James Bell

James Bell

@jamesbellocean.bsky.social

Marine Ecologist (especially #DeepSeaUK & #UKOTs) & "basically a scientist" (my daughter) | PhD from Leeds Uni & NHM | Typos/views my own | He/Him

1,017 Followers 141 Following 26 Posts Joined Sep 2023
5 months ago

Actively recruiting! If you know any strong leaders in #Ghana who have a track record of successful campaigning for change, please share this with them. Any discipline (comms, law, science, organizing) and any background (environment, ocean, human rights, public health, etc) welcome!

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6 months ago

One day, I will remember which way round r- and k-strategists are without having to google it again

not today though....

I need a trick to help remember it. The way I finally learned port and starboard is that port has the same # of letters as left

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11 months ago

Hi Andrew - do you have any plans or ideas for how to get openCTD rated for deeper water? Would love to pair it with a camera system we are developing (for work down to ca. 1km)

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1 year ago

Our next meeting is 15-16 July at Dove Marine Lab in Newcastle

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1 year ago
Deep-Sea Ecosystems

Attention UK researchers interested in the deep ocean - if you haven't already done so, please join the Challenger Society Deep-Sea Ecosystems Group (www.challenger-society.org.uk/DeepSea_Ecos...)

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1 year ago
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Dramatic ENSO related Southwestern Atlantic ecosystem shifts - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Dramatic ENSO related Southwestern Atlantic ecosystem shifts

Our new paper in Scientific Reports - tracks ecological impacts of ENSO cycles through to the SW Atlantic. Really interesting work to be a part of, and well led by BAS www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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1 year ago
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Reference points for assessing significant adverse impacts on deep sea vulnerable marine ecosystems Biodiversity loss due to human activities is a critical issue, particularly in the High Seas where bottom-contact fishing poses a significant threat t…

Almost 20 years ago - FAO agreed that we should avoid 'Significant Adverse Impacts' from deep-sea fishing. Today, at least for the NW Atlantic, we've finally got a method for how to work that out www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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1 year ago
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Evaluating the effectiveness of seabird bycatch mitigation measures for pelagic longlines in the South Atlantic Incidental mortality (bycatch) of seabirds in pelagic longline fisheries remains a major threat to many populations. The design and implementation of …

A very left-field paper from me but I guess I am also sort of a #seabird scientist now! Work we developed to support development of best practice management for #bycatch in the Atlantic www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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1 year ago

Never ask a ChatBot a question when you don't already know the answer

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1 year ago
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Almost there with our small-boat deep-sea camera. Getting the micro-scale powered winch has been difficult but I'm sure the whole team will appreciate not having to hand wind a kilometre of cable next year!

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1 year ago
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Cefas team out on Grand Cayman this week as part of UK Blue Belt Programme - conducting water quality surveys to inform future monitoring of this key pollution threats to ocean health

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1 year ago

For whatever else it may have been - it's been a really interesting case of a paper sparking interest in a new topic!

People love to prove other people wrong I guess

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1 year ago
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I'm a fisheries scientist and deep-sea ecologist, working at Cefas in the UK. Mostly I work for Governments of some of the UK overseas territories or within RFMO working groups

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1 year ago

I set up this bsky account over a year ago and didn't follow up with any effort on finding people to follow. Marine science & policy folks, please make yourselves known!

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2 years ago

I'm James. I'm a deep sea ecologist/ fisheries scientist based in the UK, working primarily with the governments of the UK overseas territories

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2 years ago

Having to migrate spatial analysis across to sf/tidy now and oh christ it's a pain in the arse - problem with it being so new is that there's not been the time to build up a base of resolved questions (which as it turns out, is what I almost solely use to learn code!)

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2 years ago

A quarter of the countries who sponsor deep-sea mining contractors (meaning they are actively pursuing development of the industry) have come out in favor of slowing things down while we sort out the environmental impacts.

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2 years ago
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We're offering a great #PhD studentship on the effects of MPAs on people. It'll be led by environmental economist Kat Simpson with partners at Newcastle and York. A really important topic with lots to find out, bringing together natural and social science.

iapetus2.ac.uk/studentships...

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2 years ago
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Successful 'Let's Talk About Race' bake sale and chat for Black History Month this morning. All proceeds in aid of BBSTEM ( bbstem.co.uk )

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2 years ago

I'm James. I'm a deep sea ecologist/ fisheries scientist based in the UK, working primarily with the governments of the UK overseas territories

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2 years ago

Amen.

I'm rarely less optimistic about the future of our species than when I'm sat in international fisheries meetings listening to the most pointless objections to anything that feels even slightly like progress.

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2 years ago
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First assessment of circle hooks as bycatch mitigation measure for deep-water sharks on longline fis... The recognition that deep-water sharks are among the most vulnerable marine species to fisheries exploitation led to the implementation of fishing pro…


🧪🦑🦈🐡

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2 years ago

Yup, the oldest I'm aware of (a kind of black coral) was dated at over 4000!

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2 years ago

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

A nerve cord and a centralized nervous system is present in a lot of animals outside vertebrates.

🪱🔬🧑‍🔬

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2 years ago

Some deep sea corals can live for at least several thousand years

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2 years ago

If it really must be exploited, the true value of the deep ocean is genetic, not mineral or protein

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2 years ago
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Super hectic One Ocean Hub visit to Ghana over the last ten days, culminating yesterday in a briefing to the parliamentary committee for fisheries on our multi disciplinary decision support tool.

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2 years ago

Can put you in touch with a colleague who does....DM me your email address

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2 years ago
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The One Ocean Hub multi-disciplinary decision support tool for Ghana fisheries continues to be conceptually like wrestling a huge octopus, but pleased we are making headway

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