To settle or not to settle? Oyster larvae settlement cues investigated
oysters

To settle or not to settle? Oyster larvae settlement cues investigated

The inclusion of ecosystem engineers in coastal planning is an approach being considered to mitigate coastal erosion in different environments worldwide. Oysters are reef building and can alter and improve their habitat acting as a barrier for coastal protection by sediment stabilization and wave...

Identifying African bushmeat for sale in Brussels using DNA
Red Tail Monkey

Identifying African bushmeat for sale in Brussels using DNA

Bushmeat is often defined as the meat derived from wild animals, including terrestrial mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, harvested for subsistence or trade, most often illegally. It is a freely accessible source of food that can be captured rather than bred and often represents both the...

Assessing the state of the oceans
WOA II

Assessing the state of the oceans

The second World Ocean Assessment – WOA II – is a global exercise by hundreds of marine scientists to evaluate trends and identify knowledge gaps in the world ocean. Two chapters of WOA II have made use of several components of the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone.

Observing plankton to understand ocean health
RV Stevin mesh

Observing plankton to understand ocean health

Increasing human activities are putting the ocean under stress, threatening the ecological health of marine ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Since plankton are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and are short-lived, they can be used as early warning systems for the...

How Atlantic cod behave to seismic sound exposure - a joint industry project
cods

How Atlantic cod behave to seismic sound exposure - a joint industry project

Within the framework of the PCAD4COD project, an integrated set of studies were performed to understand the impact of airgun sounds on fish. This was done through modelling the energy-flow, individual behaviour and population dynamics as well as collecting field data on behaviour, physiology, growth...

Using maritime boundaries for legal usage of radio frequency bands (ScanReach)
scan reach employee

Using maritime boundaries for legal usage of radio frequency bands (ScanReach)

ScanReach is a Norwegian startup company that develops radio communication equipment for on-board wireless connectivity in the marine environment. As ships travel in various national and international waters, they have to conform to each state’s legal requirements regarding the use of frequency...

Using Maritime Boundaries as offshore location service (Jan De Nul) Group
ship in wind farm

Using Maritime Boundaries as offshore location service (Jan De Nul) Group

Jan De Nul Group is a global player in dredging and marine works. They are using a cluster of services to determine if the position of a ship is within a country's sovereign territorial seas. One of these services is Marine Regions’ Maritime Boundaries.

PETROBRAS: where industry and science touch
sea turtle

PETROBRAS: where industry and science touch

Environmental responsibility is a hot topic these days! For the Brazilian oil and gas magnate Petrobras, this means caring for the safety of their operations and undertaking actions to balance their activities and the welfare of their workforce and of the communities. By improving products and...

Augmenting the potential of vessel position data with Maritime Boundaries (MarineTraffic)
speed boat

Augmenting the potential of vessel position data with Maritime Boundaries (MarineTraffic)

MarineTraffic displays the movement of over 550.000 vessels worldwide, based on their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. The website attracts millions of users on a monthly basis. Since March 31st, these vessel locations can also be plotted against the global Exclusive Economic Zones...

How WoRMS and OBIS guided BASF as a lighthouse
Nubble Lighthouse

How WoRMS and OBIS guided BASF as a lighthouse

For patent applications and legal issues, it is important for BASF to collect and analyse biodiversity data: where exactly do organisms live, in which environment do they mainly live, what is their genetic code, ...? That is why they called on the expertise of WoRMS and OBIS.