Acknowledgements
Hundreds of people have contributed to make the updated UK Marine Strategy Part 1 a success and thanks are due to all of those involved at every stage. The assessment and analyses presented on the Marine Online Assessment Tool have required substantial efforts and collaboration between marine policymakers and the marine science community via the four UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS) Evidence Groups. The UK Marine Assessment Reporting Group (MARG) coordinates and guides these four Evidence Groups, and includes the following organisations in its membership:
- Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
- Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland
- Department for Transport
- Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Environment Agency
- Food Standards Agency
- Innovation and Skills
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Marine Environmental Data and Information Network
- Marine Management Organisation
- Marine Scotland
- Met Office
- Ministry of Defence
- Natural England
- Natural Environment Research Council
- The Crown Estate
- Welsh Government
The UK Marine Assessment Reporting Group is chaired by Dominic Pattison (Defra) and Helena Gray (Marine Scotland). The secretariat is provided by the Marine and Fisheries Directorate in Defra.
The four UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy Evidence Groups include:
- Clean and Safe Seas (Chair: Manuel Nicolaus, Cefas; Secretariat: Cefas)
- Healthy and Biologically Diverse Seas (Chair: Roger Proudfoot, Environment Agency; Secretariat: JNCC)
- Ocean Processes (Chair: Stephen Dye, Cefas; Secretariat: AFBI)
- Productive Seas (Chair: Adrian Judd, Cefas; Secretariat: Cefas)
The regular meetings of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy Evidence Groups, the work of the associated sub-groups covering particular indicators and issues, and the dedicated workshops to develop particular aspects of the assessments have been indispensable to obtaining a coordinated picture of the state of the UK seas and the associated pressures and uses.
For each indicator assessed a dedicated team of scientists drawn from around the UK, supervised by an indicator lead, drew together the data collected by the associated monitoring programmes and assessed the information against targets and thresholds set out in the Marine Strategy Part 1. These scientists are cited in each individual indicator assessment section.
The UK Marine Online Assessment Tool (MOAT) was designed and developed by the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. (Cefas) on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). MOAT editorial board include a dedicated team of scientists led byEva Garnacho (Cefas).
Organisational contributors to the content of MOAT sections
Introduction to the UK Marine Strategy
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland
- Scottish Government
- Welsh Government
Summary of progress towards Good Environmental Status
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland
- Scottish Government
- Welsh Government
Pressures from human activities
Non-indigenous species, eutrophication, hydrographical conditions, contaminants, contaminants in seafood, marine litter, underwater noise
Clean and Safe Seas Evidence Group: Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; British Oceanographic Data Centre; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; Environment Agency; Food Standards Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Conservation Society; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; and Wageningen Marine Research.
Productive Seas Evidence Group: ABP Marine Environmental Research; Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; British Marine Aggregate Producers Association; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; English Heritage; Environment Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations; Natural England; New Economics Foundation; Oil and Gas UK; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Seabed Users and Developers Group; The Crown Estate; University of Aberdeen; and Welsh Government.
Commercial fish and shellfish
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Marine Scotland
Biodiversity, food webs and marine protected areas
Cetaceans, seal, birds, fish, pelagic habitats, benthic habitats and food webs
Healthy and Biologically Diverse Seas Evidence Group: Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; Environment Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Biological Association; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; Met Office; National Oceanography Centre; Natural England; Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Natural Heritage; Sea Mammal Research Unit; and University of Plymouth.
Marine protected areas
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Ocean processes and climate
Ocean Processes Evidence Group: Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; Institute for Marine Engineering Science and Technology; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Scotland; Met Office; National Oceanography Centre; National Partnership for Ocean Prediction; Natural Environment Research Council; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Association for Marine Sciences; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Society for Underwater Technology; University of Bangor; University of East Anglia; and University of Hull.
Uses of the marine environment
Social and economic analysis
Productive Seas Evidence Group: ABP Marine Environmental Research; Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; British Marine Aggregate Producers Association; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; English Heritage; Environment Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations; Natural England; New Economics Foundation; Oil and Gas UK; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Seabed Users and Developers Group; The Crown Estate; University of Aberdeen; and Welsh Government.
MSCC Social Science Task Group: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Marine Management Organisation; University of Aberdeen; University of Cardiff; and University of Hull.
Predominant pressures
Productive Seas Evidence Group: ABP Marine Environmental Research; Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute; British Marine Aggregate Producers Association; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; English Heritage; Environment Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations; Natural England; New Economics Foundation; Oil and Gas UK; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Seabed Users and Developers Group; The Crown Estate; University of Aberdeen; and Welsh Government.
UKMMAS Steering Group on spatial data collation on human activities and pressures: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland; Environment Agency; Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Marine Environmental Data and Information Network; Marine Management Organisation; Marine Scotland; Natural England; Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; and The Crown Estate.
Cumulative effects of human activities
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Evaluating public perceptions
MSCC Social Science Task Group: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Marine Management Organisation; University of Aberdeen; University of Cardiff; and University of Hull.
Marine Online Assessment Tool
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Recommended Reference
UK Marine Online Assessment Tool 2019. Available at https://moat.cefas.co.uk/
Please note that recommended references for individual indicator assessments are included at the bottom of each indicator assessment page.