School of Biological & Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth
@plymbiomarsci.bsky.social
Official page for the School of Biological & Marine Sciences at the University of Plymouth, UK.
Congratulations to Dr Katherine Herborn on her appointment to the RSPCA Hatchery Standards Technical Advisory Group 🐔 Supporting evidence-based welfare standards for UK poultry and helping inform policy and industry. #AnimalWelfare #Poultry #Research #RSPCA #OneHealth
In case you missed it: huge news for Plymouth! Last week, the UK Government announced a £50 million investment to accelerate defence-focused innovation across #Plymouth and the #Southwest 👇 pml.ac.uk/news/50-mill...
£50 million investment to boost marine innovation and defence capability in Plymouth
PML welcomes the UK Government’s announcement of a £50 million investment to accelerate defence-focused innovation across Plymouth and the Southwest.
pml.ac.uk
Professor Richard Thompson recently attended the #OneHealthSummit in Lyon. The need to consider animal, human and environmental health as one has never been so urgent. Independent scientific evidence will be key to guide long-term policy and protect our planet for future generations. #ClimateAction
Scientists are helping turn the #HighSeasTreaty from historic agreement into real-world impact 🌎 A new paper sets out the scientific roadmap needed to deliver on its ambitions – from closing critical data gaps to scaling up global collaboration. Access the full paper: pml.ac.uk/news/from-tr...
From Treaty to reality: the science the High Seas cannot do without
Following the 3rd BBNJ Symposium in Rio, a new PML-led publication outlines how science can and must underpin its delivery.
pml.ac.uk
For those interested in reading the paper that first discovered ocean darkening, co-authored by both PML's Prof Tim Smyth and Dr Thomas Davies of the University of Plymouth, it is open-access here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social @plymuni.bsky.social
Darkening of the Global Ocean
The ocean is darkening, with less sunlight reaching deeper waters over the past 20 years. Analysing satellite data, we found that 21% of the global ocean has experienced reduced light penetration, wi...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
How do distress calls affect #AnimalWelfare? 🐔📢 New research shows that distress calls can act as social stressors in chickens, with important implications for understanding and improving welfare in group-housed animals. Read more: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... #Behaviour #AnimalScience #Research
Distress calls as social stressors affecting chicken welfare
Abstract. Social signals about current environmental risks can shape development in young animals. Distress calls made by young chickens (Gallus gallus dom
doi.org
The University of Plymouth is showcasing its role in driving innovation and education in marine autonomy, supporting cutting-edge research, skills development, and real-world applications 🌊 Read more: www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/deliver... #MarineScience #MarineAutonomy #OceanTech #STEM
Delivering innovation and education in marine autonomy
University of Plymouth news: The University of Plymouth is part of a city delegation to Oceanology International 2026, the world’s premier biennial...
plymouth.ac.uk
A new partnership is developing a real-time marine mammal detection system to support conservation and reduce human impact at sea 🌊🐋 Read more: www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/partner... #MarineScience #Conservation #MarineMammals #OceanTech #Biodiversity #OceanConservation
Partnership develops real-time marine mammal detection system
University of Plymouth news: A new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) combines expertise in marine conservation, robotics, marine autonomy and sensor...
plymouth.ac.uk
"The reef has survived ice ages - but whether it will survive increasing pressures from industrial fishing, deep-sea mining & climate change is, in part, a question about data. If we don’t know it exists, how can we protect it?" PML's Prof Howell on #AIforGood🔗 theconversation.com/how-ai-could...
How AI could unlock deep-sea secrets of marine life
Robotic and autonomous underwater vehicles have collected vast quantities of footage from the deep sea, but most of it hasn’t been analysed.
theconversation.com
Led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Plymouth (@plymuni.bsky.social / @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social), the #DeepVision project is analysing thousands of hours of seafloor footage to identify keystone species that provide vital habitats and support #CarbonStorage in the ocean’s depths.
The Agrifood Growth Plan highlights the Great South West’s national impact 🌾 • 11% of England’s agricultural output • 1/3+ of England’s dairy farms • England’s premier fishing region #AgriFood #FoodSecurity #SouthWest #Devon #Cornwall #Agriculture #NetZero #UK
🌾🌊 The University of Plymouth has contributed to an ambitious Agrifood Growth Plan for the Great South West, boosting food security, innovation and regional growth. Read more: www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/univers... #FoodSecurity #AgriFood #Sustainable #Agriculture #Farming #SouthWest
University contributes to ambitious plan for food security and growth
University of Plymouth news: Academics from the University’s Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS)...
plymouth.ac.uk
The Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems ( #CRISPS) were proud to sponsor #Rootstock this year, a conference for #SouthWest farmers on resilient, profitable, regenerative farming 🌱 #SustainableAgriculture #SoilHealth #FoodSystems #FarmSky #Agriculture 🧪
Join a free online #webinar led by Assistant Professors Dena Bazazian & Pablo Borja from the University of Plymouth, exploring how emerging technologies are driving innovation and automation across the maritime sector. 👉 Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7c30e4... #MarineAutonomy 🧪
Three weeks to go until #OceanologyInternational 🌊 We’ll be at stand Q400 with the National Centre for Marine Autonomy as it makes its global debut showcasing Plymouth’s expertise in #MarineAutonomy, #OceanTechnology and cutting-edge #MaritimeInnovation #MarineScience #AutonomousSystems
Our latest research shows that living walls can boost biodiversity by creating safe spaces for urban wildlife 🌿 The study highlights how #GreenInfrastructure can support species while helping cities become more resilient. #Livingwall #Biodiversity #NatureInCities www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/living-...
Living walls boost biodiversity by providing safe spaces for urban wildlife
University of Plymouth news: Our research shows how living walls – structures housing flowers and plants fitted to the outside of new and old buildings...
plymouth.ac.uk
A new report from our researchers explores the scale, causes and impacts of the recent octopus bloom in the #SouthWest 🐙🧪 The findings shed light on what’s driving the surge and what it could mean for marine ecosystems and fisheries. #Octopus #OctopusBoom #Marine www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/new-rep...
New report reveals scale, causes and consequences of South West octopus bloom
University of Plymouth news: Our researchers have contributed to a new report revealing that a dramatic population bloom of the common octopus is having...
plymouth.ac.uk
⚠️ It's estimated up to 500 billion single-use cups are discarded every year - and most are lined with #plastic. We're extremely proud to join this new trailblazing consortium to create a fully natural, home-compostable disposable cup range with #ZeroPlastic coatings 👇 pml.ac.uk/news/rethink...
Rethinking single-use plastics: PML joins trailblazing consortium to eliminate plastic from disposable coffee cups
It is estimated that up to 500 billion single-use coffee cups are discarded worldwide each year – and most are lined with plastic.
pml.ac.uk
🌊Our latest research suggests releasing pollack close to their catch depths can result in their survival rates increasing from 56% for surface-released fish to more than 80%! #MarineScience #Fishing #OceanResearch #Plymouth #PollackFISP www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/releasi...
Releasing pollack at depth could benefit their long-term survival
University of Plymouth news: New research led by the University has suggested changing how pollack are released after being caught by recreational...
plymouth.ac.uk
A new £3.7m project aims to provide unprecedented analysis of mesophotic #CoralReefs to assess their vulnerability to #ClimateChange - and inform ways the #reefs can be protected now and in the future 🔗 pml.ac.uk/news/3-7m-pr... Led by @plymuni.bsky.social / @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social
£3.7m project aims to provide unprecedented analysis of mesophotic coral reefs
The five-year initiative will assess the response and resilience of mesophotic coral reef communities to future climate change
pml.ac.uk
Hear directly from the scientists uncovering the mystery behind the #OctopusBloom: Dr Bryce Stewart, Prof Tim Smyth & Prof Emma Sheehan explain why #octopus numbers exploded off the #UK’s #SouthWest coast in 2025 - in their new article for @uk.theconversation.com🔗 theconversation.com/octopus-numb...
Well done to @gracebradley99.bsky.social, BSc Ocean Science & Marine Conservation student for presenting at this years #UKIRSC2026!
UKIRSC Marine Mammals@ukirsc.bsky.social · 7mo agoClosing our first session, Grace F. Bradley (gracebradley99.bsky.social) explores how interannual climate variability influences the abundance and distribution of baleen whales in the Mid North Atlantic 🐳☀️ #UKIRSC2026
Our second workshop is off with a bang! We are going to learn about communicating our science to a wider audience. 📝 #UKIRSC26
That’s a wrap for #UKIRSC26! Thank you to everyone who came to Plymouth for our 20th Annual UKIRSC Conference! It was a pleasure meeting everyone and hearing all of the amazing presentations! 🦭🐬🐋
Had a blast organising this year’s marine mammal conference in our very own Plymouth! @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social
UKIRSC Marine Mammals@ukirsc.bsky.social · 7mo agoAnd shoutout to our UKIRSC committee for organising this year’s conference #UKIRSC26 🙌 @beth-harvey.bsky.social @oshuwilson.bsky.social @miahurst.bsky.social @eva-mariab.bsky.social @isha-just-isha.bsky.social @rebeccahdudley.bsky.social @crday-reader.bsky.social @ellenlhayward.bsky.social
That’s a wrap on our School of Biological & Marine Sciences Research Conference! Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed, it’s been a fantastic event showcasing the incredible breadth and diversity of research across our school! #Conference #SoBMs #Research #PlymUni #PlymouthResearch
Ou final session of the day: our PhD speed session! Well done to all our PhD researchers for their excellent presentations, with rapid snapshots of their research from Toby Anderson von Trampe, Yun-Tzu Huang, Wassim Seksaf, Maisy Fuller, Tilly Longstaff and William Hagan Brown. #Conference #PhD
Our next talk comes from Dr Clare Embling, Associate Professor in Marine Ecology, who gave a keynote at #UKIRSC26 this morning and is now presenting: Is the Chagos Archipelago the last tropical refuge for #cetaceans? With some very impressive footage and audio recordings of some rare species!
Our next talk comes from Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Director of the Marine Institute, presenting Reflections on a plastic world and science into policy. A fascinating journey from his first plastics paper to the #UNPlasticPollutionTreaty
