Marine Biology Life

Great to have a piece published in the national magazine for Councillors (LGA First) about our 🥳

21 local governments and counting taking ocean-climate action using our Local Government Ocean Recovery Declaration💪🏻

An antidote to the politicking and glaciality (ironic) of , and a flicker of hope that the ocean’s essential role in tackling the climate emergency is being recognised.

Discovering new marine species with Ocean Census 🦐

Our world-first research expedition to Macaronesia is yielding some really exciting results, which we can’t wait to share in due course.

Here is Daniel in the lab, looking at a creature collected during a submersible dive yesterday. Our expert taxonomists are currently assessing it, can’t wait to find out if it’s a new species!

🎉 Facebook recognised me as a top rising creator this week! 🥳🥳

We’re on a world-first research expedition 😁🐙

We’re thrilled to be part of the first Ocean Census expedition, aiming to discover new marine species here in Macaronesia 🦀

Bringing together over 30 marine scientists, technical divers and a submersible team, from all over the world, we’ll be doing submersible (submarine) and technical dives to try and discover marine species new to science.🔬

Today brings the first dives of the expedition, so please follow Ocean Census (and us!) for real time updates.

We’re so excited to be part of this, bring on the discoveries!!!

🌊GOOD OCEAN NEWS 🌊 Councils 20 & 21 have passed our ! 👇🏻

I was living in Falmouth when I co-wrote the model Motion for the Ocean, together with Dr Pamela Buchan and Nicola Bridge of the Ocean Conservation Trust. Here’s me on my daily sea swim in front of my flat 🏊

Seeing the effects of the ocean crisis first-hand in Cornwall hugely inspired me in the development of the Motion for the Ocean and so I’m OVER THE MOON today that Cornwall Council has passed it 😁

Thank you to Lewes District Council and Cornwall Council for your ocean leadership,
particularly Cllr Becky Francomb and Cllr Julian German for proposing the motions in each council.

Is your Council one of the 21?
Find out/get involved, send me a message!

🌊🌊🌊

Thanks to Beccy MacDonald-Lofts of the LGA Coastal SIG for ongoing support for the Motion for the Ocean 👏🏻

Emily’s in the newspaper 📰☺️

What a lovely write-up about her award and work!

Some nice coverage of Em’s Award in the local news 🗞️

Former Walton High School pupil lands coveted award Stafford-born Marine Biologist wins UK Women of the Future Award

Celebrating Em’s Award Win with a visit to see the seals and their pups at Donna Nook Nature Reserve 🦭

Every winter, Donna Nook plays host to a colony of Grey Seals that come ashore to give birth and later breed. The saltmarsh is dotted with seals: pregnant and postpartum females, fluffy white pups, and big bull males staking out a claim ready for when the females are ready to mate once again.

852 pups have been born here so far this season, with many yet to come!

Standing there, within a few feet of a newborn seal pup suckling from its mother, I had the same feeling of awe and wonder that I got in Antarctica. You don’t have to fly to the other side of the world to experience it. It’s here on our doorstep.

Thanks to the team at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust for doing an outstanding job as ever at managing the site so well. They ensure visitors can enjoy seeing the seals in a responsible way. 👏🏻

WOMEN OF THE FUTURE 🏆🏆🤯😁
Emily has WON the UK Women of the Future Award - ESG category!!

Recognised for her work at the intersection of ocean recovery and social action, the judges noted Emily’s “hugely inspiring” commitment and potential for global impact! 🤯

The night was made all the more special as our friend, Cllr Emma Oldham won the Women of the Future Award - Community Spirit category 🥳🏆

It means so much that the hard work over the past decade - for planet and for people - is being recognised 🥰

These highly competitive Awards celebrate women under 35 who are trailblazers in their respective sectors. It was an honour to be shortlisted and mind-blowing to have won ☺️🥰

Women of the Future Programme

Ready to give a talk to 300 young women about our ocean and my work 🌊

What an honour! ☺️

Happy Samhain / Happy Halloween 🎃🐋

Here’s a pumpkin we carved a few years ago to celebrate a very special humpback whale we saw in the Firth of Forth, near Edinburgh.

See that Y-shaped marking on its tail? Citizen scientists from Forth Marine Mammals used that identifying feature to match it to a photo of the same whale taken in Svalbard!

This was the first time a whale seen in the UK 🇬🇧 had been identified in the Arctic, helping us better understand how these whales move around the ocean. We then published a research paper about it with Moana Matron Designs.

I wonder if the humpback whales will be back in the Forth this winter… 🌊🐋🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Fantastic ocean news to start the week! 🌊🥳
The UK 🇬🇧 has FINALLY declared its support for a moratorium on

This is huge!

🐙

Poland, Bird Migration Expedition // Part 2 🇵🇱🐦‍⬛

My first morning at camp, as with every day that followed, began with a pre-dawn alarm. As consciousness blew away the last wisps of sleep, I realised I could hear nothing but nature: lapping waves, bugling Cranes flying overhead, and the gentle patter of deer hooves on the forest floor beyond. I couldn’t wait for the day ahead.

With time, I came to learn that my tent acted like a crystal ball. If the tent sides were flapping wildly when I woke, it was going to be a quiet day (birds don’t tend to migrate in bad weather). If the tent lay still, it was going to be a busy day with hundreds of birds in the nets. But that first morning, I had no idea of what was to come…

What came was an absolute whirlwind! An invasion of feathered migrants arriving from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Scandinavia. The sky was a steady stream of passerines, the nets catching only a tiny fraction of those passing through.

Not all species are caught in the nets; some are more prone to being caught than others, which meant we saw a lot of some species and very few of others…

Commonly caught species were:
Goldcrests, Robins, Wrens, Blackcaps (should be called Blackcraps, see photo💩 ), Warblers, Song Thrushes, Greater-Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and T**s: Blue, Great, Willow, Marsh, and Long-Tailed.

I don’t remember much detail of that first day, rather a blur of birds and me grabbing food/running to the toilet whenever there was a spare minute. By the last net check of the day (pictured), I was shattered and looking forward to an early night…

But it ended up that I was going to help with provisioning (food shopping) at a supermarket 30 minutes away with a new colleague. After buying, unpacking and stowing food for the whole camp, I finally crawled into my tent at 23:30.

My last act before sleep consumed me was to set a 04:00 alarm. For at 4am, I would embark on my first night shift, heading alone into the forest to check the nets for owls… 🦉

Thanks to Wild Areas Network, Operation Baltic, and all my teammates 🙏🏻

Poland, Bird Migration Expedition // Part 1 🇵🇱🐦‍⬛

Trains, buses, and a game of Tetris to fit ourselves and our bags into a Skoda Octavia brought 4 strangers from Mexico, Czechia, Italy and the UK finally to a remote sliver of land on Poland’s coast.

Barely a few hundred metres wide, framed by the Baltic Sea and a large lake, this narrow pocket of wilderness would be our home and study area for the next 10 days.

Home was a series of tents: a dining tent, a ringing tent, and our own individual tents, all pitched at the margin of where the sand dunes became forest. The toilet, a portaloo, was a 20-minute round trip walk. The shower was at a campsite a further 10 minutes away.

Across the study area were 65 mist nets, positioned in the dunes, forest, and reed beds to catch birds migrating south for the winter. All 65 nets had to be checked every hour from sunrise to after sunset.

Minutes after arriving, we launched into our first net checks, disentangling Robins, Goldcrests, Siskins and various Warblers before placing them individually into cloth bags ready for them to be measured, ringed and released.

As I freed my first bird, a Siskin, my heart ballooned with joy. It’s such a profound experience to hold a wild bird, feeling its heartbeat and warmth in your hand. I felt so privileged and so grateful.

The evening flew by in an overwhelming whirlwind as I tried to: not get lost in the woods, absorb a tsunami of new information, remember names of new colleagues, and conduct the difficult task of disentangling fragile birds from mist nets located in deep swamps…

By the time the last net checks of the day were done, I was fried. A campfire was lit and as I sat down, someone handed me a beer. Conversation flowed as the fire crackled, new friendships forming fast - as is the way on expedition.

As I listened to tales from frontline conservation and research, my heart filled with hope and I knew there was no place on Earth I’d rather be*.

(*I felt less effusive at 2am when a mouse tried to chew its way into my tent. But such is expedition life 😅)

Part 2 tomorrow 🇵🇱🐦‍⬛



Thanks again to Wild Areas Network, Operation Baltic and all my wonderful campmates 🙏🏻🥰

Fantastic news that a Global Declaration for River Dolphins has been adopted 🐬👏🏻

Yesterday, on , 11 Asian and South American nations adopted a deal aiming to save the world’s 6 remaining species of river dolphins from extinction.

All 6 extant species of river dolphins are Endangered or Critically Endangered due to: entanglement in fishing gear, hydroelectric dam construction, water pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Despite extensive conservation efforts, their situation remains bleak.

13 years ago, we sat on a boat watching Irrawaddy Dolphins in the Mekong River (photo). Daniel and I had the dolphins all to ourselves. Just us, our very respectful boat driver, and a small group of river dolphins including one very inquisitive calf. It remains to this day as my favourite ever wildlife encounter and I think often of that little calf and wonder about its fate.

The Global Declaration for River Dolphins is a cause for hope. It is a roadmap to recovery for the remaining river dolphins, and a lifeline to stop them becoming extinct like the Baiji (Yangtze/Chinese River Dolphin).

Well done to all involved in brokering this deal and - in advance - to the governments, organisations, and communities that will turn it from words into reality.

🌊HUGE OCEAN NEWS🌊 - A Midlands Council has passed our ! 🤯🥳

Last night, Newark & Sherwood District Council became the FIRST Midlands Council to pass our Local Government Ocean Recovery Declaration.

Proposed by Cllr Emma Oldham, the Motion received unanimous cross-party support 🙌🏻

As I sat in the packed public gallery listening to Councillors from across the political spectrum discussing their responsibility for protecting local rivers and our ocean, I felt flooded with hope.

Inland Councillors, 56 miles from the sea, acknowledging that they have a responsibility for ocean care previously seemed unimaginable… but that’s the power of our . Thank you to all NSDC Councillors for your leadership on this.

19 Councils (and counting) are now taking local ocean action after passing a Motion for the Ocean: coastal, Midlands (!!!), Town, Parish, District, City and Council.

The wave is building and we can’t wait to see which Council is next 🙌🏻

For any support, please contact any of us in the Motion for the Ocean team:
Dr Pamela Buchan, Nicola Bridge Ocean Conservation Trust, Beccy MacDonald-Lofts or me ☺️

Ocean conservation isn’t just the fun field work; it’s the meetings, the politics and the hours and hours of hidden work. So today, I’m heading home on the train grinning like a Cheshire Cat. This is what change looks like.

I’m on AccuWeather talking about record low Antarctic sea ice extent 📺

This winter, an area of sea ice 5 x the size of the British Isles (or twice the size of Texas) didn’t form.

This is unprecedented and, frankly, terrifying. Such significant changes to sea ice extent will impact global temperatures, ocean currents, and (indirectly) sea level rise which will affect billions of people around the globe.

Antarctica might be far away but what is happening there matters to us all.

And believe me, change is happening. Now.

As we head towards COP28: “I implore leaders (…) to be on the right side of history.”



Link in comments 👇🏻

Recording a media interview about Antarctic sea ice extent this evening 🇦🇶

A deeply concerning topic, but I made sure to end with a message of hope and action.

I’ll share a link when it’s live (probably next week). Thanks Daniel for the photo!

Back at my desk today after an amazing adventure studying migrating birds on the Baltic Coast of Poland 🇵🇱

It was a privilege to join the team at Operation Baltic to contribute to this 63-year continuous study of bird migration and the world’s largest database of vertebrate measurements. Over 1.75 million of birds have been ringed during that time!

My adventure has been wonderful and challenging in equal measure. Camping in the dunes, falling asleep to the sounds of the breaking waves of the Baltic Sea. Awaking in the dead of night to check the nets for owls, walking alone into the forest under a sky full of stars. Arising before dawn to commence our hourly checks of 60 mist nets, watching the sun rise over the reedbeds and wondering what the day will bring…

Over the next few days, I’ll share what we found and my experiences along the way.

I’m knackered today but so completely grateful for all I got to see and feel. Our natural world is incredible; but with every expedition I do, I learn it is changing faster than ever.

I'm delighted to announce that I have started an exciting new role as Expedition Science Manager for Ocean Census.

Ocean Census is a open and collaborative global alliance uniting to discover and protect ocean life. Co-founded by Nekton and the The Nippon Foundation (日本財団), Ocean Census will undertake expeditions to discover new species.

With an ambitious target of discovering 100,000 new species in ten years we're going to be very busy! Currently it takes an average of 13.5 years to describe new species but by driving change and utilising cybertaxonomy (making use of 3D digital life forms and genetic data) we aim to cut this down to a fraction of the time.

Watch out for announcements of our exciting expedition destinations soon!

Ocean Census will also coordinate activities of the alliance, support partner expeditions and run the Ocean Life Media Centre that will amplify the story of ocean life to inspire public awareness and policy action.

If you are a marine taxonomist and interested in getting involved, then join our science network: oceancensus.org/sciencenetwork

I hope you all have a wonderful day,
Daniel

I am *thrilled* to share that I am a Finalist in the UK Women of the Future Programme Awards 2023 😁🥳

What incredible company I find myself in; both in the ESG category and in the overall list. I can’t wait to meet these trailblazers at the Awards Ceremony in November.

Huge congratulations to fellow conservationist Cllr Emma Oldham for being shortlisted too. I’m so excited to share this experience with you - working class Midlands lasses represent!

There is a judging day in London in a few weeks time, before we find out the winners at an Awards Ceremony in November. No matter what, I’m honoured to have been shortlisted in recognition of my work for our ocean and all of us that depend on it.

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to my colleagues, peers and mentors that provided Statements of Recommendation for my nomination, your kind words really mean so much.

P.S. I’m writing this on my way to a remote field site in Poland so apologies in advance for slow replies!

I took a midweek day off yesterday to go to the big city and watch with my bestie.

I needed a break from the bin fire of anti-climate and anti-environment politics. It’s exhausting when you have seen the reality of what is happening to our planet with your own eyes, and have dedicated your life to changing it.

I feel so much better for giving myself a day to switch off, laugh, drink 🍹 and watch a film in the best company.

Really, just a reminder to take breaks from the fight and take care of yourself 💙

Any 🇺🇸 friends, if you know of a venue that could host a book talk about sharks and their conservation, please contact David Whysharksmatter Shiffman.

How (and Why) I Planned a 40-City Book Tour About Shark Science and Conservation • The Revelator If a book contains critical messages about endangered species but nobody reads it, does it make a difference?

Tonight’s the night! Looking forward to giving an online talk tonight about the whales of Antarctica for Sea Watch Foundation 🐋🥳

Message us if you’d like the link to attend ☺️

125 little tern chicks have fledged 🥳💪🏻💙

This is hugely important! Tern colonies around our coast have been decimated by bird flu and so 125 healthy chicks is really significant.

Well done to all involved in wardening and monitoring this precious colony. And thank you 🙏🏻

Every chick matters.

🌊 GOOD OCEAN NEWS! 🌊 A 16th Council has passed our !

Congratulations to Canterbury City Council, hot on the heels of Isle of Wight Council. That’s 2 Councils in 2 days, both using our blueprint for local ocean action 💪🏻

The Motion for the Ocean team (me, Dr Pamela Buchan, Nicola Bridge and Beccy MacDonald-Lofts) are working with Councils across the country to develop a local Motion for the Ocean, and we’re always keen to work with more.

So far all the Councils are UK-based, but any local government can get involved, no matter where in the world.

Why not ask your local Councillor to table a Motion for the Ocean?

Get in touch! 🌊💪🏻

Emily is giving an online talk about the whales of Antarctica 🐋 🇦🇶 on 1st August, 7pm BST 🇬🇧🕖

She is part of an incredible line up of speakers 🤩

Why not join us for what will be a fascinating evening celebrating whales, dolphins and porpoises👇🏻

Sea Watch Foundation

Deep Sea Mining: why is it in the news and why does it matter? 👇🏻

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly meetings are taking place in Jamaica to decide whether deep sea mining can begin in the international areas of our ocean.

This means mining the seabed beyond 200m deep for commercially valuable minerals. These are for use in technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, batteries for electric vehicles, and mobile phones. However, we know that there are sufficient resources on land to meet the needs of the green transition.

“Huge combine harvesters” will plough the seabed, causing irreversible damage and releasing plumes of heavy-metal laden sediment that could impact wildlife for hundreds of miles.

The deep sea is critically understudied. We know it’s home to incredible biodiversity, but don’t know everything that lives there and how vulnerable it is to industrial mining. We know these habitats are huge carbon stores, but we don’t know if mining could release it.

Now, many scientists, indigenous peoples, governments, car manufacturers, and people like you and me are calling for a precautionary pause on deep sea mining.

The Council meeting ended yesterday saying no deep sea mining will go ahead without proper regulation; but that’s not good enough. The ISA Assembly starts next week where States will discuss a precautionary pause.

You can help by asking your country to back a precautionary pause, just message us for the link.

Photo of Emily in a submarine because this platform prefers photos of faces to the seabed and it means more of you will see it 😎

Wow! A school in England has featured Emily on its classroom wall of inspirational changemakers 🤩😊

Emily says:

“I’m so flattered to be included amongst those creating change for our planet and all of humanity. Teachers, just like Meryl who did this display, who are helping young people understand the challenges we face, exploring solutions, and showing them role models to aspire to, are inspirational changemakers themselves.” 🙏🏻🌍💪🏻

Emily had the pleasure of speaking with children at Ysgol Ffordd Dyffryn today, a school in North Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The class of 7 and 8 year olds have been following our journey to Antarctica and had some fantastic questions for Emily about the ocean and her work as a marine biologist.

It was a joy to hear their passion for the sea and their promises of what they will do to help protect it 🌊🐋 🥤⛔️

Emily has spent much of the last decade working to raise awareness of the life in UK seas and has developed projects helping young people get the opportunity to learn more about the ocean and to experience it firsthand.

☺️

What is your favourite ocean (conservation) book and WHY? 📚🌊

🌊📚🐋🪼🦭🐠🦈🦑

Emily is writing a book proposal at the moment and would love your insights on the ocean books out there 😄🙏🏻💙

Back to work 🚢

Daniel’s heading to the USA 🇺🇸 to join the expedition ship where he is Chief Scientist.

Firstly he’ll be meeting with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) colleagues to discuss research plans, before joining the ship for 6 weeks.

Emily is back to work too… but to her desk in the home office 👩🏼‍💻😄

We’ve had a wonderful and much needed break; seeing friends and family, snorkelling, hiking, biking, rewilding our garden and chilling out. ☺️

☀️🌊🥾🌱🐝🏡😎

Back to work tomorrow! 🚢

Emily’s on a podcast 🎙️👩🏼👇🏻

Emily was recently interviewed for The Eco Enthusiast Podcast, which features real people making a difference for the planet.

The link to listen on Spotify is in our story today or send us a message! Enjoy ☕️🎧☺️

What a week! 🎤🎙️💪🏻🌊

The week of and is always a busy one, but 2023 was the busiest yet for Emily.

🎤 Spoke at Green Hustle Festival alongside Emma Oldham about the Emily co-founded.

🎙️Interviewed for the Eco-Enthusiast podcast (episode out soon!)

🎤 Keynote speaker at an ocean finance event in co-organised by Marine Conservation Society and Simmons & Simmons.

🎤 Hosted the Climate Action North conference in and gave a talk about the Motion for the Ocean.

📖 Had a case study published about Motion for the Ocean in a new book on Ocean Health together with Dr Pamela Buchan and Nicola Bridge. Emily was one of over 100 experts to contribute.

📰 Had an interview published in The Revelator about her time in Antarctica 🇦🇶

💻 Plus all the other work behind the scenes that makes the big stuff happen.

It’s important to make the most of the fleeting attention on our ocean, its wonders and the existential threats it faces during World Environment/Ocean Days, but it takes it’s toll! 🥱

Now time for a few days off 😌☀️

Emily was a keynote speaker tonight 🎤

She gave a speech at the “Financing the Growth of the Blue Economy” event in London alongside the Rt Hon Lord Zac Goldsmith, the UN Special Envoy to the Ocean Peter Thomson, and renowned economist Ralph Chami.

Co-hosted by Simmons & Simmons and Marine Conservation Society, this event bought together 150 people from the investment and marine conservation communities to discuss a shared goal of mobilising private investment in ocean recovery.

It was just a flying visit to London and Emily had to dash off to catch the last train up north as she’s hosting the Climate Action North conference in Sunderland tomorrow, as well as presenting about our .