Update

New Scientific Paper Published: “Gelatinous Carbon Impacts Benthic Megafaunal Communities in a Continental Margin” Last week, Frontiers in Marine Science published a paper led by BCSS’s Chief Scientist Dr. Mario Lebrato, alongside an international team of scientists. The paper, “Gelatinous Carbon Impacts Benthic Megafaunal Communities in a Continental Margin”, outlines how sinking ocean plankton (e.g. …

May Update: New Paper on Gelatinous Plankton, Katya to Join the BCSS Team & Interviews with Volunteers Read More »

World Earth Day We celebrate our planet Earth every day through conducting surveys, analysing data and monitoring the incredible wildlife that the Bazaruto Archipelago has to offer. As part of Earth Day, the team conducted coral reef exploratory surveys to understand the coral-macroalgae relation, as a result of increased observation of microalgae coverage on  coral reefs …

April Update: Megafauna tagging, Earth Day and shark aggregations Read More »

Large fishing net found and removed by BCSS team The BCSS team recently found a bottom trawling net in the Bazaruto Archipelago. The net measured 32m in length and was removed from the waters east of Bazaruto Island, as soon as the team spotted it. Trawling nets are detrimental to a vast amount of marine …

March Update: Removal of trawling net, 3D printed reefs, new deep-sea lander and shark behaviour research Read More »

Happy 2022! We are very excited to learn that our region, the Inhambane Seascape has been recognised as a Hope Spot. Benguerra Island, where our research station is located, is part of the Bazaruto Archipelago, which lies in the heart of the Inhambane province’s waters. Dr Sylvia Earle’s NGO, Mission Blue, acknowledged the work Mozambique …

February Update: Mission Blue declares Inhambane a Hope Spot, Marine Debris update and Devil Rays Read More »

Last year was an eventful year for us, with many highlights to celebrate: from new collaborations and partnerships, the establishment of an educational food garden at the Benguerra Island primary school, to sighting large groups of humpback whales and teaching volunteers and interns how we conduct marine science research.  January & February We ended 2020 …

2021: Our Year In Review Read More »

Happy 2022! At the station, we are looking back on our highlights of the last year. From new collaborations and partnerships and the establishment of an educational food gardenat the Benguerra Island primary school, to sighting large groups of humpback whales and teaching volunteers and interns how we conduct marine science research. Read our full year in review article …

January Update: Our Year In Review, New Collaborations, Marine Debris Update and Wildlife Highlights Read More »

New Article: Climate Change and the West Indian Ocean The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) has incited much global discussion about its successes and failures. In the spirit of the summit, we elaborate on the importance of research and continuous data in order to find solutions to the major threat to our planet. …

December Update: New Article on Climate Change, Crescendo Azul Conference and Internships Open for 2022 Read More »

Group of Orcas Spotted Northeast Off Benguerra Island On the 25th of September, a pod of killer whales (Orcinus orca) were encountered. Four individuals were identified a few miles northeast from Benguerra Island. The orcas surfaced several times, but moved mostly at a depth of 10 to 20 meters, heading south. Orcas belong to the …

October Update: Orcas, Hammerheads, Humpback Whales and upcoming Papers Read More »

Humpback Whale Season in Full Swing July marks the start of humpback whale season in Mozambique, and the number of early sightings have noticeably increased this year. From July until the end of August, we have made 41 sightings – and though this might mean we have seen the same individual on multiple occasions, it …

September Update: Humpback Season, Job Opportunities, Free Diving Courses, New Collaborations and Wildlife Sightings Read More »

Happy World Mangrove Day!On the 27th of July, we celebrated #WorldMangroveDay at BCSS. Mangrove forests are complex ecosystems with many functions. In our latest article, “The Value of Mangroves for Marine Life, Coastal Communities and Climate Change”, we are deep diving into a mangrove forest’s functionality and how land and marine animals, as well as …

August Update: World Mangrove Day, Marine Science Workshops, Wildlife Sightings Read More »