As an organisation established by marine biologists, we
firmly believe in the protection of the marine environment.
We also believe that through sound regulation and governance
this can be achieved alongside the sustainable use of the natural
resources it provides.
When established in 2013, we set out to work with the UK’s most forward-thinking organisations making use of and regulating the marine environment. We have since worked on a number of the UK’s most significant marine infrastructure projects and with the majority of the UK government’s regulatory bodies. This has facilitated our development into one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist marine ecological services related to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), monitoring programmes and applied research.
Key to achieving this has been establishing a team of highly skilled marine scientists who share the same beliefs of the company’s founders alongside continued investment in their professional development, our laboratory facilities and tools for conducting our fieldwork.
and are dedicated to working with those
making use of and governing the
marine environment.
Surveys
Our team of qualified field scientists have wide ranging experience in conducting benthic, epibenthic, fisheries, planktonic and marine mammal studies at sites spanning the North Sea and the wider North East Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Black Seas, the North-West and Western Pacific as well as coastal regions of West Africa, the Middle East and Australia. Our survey work is conducted on a variety of platforms ranging from our purpose built intertidal hovercrafts to state of the art offshore survey vessels. We also operate our own coastal survey vessel equipped for a range of environmental survey requirements.
Laboratory
Our fully-equipped laboratory facilities are located on the banks of the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire, UK, where our team of analysts process several thousand samples annually.
Our analytical services include macrobenthic, meiofaunal, fish and planktonic analysis as well as Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Ash-Free Dry Mass (AFDM) analysis of marine sediment samples collected from transitional, coastal and deep-water habitats throughout the world.
approach to all that we do is
central to how we operate.
Consultancy
Alongside our survey and analytical services, our marine consultants provide expert advice relating to:
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) and Water Framework Directive (WFD) assessment
- Design and implementation of marine ecological monitoring and mitigation programmes
- Compliance with conditions of marine licences, policy and regulation
- Development of best practice guidance for marine ecological monitoring, analysis and reporting
This advice is delivered through our inclusion on Expert Topic Groups (EPGs) for some of the UK’s largest Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and on behalf of the UK’s regulatory bodies through advisory frameworks.
Our consultancy and data management teams also routinely conduct detailed data analysis and habitat/biotope mapping using the latest statistical and Geographical Information System (GIS) software packages to support technical reporting and preparation of Environmental Statement (ES) chapters.
Quality
In line with our commitment to excellent quality standards, our laboratory participates in the NE Atlantic Marine Biological Quality Control (NMBAQC) scheme for the macrobenthic invertebrate, Particle Size Analysis (PSA), fish and zooplankton components demonstrating compliance of our analytical processes with industry best practice. Our sediment laboratory is also one of just three in the UK validated by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to conduct Particle Size Analysis (PSA) for informing marine licence applications.
All of our laboratory data is recorded, quality assured, stored and exported via our proprietary web-based data management platform ABACUS developed specifically to ensure our data is recorded and managed in compliance with nationally and internationally recognised data standards (e.g. MEDIN) and industry recognised best practice guidelines (e.g. NMBAQC).
All of our laboratory, field and consultancy team hold degrees in Marine Biology or a related discipline as a minimum and a number are hold specialist qualifications gained through commercially endorsed power boat and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot training. We are also holders of a Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) granted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) permitting us to conduct UAV works on a commercial basis.
Our Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) operators are members and/or committee members of the Marine Mammal Observer Association (MMOA) whilst a number of our Marine Consultants are affiliated to the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) as members, Chartered Scientists and Chartered Marine Scientists.
Accreditations / Affiliations
have the responsibility for safe work
and to act as leaders in HSE.
HSE
Health and Safety of our personnel and the conservation of the environment underpin all of our operations. We have industry leading HSE procedures aligned with ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 standards and endeavour to maintain a culture where safety is seen as an equal to all other objectives.
Our NEBOSH certified HSE manager and independent H&S consultant oversee all of our HSE systems to ensure we remain current and consistent with legal requirements but also surpass the minimum HSE expectations of our clients. Our field team hold all industry standard offshore safety qualifications and medical certificates (BOSIET, STCW95, ENG1 and OGUK) meaning they are trained to internationally recognised standards.