 and thatthe typical depth reached by convectionis now only 1,000-1,200 m. To predisposea region for convection there must bestrong atmospheric forcing (to increasesurface density through cooling or sea iceproduction), and existing weakstratification beneath the surface mixedlayer (e.g. in the centre of a cyclonic gyrewith domed isopycnals). One cause ofdecline in convection is assumed to beglobal warming. When air temperaturesincrease both thermal convection and theoccurrence of frazil-pancake ice in theOdden ice tongue within the Jan MayenCurrent zone are reduced. Odden couldproduce a positive salt flux through iceformation followed by advection of theyoung ice out of the region bynorthwesterly winds – a salt refinementprocess. These changes were enhancedsince the 1990s by a positive NorthAtlantic Oscillation Index, giving a warmeasterly wind anomaly which hinders thegrowth of Odden (none in 2000 and onlyminor growth in 2001).

Surprisingly, during two winter cruises in2001, we discovered a narrow (10 kmdiameter) convective chimney in the gyrecentre at 75ºN 0ºW, extending to below2,400 m. It was stable in shape for amonth during which its centre moved only700 m. Figure 2 is a contour map of thedepth of convection. The feature was stillin position in October although cappedby fresh water.

The contour plots show that not only isthis the deepest convection recorded indecades, but the chimney itself isextraordinary because of its small size,long-term stability and stationarity (Figure3). For the chimney to attain geostrophicequilibrium it has to be in anticyclonicrotation, and it is relevant that Gascarddetected long-lived anticyclonic eddies ofdiameter 10-20 km in the region usingfloats at 240-530 m. Most of these eddiesmigrated slowly, but one situated at 75°N0°E remained stationary for two months.

Since sea ice did not reach this location in2001 or 2000 the origin of the overturningmust be surface cooling rather thansalinity enhancement. Yet thecorresponding winters were not unusuallycold, so the origin of this feature is at the

moment an enigma. Questions such aswhether other such features exist in thecentral gyre region, its lifetime, and themechanism of its decay and impact onwater structure at depth, can be answeredonly by further survey work. We ourselveswill be back at the site in February 2002.●

Open-ocean deep convection, which feeds the global thermohaline circulation,occurs at only three known northern hemisphere sites – in the Greenland,Labrador and Mediterranean Seas. These sites, small in size, are of greatimportance for ocean climate. In the Greenland Sea convection occurs at thecentre of a cyclonic gyre which is bounded to the west by the cold EastGreenland Current, advecting polar ice and water from the Arctic Basin, to theeast by the warm northward-flowing West Spitsbergen Current, and to the southby the cold Jan Mayen Current, which diverts to the east from the East GreenlandCurrent at about 72-73°N (Figure 1).

Professor Peter Wadhams, SCOTT POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE

THE 12TH ANNUAL NEWTH LECTURE, 6 NOVEMBER 2001

Convective Chimneys in the Greenland Sea

ABOVE FIGURE 3: The shape of the chimney: a 3-dimensional view of the –1.0°C potentialtemperature surface as it displaces the warmer(-0.9°C) subsurface water in the region surroundingthe chimney.

ABOVE FIGURE 1: The bathymetry and surfacecurrent pattern in the Greenland Sea.

ABOVE FIGURE 2: The 2001 convective chimney: contour maps of depth of convectionfrom surveys by "Jan Mayen" 22-23 March (left) and "Lance", 20-22 April 2001 (right).

Jan Mayen March 2001 Lance April 2001

Scottish Marine Group


AUTUMN MEETING, THURSDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2001, STIRLING UNIVERSITY

Marine Progress on Rio +10

The management of the UK's marineenvironment has historically been basedupon a presumption of free access tocommon resources. In contrast to theterrestrial situation, marine managementhas developed by managing differenthuman activities separately - a sectoralapproach. Integration of these sectorsand wider ecosystem considerationswithin management of the seas iscurrently poor and generally restrictedto coastal marine protected areas.

The management of the UK's seascontinues to be beset by threeinstitutional problems: -

For the most part, the UK's marineresources are not owned and thereforeonly limited restrictions are placedupon the types and scale of utilisation;

Governance of different aspects of themarine environment falls to a largenumber of authorities, each of whompursue their own priorities;

Generally there is a lack of strategicco-operation in management of themarine environment betweenauthorities (Berry, in prep).

Few now argue that the current approachto marine management is sustainable orcan continue to operate in a sectoralmanner. At last it appears that the tide isturning, across the UK and Europe.Beyond Europe's boundaries, in theinternational community over the lastdecade, there has been an evident shifttowards formally defined, legislatedIntegrated Marine Policy - be it a MarineAct, Ocean Act or Ocean Policy(MacGarvin, 2000).

There are now increasing opportunitiesfor greater co-ordination of effort andstakeholder involvement within newpolicy and legislative initiatives from theEC and international bodies such as theOslo Paris Commission. To ensure thatthe benefits of these opportunities can beenjoyed throughout the UK, WWF areconvinced that new devolved legislation,a Marine Act, would be required toensure the future of our seas.

The Marine Act would draw together thedisparate strands of marine managementthroughout the devolved UKadministrations and require a consistentduty of care, policy integration and theadoption of an ecosystem approach to

the management of our seas. In our busyseas it is only by taking such a boldapproach to marine management thata vision of healthy seas supportingsustainable livelihoods and thrivingcoastal communities can be achievedand maintained. ●

REFERENCE:

Berry, C. (in prep) Marine Stewardship.A draft report to WWF Scotland. Edinburgh.

MacGarvin, M. (2000). A Marine Actfor the United Kingdom?www.wwf-uk.org/orca/info.asp

The UK has a rich marine heritage. Its 20,000 kilometers of coastline border oneocean, three seas and arguably the busiest body of water in the world, theEnglish Channel. Our marine habitats are diverse, including recently discovereddeep water coral reefs at the edge of the continental shelf, the Shetland Isleswith their sub-arctic influenced marine life and the lush seagrass meadows in thewarmer waters off the Scilly Islands to the far south west. Human pressures anddemands upon the marine environment also vary around the UK as the majorityof the UK's population is concentrated in the south east of the country.

A MARINE ACT FOR SCOTLANDAlistair Davison, WWF SCOTLAND

Dr Hamish Mair of Heriot-Watt University invited six authoritativespeakers to talk about the various changes in sustainabledevelopment in the marine environment since the UNConference on Environment and Development - commonlyreferred to as the "Earth Summit" - in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.The over 100 guests attending the one-day meeting at StirlingUniversity witnessed interesting presentations and participated indiverse and lively discussions inside and outside the lecturetheatre. Three of the six presentations are summarised in thefollowing pages. Professor Alasdair McIntyre furthermorepresented a very enlightening talk about ‘The Census of Marine

Life: an emerging global programme’, and Dr Rupert Ormondgave a beautifully illustrated presentation about the state of theworld's coral reefs. Micheal Ó’Cinnéide, director of the MarineInstitute, Ireland, reviewed and evaluated developments andexperiences in the Irish Sea.

SAMS would like to thank Dr Hamish Mair for organising andchairing a very topical meeting. Thanks also to Stirling Universityfor providing the meeting facilities, and to Dr Donald McLuskyfor local organisation. ●




The EC Water Framework Directive

The preamble to the Rio 1992Agenda 21 stated optimistically:

"Humanity stands at a defining momentin history. We are confronted with aperpetuation of disparities between andwithin nations, a worsening of poverty,hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and thecontinuing deterioration of theecosystems on which we depend for ourwell-being. However, integration ofenvironment and development concernsand greater attention to them will lead tothe fulfilment of basic needs, improvedliving standards for all, better protectedand managed ecosystems and a safer,more prosperous future. No nation canachieve this on its own; but together wecan - in a global partnership forsustainable development."

Agenda 21 itself aimed to improve theposition of the poor and the ill of theworld: it sought to give more influence tomany societal groups via money, science,education and internationalism.Underpinning these human objectives

was a strong emphasis on thesustainablity of human activities and onconservation of the natural environment -air, land, freshwater and sea. In Europe,the most influential development sincehas been the passing of the EC WaterFramework Directive (WFD). With anemphasis on sustainability, and in acombined approach with the directive onIntegrated Pollution Prevention andControl (IPPC), the WFD will bring allEurope's waters, even those physicallyheavily modified for legitimate humanuse, up to good ecological condition.

The WFD draws together muchcommunity water legislation from the lastthirty years. The means of improvementare clear and a continuation of someprevious national approaches: monitoringof the condition of surface waters;comparison of results with standards;classification; and consequent pressure toimprove conditions so as to meetconservation objectives by the applicationof the best available technology. Publicparticipation in the process has to be

explicit and will proceed via transparentRiver Basin District Management Plans.

Technically, in surface water bodies suchas coastal or estuarine (so-calledtransitional) waters, the WFD will requirethe characterising of various types ofwater and the definition of referenceconditions for the types. Classificationwill then proceed by comparison of themeasured state of each body with thereference conditions for the type, leadingto one of five classes (High, Good,Moderate, Poor and Bad). Any bodiesfailing to reach Good status will beimproved. The cycle of characterising,monitoring, classification andimprovement will turn every sixyears from 2009.

Within this process, with its emphasison the biological condition of surfacewaters, there will be for many years tocome a need for the expert opinion ofa large cadre of marine biologists andecologists. ●

Anton Edwards, SCOTTISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

because SAMS is a highly reputable,established research institute

because we believe in small class sizes

because SAMS is located in a stunningcoastal location, and

because you can gain hands-on experience,e.g. on our research vessels

Study Marine Science BSc at SAMS …

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marine Science Degree TeamSAMS, Dunstaffnage Marine LaboratoryOban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK

tel +44 (0) 1631 559000email [email protected]




Seabed Scars fromDeep-Sea TrawlingProfessor John D Gage, SAMS

What little we know of this impact hasbeen obtained incidentally from otherresearch programmes. In an oil industryfunded survey on the upper continentalslope off the island of Lewis, SAMSscientists found that 12% of the seabedphotographs showed significant scouringmarks made by trawls (Figure 1, Robertset al., 2000). The physical impact ondelicate organisms such as glass spongeswill be obvious (Figure 2). We can onlyguess about the wider effects of clouds ofdisturbed sediment settling and therebysmothering seabed organisms.

We have already seen an unregulated‘boom-and-bust’ fishery for the OrangeRoughy in the deep waters off Australiaand New Zealand, where these extremelyslow-growing fish were very quicklydepleted. When scientists found thattrawling was furthermore causing massivedamage to delicate organisms on theseabed, conservation measures wereintroduced to protect seamounts wherethe fish aggregated. Off northern Europe,

deep-water fishing now threatens themassive but fragile reefs of the cold-watercoral Lophelia pertusa, which forms adiverse habitat for hosts of differentspecies. The largest of these coral-builtmounds - thought to be thousands ofyears old - were discovered only recentlyoff Norway and southern Ireland. Afterpictures of smashed coral (Figure 3) wereshown on Norwegian television, thelargest of these biodiversity hotspots, theSula Ridge, was closed to fishing.

Off NW Scotland, the Darwin Mounds -discovered in 1998 - support fragilegrowths of Lophelia as well as fields ofxenophyophores, relatives of the humbleAmoeba, who grow to a ‘giant’ size of upto 5 cm across. But almost immediatelyevidence was seen of damage caused bytrawlers dragging huge "rock-hopper"trawl rigs over them. The government hasindicated its intention to introducelegislation for protection of the DarwinMounds as the first marine protected areain deep water. But until such legislation is

introduced, trawling damage will continuehere and elsewhere. There is a growingsuspicion that significant areas of coral -which Edouard Le Danois mapped in hisclassic book "Les Profundeurs de la Mer"as occurring over vast swaths of deep-seabed to the west of the British Isles -may already have been damaged.

Why has science taken so long to obtainan understanding of the widerenvironmental effects of trawling onseabed communities? The reason is partlypolitical, with the unfortunate dichotomyof responsibilities between Fisheries andEnvironment in Brussels. Concern byfisheries biologists over ecosystemimpacts of trawling seems generally notto extend beyond other fish species. Andlast but not least it is becauseenvironment bodies such as the UKNatural Environment Research Councilhave simply not funded any researchinvestigating the deep seabed impacts bytrawling. It is ludicrous that relevantscience, which should be essential tounderpinning the UK government’spromised Marine Stewardship Report,is hamstrung in such a way. ●

REFERENCE:

Roberts, J.M, Harvey, S.M, Lamont, P.A,Gage, J.D, Humphery, J.D (2000) Seabedphotography, environmental assessment andevidence for deep-water trawling on thecontinental margin west of the Hebrides.Hydrobiologia 441: 173-183.

BELOW FIGURE 1: Seabed at 885 m depth offSt Kilda gouged by trawl boards.

BELOW FIGURE 2: Pristine seabed at 1,295m off Lewis with a stalked glass spongebent over in the current.

BELOW FIGURE 3: Lophelia coral at 250-300mdepth severely damaged by trawling on theIverrygen in the Norwegian Sea.

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The deadly efficiency of modern trawlers, although regulated by fishing quotasand total allowable catches, is well known to threaten both fish stocks and thefishermen’s livelihoods. Due to overfishing of traditional grounds the fishingindustry - with the help of a grant-aid for building powerful new boats - hasbeen forced to target new deep-water species whose most probably very slowgrowth rates make the likelihood of a sustainable fishery look doubtful. Butwhat is less appreciated is that the aggressive trawling methods used in depthsof thousands of metres may be inflicting severe long-term damage to a previouslypristine, but little known, deep seabed whose biodiversity was so stunninglybrought into our living rooms by the BBC’s Blue Planet series.

My PhD Project


Five cores - collected from an east-westtransect from the top of the Anton DohnSeamount to the slopes of Rockall Bank -have been analysed with techniques suchas magnetic susceptibility, grainsize andmicrofossils. In addition, the cores havebeen subject to carbon and oxygenisotope analysis.

The deep-water sediments of thenorthern Rockall Trough are influenced by both the northward surface flow ofwarm Atlantic waters and the southerlydeep transport of cold nutrient-rich waterfrom Arctic regions. Consequently, theRockall Trough is an ideal area to studychanges in climate and its influence onocean circulation.

Climate in the North Atlantic is highlyvariable. The Last Glacial Maximum wasthe complete antithesis of our presentclimate. The transition from the extremecold to the modern climate was notsimple. At least three stages ofdeglaciation have been established.Onset of warm climates such as thatprevailing today were punctuated by aseries of cold events that returned largeareas of Northern Europe to near glacialconditions as recently as 9,000 years ago.The timing and duration of such eventsstill remain unresolved today.

The combined effects of alterations inocean circulation and climate changeinfluence sedimentation in the Rockall

Trough. During a period of cold climate,sediments in the central regions of theRockall Trough had a strong glacial input,represented by the occurrence of coarse-grained material from icebergs, either asthey melted or overturned. Some of theseareas, notably around banks andseamounts, provide clear evidence thatlevels of deposition are closely linked tostrong flows of deep ocean currents.

A drilling cruise last summer on board theRRS James Clark Ross provided valuablefirst hand experience in seagoingsurveying and data collection. In October2001, the award of a Marie CurieFellowship allowed pre-doctoral traininghosted by the University of Svalbard andalso at Bergen University. The three-month fellowship enabled a study of theeffects of paleoclimate andsedimentology at these outstandinginstitutes with a number of internationalscientists. ●

Clara Morri is a second year UHI PhD studentworking under the supervision of Dr John Howeand Professor Graham Shimmield at SAMS andDr Martyn Stoker of the British Geological Survey.

Getting into Deep Water!Glaciation and Oceanic CirculationClara Morri, SAMS/UHI

ABOVE: RRS James Clark Ross in heavy seas

This PhD research aims to investigate the role of climate change on deep-watersedimentary environments in the North Atlantic. Extensive seismic surveys andcore sampling were conducted over a period of two years by the BritishGeological Survey in collaboration with a consortium of oil explorationcompanies. A detailed analysis is being applied to sediment cores collectedfrom the Northern Rockall Trough in water depths from 500 to 2,500m.The research concentrates on the time period from the Last Glacial Maximum(20,000 years ago) to the Holocene (10,000 years ago to the present day).

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At SAMS we use fish farms as sites forexperimentation in bioturbation andpelagic ecology studies.

BIOTURBATION

Tom Pearson’s classic paradigm of theresponse of soft sediment infauna toorganic enrichment (Pearson andRosenberg, 1978) has become perhapsSAMS’ most widely cited paper. We areinterested in taking this qualitative modeland developing quantitative relationshipsin terms of carbon supply, mixing rates,community structure and consequencesfor oxygen flux and the redistributionof contaminants.

Our first field campaign in 2001 focussedon Loch Creran. To assess bioturbationand its consequences we observed andmeasured a variety of biological andchemical features at four selected stationsalong a transect away from a fish farm.Station 1 was beneath the farm andstation 2 at the edge, with 3 and 4essentially outside the influence of thefarm but station 4 had much greaterevidence of megafaunal surface activity.

We hypothesise inter alia thatbioturbation depth will increase between

stations 1 and 4 mediated by largeanimals. However, bioturbation intensityin the surface sediments may decreasebetween stations 1 and 4 due to reducedmacrofaunal biomass. Bioturbationdepths were assessed using tracers suchas chlorophyll a and 238Th. These aresupplied to the sediment surface andhave half-lives of about 20 days. Tracersfound deep in the sediment musttherefore have been transported thererecently. Tracer distribution down the corecan thus indicate both intensity ofdiffusive mixing in the upper part of thecore and any non-local transport to depthby larger animals.

The results of this and complementarystudies are being assimilated into models.Much of this work will be transferred toSvalbard (Spitzbergen) in April 2002 aspart of a Large Sale Facility project andlater in June 2002 followed by a cruise ofJames Clark Ross. Our Arctic experiencewill doubtlessly be reported in a futureSAMS Newsletter.

PELAGIC ECOLOGY

It is well established that phytoplanktonpopulations in coastal waters can beinfluenced and controlled by the

availability and relative proportions ofdissolved inorganic nutrients. Likewise,planktonic bacteria are influenced andcontrolled by the quality and quantity ofdissolved organic nutrients, such asdissolved carbon and nitrogen. Fish farmsrelease a range of dissolved nutrientcompounds into coastal waters. However,their impact on the structure and functionof pelagic microbial communities hasreceived little attention.

Recent studies undertaken by SAMSscientists have recorded enhancedplanktonic bacterial activity in the vicinityof fish farm cages in a local sea loch. Sucha response is to be expected in anynatural water body subjected toenhanced inputs of organic material andoffers the opportunity to investigate theeffect of changes in the quality andquantity of nutrients on pelagic microbialcommunities. Future research, as part ofthe SAMS Northern Seas programme,will examine this microbial response tonutrient inputs in more detail via bothlaboratory and field studies. ●

REFERENCE:

Pearson, T. H. and Rosenberg, R. (1978)Macrobenthic succession in relation toorganic enrichment and pollution of themarine environment. Oceanography andMarine Biology Annual Reviews, 16: 229-311.Dr Kenny Black heads the Coastal Impact ResearchGroup at SAMS and is a member of the ExecutiveGroup. He recently spoke as an independentscientist at the Aquaculture Inquiry in the ScottishParliament (see page 16).

Dr Ray Leakey is a SAMS Research Fellow andleads the Pelagic Plankton Group at Dunstaffnage.

Researching the environmental effects of aquaculture has traditionally been seenas a highly applied science area, somewhat shunned by purists. Over recentyears, however, researchers have realised that marine fish farming represents aunique research opportunity to develop process understanding and testhypotheses along steep environmental gradients in sediments and the watercolumn. In general, salmonid farming takes place in relatively pristine areas. It isthus possible to study in isolation the effects of this activity on key ecosystemprocesses against the background of natural variability.

Aquaculture and Environmental ResearchDr Kenny Black & Dr Ray Leakey, SAMS

ABOVE FIGURE 1: Benthic flux chamber used for insitu measurements of oxygen and nutrient fluxes insediments in Loch Creran

ABOVE FIGURE 2: Sediment mound of the echiuran worm Maxmuelleria lankesteriobserved at sites outside the influence of fish farms

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At SAMS research into promoting thesustainability of aquaculture systemscontinues. Sustainable aquaculture isexploitation at a level which does notdiminish environmental quality.Acceptable exploitation should, however,also consider the socio-economic needsof a region.

Our work on sustainable systems includesdeveloping new aquaculture species, newcultivation systems and integratedaquaculture systems.

NEW SPECIES, INTEGRATION ANDNUTRIENT BALANCE

Fin-fish can be thought of as nutrientenriching species. They are fed high-energy feeds resulting in a net input tocoastal waters of an estimated 46 kgnitrogen and 4.9 kg of phosphate pertonne of fish produced. Our aim is tocultivate such nutrient enriching speciesalongside nutrient extracting species,such as filter feeding shellfish, grazinganimals such as sea urchins, or seaweedwhich absorbs dissolved nutrients andacts as a bioremediator.

Research at SAMS has shown that seaurchins thrive in the salmon-cageenvironment. As well as theenvironmental benefits, sea urchins

also provide the salmon grower witha second saleable crop. Protocols forgrowing large numbers of sea urchinjuveniles have been developed inthe SAMS sea urchin hatchery.The developing sea urchin cultivationindustry can thus be independent of thevulnerable wild sea urchin populations.

BIOFAQS: BIOFILTRATION &AQUACULTURE

BIOFAQs - a new EU-funded projectat SAMS - investigates how effectivebiological filters (bio-filters) are inreducing the environmental impactsof organic inputs from intensivemariculture. Accumulations of organicmaterial on the seabed can lead tosediment anoxia and the release ofhydrogen sulphide, which effects thebenthos and potentially also the culturedfin-fish. Field studies are monitoring theeffectiveness of filter feeders on thebio-filters in removing fine particulatematerial from the water column beforeit reaches the seabed. Environmentalimpact models are being used to predictthe benefits of bio-filter deployments.These models are being validated bystudies at fish farms on the west coastof Scotland, in the Mediterranean,the Adriatic and in the Red Sea.

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

Excessive nutrient input fromanthropogenic sources can cause theprolific growth of marine organisms suchas algae. More research is required beforewe can judge if the perceived increase inharmful algal bloom frequency is linked tochanges in nutrient ratios due toanthropogenic sources. In 1999, however,the UK experienced its first major closureof shellfish fishing and cultivation areasdue to the occurrence of domoic acid -which can cause Amnesic ShellfishPoisoning (ASP) - in shellfish. At SAMSresearchers studied the occurrence of theASP toxin in king scallop populations. Thedata show that the toxin is largely (tomore than 99%) confined to the scallop’shepatopancreas, which is discardedduring shucking. The controversycontinues over what level of restrictionshould be applied to the shellfishharvesters when the ASP toxin isprevalent, while protecting the public andallowing economic survival of the industry.Future research at SAMS will ascertain ifdomoic acid impacts shellfish fecundity,and examine means of speeding up itsdepuration from the scallop tissue. ●

Dr Maeve Kelly is a project leader in InvertebrateBiology & Mariculture at SAMS. Dr Liz Cook is aresearch scientist on the BIOFAQs project and isbased at Dunstaffnage.

With an annual growth rate of 10%, aquaculture has been the world's fastestgrowing food production system for the past decade. As the yields from capturefisheries are stagnating globally, the development of aquaculture is such that itsproduce will soon outstrip that from wild capture fisheries. In Europe thiscorresponds to an annual production of some 1.46 million tonnes of finfish,crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. In the UK, the aquaculture industryequates to over 1,000 fish and shellfish farming businesses, operating 1,400 sitesand employing more than 3,000 people. In 1998 the total value at first sale ofaquaculture products was £289 million.

Sustainable Aquaculture @ SAMSDr Maeve Kelly & Dr Elizabeth J. Cook, SAMS

ABOVE: Biofilters are deployed by divers at fishfarms and control sites

ABOVE: Filter feeding organisms settle onbiofilters, potentially reducing the particleflux to the sea bed

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In response to a petition, and havingbeen denied a public inquiry by theScottish Executive, the Transport andEnvironment Committee of theScottish Parliament last year set up itsown "rolling inquiry" into the Scottishaquaculture industry. Written and oralevidence has been taken from a widerange of interested parties: from theindustry to the regulators; privateindividuals to government agencies.On the 12th of December 2001,I joined Dr Dick Shelton, formerlyDirector of the Fisheries ResearchServices, Pitlochry Laboratory, andProfessor Randolph Richards, Directorof the Institute of Aquaculture atStirling University, to be interviewedas independent scientists.

The full transcript of the meeting can befound on the parliamentary web site(http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/trans-01/tr01-3102.htm) butI summarise here the main themes of themeeting:

Carrying capacity and the SELocational Guidelines

Moratorium on new sites and scientificuncertainty regarding carrying capacity

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Polyculture, integrated aquacultureand new species

Reporting of fish escapes and creationof exclusion zones around salmonrivers

Strategy and regulations for sea licecontrol including fallowing

Environmental consents by SEPAincluding promoting Best AvailableEnvironmental Practice

Monitoring, audit and enforcement

The discussion was wide ranging but thehighlights related to carrying capacity andto the issue of sea lice and the decline inwild salmonids on the west coast. Thepanel was in general agreement thatregulations in Scotland were balancedmore in favour of protecting theenvironment from the effects of sea licemedicines than from the lice themselves.In my opinion, sea lice numbers shouldbe monitored by statute, and farms thatcannot adequately control sea licenumbers, within the limits of medicine useimposed by SEPA, should have theirbiomass consents reduced. New ways tofacilitate the relocation of fish farms fromsheltered sea lochs to more exposedcoastal areas are urgently required both

to reduce transmission of sea lice and toaid dispersion of nutrients and medicines.

There was a call for more openness ofinformation, including putting husbandrydata into the public domain (e.g. licecounts) and for the criteria underlying theimplementation of the LocationalGuidelines to be made more transparent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience ofgiving evidence to the Committee. I amhopeful that the current debate willincrease awareness of the complexenvironmental issues surrounding thisindustry allowing politicians and thepublic to make more informed decisionson its future. The Scottish Executive haspromised a revised Strategy forAquaculture Development in Scotlandand it is to be hoped that at least some ofthe good ideas generated during theParliamentary Inquiry are explored.

SAMS is in a good position to provideindependent, high-quality science andexpertise to underpin the industry (and itsregulation) as it develops and takes onnew technologies with increasingrecognition of the complexity of theenvironment on which it depends. ●

Dr Kenny Black heads the Coastal ImpactResearch Group at SAMS.

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The Aquaculture Inquiryin the Scottish ParliamentDr Kenny Black, SAMS


Documents

The Scottish Association for Marine ScienceNEWSLETTER 25 · 2018-11-16 · 04 The Scottish Association for Marine ScienceNEWSLETTER 25 SAMSnews CONT. Born and educated in Hull, Cyril