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Marine Biological Association

The charitable aims of the Marine Biological Association (MBA) are to promote scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea, including the environment on which it depends, and to disseminate to the public the knowledge gained.

The MBA is a professional body for marine scientists with some 1500 members world-wide. Since 1884 the MBA has established itself as a leading marine biological research organization contributing to the work of several Nobel Laureates and over 170 Fellows of the Royal Society. In recognition of its long and eminent history and its status within the field of marine biology, the MBA was awarded a Royal Charter in 2013.

Since the opening of its Laboratory in Plymouth in 1888, the Marine Biological Association has earned an international reputation for the broad scope and quality of its research.

Our research programme reflects a long-standing commitment to the development of marine biology. It addresses both fundamental and strategic issues in marine science and is structured around the following themes:

  • Ecosystems and Environmental Change
  • Mechanisms underlying biogeochemical and ecological processes

The research programme covers a range of disciplines including cell biology, physiology and functional biology, phytoplankton dynamics, ecology and animal behaviour and ecosystem change.

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Blue sharks are popular targets of a catch-and-release fishery along the southern coast of England. Vladimir Turkenich/Shutterstock

How trophy fishing can have a sustainable future

Trophy fishing is a big threat to some of the most threatened species of fish, but there are ways to adapt the sport with marine conservation in mind.
Recent marine heatwaves have devastated crucial coastal habitats, including kelp forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs. Dan Smale

Suffering in the heat: the rise in marine heatwaves is harming ocean species

Marine heatwaves, like their land counterparts, are growing hotter and longer. Sea species in southeastern Australia, southeast Asia, northwestern Africa, Europe and eastern Canada are most at risk.
Kelp covered landscape in Western Australia. Dan Smale

Marine heatwaves threaten the future of underwater forests

Western Australia’s marine environment is unique. Two world heritage areas, the largest fringing coral reef in Australia, and more than a thousand kilometres of underwater forests, supporting incredible…

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