Marine Environment Section

The Marine Environment Section undertakes work that is relevant to marine communities and/or ecosystems, and how these influence or are influenced by human activities.  Its work is closely aligned with other sections within the department as these 'activities' are often industrial and include capture fisheries, aquaculture and other established or emerging sectors. 

Environmental monitoring is an important requirement for human developments that may alter or 'disturb' the enviroment, but also of natural events that can impact on existing human activities.  Output volumes, product quality and food safety can all be significantly altered by changes in the environment that may or may not be predictable.

The section conducts ongoing monitoring programmes that aim to inform stakeholders of real-time impacts caused by the environment, but also specific research projects to develop 'early warning systems'.  Although human activity, municipal and industrial developments can rapidly have a disturbing influence which is almost always assumed to be 'negative', it is important to contextualise the impacts in terms of their size, the uniqueness and importance or otherwise of the ecosystem and the rate and extent by which it may return to normal after the development. 

The section uses modern equipment and techniques to gather and assess such information so that regulators, planners, policy makers, developers and the general public have access to up-to-date and relevant information.