Marine research & auditing

Marine ecology research

Our research has encompassed a wide range of projects:

Sabellaria spinulosa (polychaete)
benthic macroinvertebrates/fauna
zooplankton
phytoplankton
maerl (algae)
Mercuria confusa (snail)
Alkamaria romijni (worm)
monitoring methods, including literature searches
quality control systems
habitat evaluations
biotope reassigment and classification development
fish

Auditing - setting the standards for marine biology

Since 1994 Thomson Unicomarine has been successfully running the National Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) Scheme on behalf of a steering group comprising representatives from SEPA, Environment Agency, DARDNI (now AFBI NI), IRTU (now NIEA), CEFAS, FRS (now Marine Scotland), JNCC, CCW and independent consultancies.

The Scheme was designed to assess the quality of data collected as part of the National Marine Monitoring Programme (NMMP, now CSEMP) and also to improve the standards of marine biology.

We audit 57 laboratories and fish monitoring teams from the UK and Europe that take part in the Scheme, including all major national laboratories and consultancies that value quality control.

Through our auditing and research work we have set the standards for marine biological analysis in the UK and beyond.

Training

We run taxonomic workshops and training sessions regularly. Link here for dates for upcoming courses and more informnation.