Category: News and Notes

A collaboration between Woodside and Recfishwest with the support of the WA Government, City of Karratha, Traditional Owners, and local fishing clubs, a modular 16,000 m2 artifical reef has successfully installed an artificial reef off the coast of Dampier, Western Australia (WA). THe goal is to create a new habitat to support local fish species and enhance recreational fishing opportunities for the local community.

Full article at: Eco Magazine 12feb26

Researchers spent 160 days collecting seabed samples from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between Mexico and Hawai’i in the Pacific Ocean, developing a baseline to quantify the impact of deep-sea mining on macrofauma, densities and diversity.

Full article at: Discover Wildlife 12feb26

A team of researchers at Cornell University have been working on a challenge from DARPA to 3D print underwater using concrete primarily consisting of seabed sediment. Challenges faced include washout, mixture viscosity, and very low cement content.

Full article at: Marine Technology News 01feb26

ROvs are excellent tools for underwater data collection, mapping and habitat restoration. Use cases include:

• Fujitsu Ltd using a small, custom ROV to scan a habitat restoration project near Uwajima, helping to generate blue carbon credits from Japan’s certification body in 2025.
• WWF Indonesia teaming up with Finnish Kuva Space Oy to map ecosystems
• Ulysses Maritime Technologies Inc. submersibles seeding underwater plants at specific locations, covering up to five hectares a day

Full article at: EnergyConnects 26jan26

“This study fundamentally changes how we understand algal bloom initiation,” says Dr. Troy Yu Tao, Associate Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology. Instead of a sudden explosion at the surface, the team found that blooms follow a “bottom-up” process triggered by a previously invisible phenomenon: sediment-derived plumes.

Full article at: Phys.org 07jan26