The marineLIVE programme consists of interactive marineLIVE webinars that link marine biologists with non-academic audiences – including citizen scientists, amateur naturalists, conservation practitioners and scuba divers. Each 1-hour webinar is delivered over Zoom, with an interactive presentation of around 40 minutes followed by a live Q&A where the participants can put their questions to the guest speaker. The presentations are recorded and published as marineLIVE YouTube videos, as well as written up as marineLIVE blogs alongside a transcript of the live Q&A and any useful links and references.
marineLIVE webinars take place throughout the year, during either a lunchtime (13:00 – 14:00) or evening (19:00 – 20:00) slot. All marineLIVE webinars are completely free to attend and the blogs and videos are all publicly available.
What is marineLIVE trying to achieve?
marineLIVE follows in the footsteps of our highly successful entoLIVE series, with the aim of making scientific research more accessible by raising awareness of research outputs, such as scientific papers, technical reports and biodiversity datasets. Where entoLIVE focuses on invertebrates, marineLIVE focuses on marine biology. We believe that by breaking down the barriers (such as cost and language) for non-academic audiences (including naturalists and conservation practitioners) to access scientific outputs, it will lead to research being used more widely and enable more biodiversity sector volunteers and professionals to undertake evidence-based actions.
What subjects does marineLIVE cover?
We’ve covered a wide range of marine research topics. You can watch the presentations, read the speaker Q&As and access the further info links via the blog articles listed below.
Seahorses of the UK: Conservation and Research
Delve into the mysterious realm of the seahorse with Beccy MacDonald-Lofts to hear about seahorse research and conservation in the UK.
Microplastic Pollution and Solutions
Twenty years after the term “microplastics” was first used, what do we know about their presence in the environment? Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones (Bangor University) presents the latest research.
Thriving on the Edge: Grey Seal Abundance and Survival on the Calf of Man
Dr Lara Howe (Manx Wildlife Trust) explains how work to monitor the breeding population of Grey seals on the Calf of Man is helping us understand this population and making the most of new technologies.
Mobulid Rays in the Chagos Archipelago: Fisheries & Conservation Management
Dr Joanna Harris (Manta Trust) presents research looking at the impact of fisheries and conservation management techniques on manta and devil rays in the Chagos Islands.
Community Voice Method: Engaging Local Communities in Turtle Conservation
Amdeep Sanghera (Marine Conservation Society) explains how Caribbean island fishing communities are being engaged in the development of turtle conservation policy.
Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems: Reefs From the Twilight Zone
Dr Clara Diaz (University of Plymouth) takes us on a journey into the mysterious world of mesophotic coral ecosystems and the work going on to study them in the Indian Ocean.
Seagrass Conservation: Growing #GenerationRestoration in Europe
Dr Richard Lilley discusses how seagrass conservationists are fostering community collaborations, innovation and knowledge exchange.
From Strandline to Science: The Journey of a Shark Eggcase
Cat Gordon (The Shark Trust) teaches us about mermaid’s purses and how we can all get involved with monitoring sharks and rays.
Plastic Pollution and Reef Manta Rays: Sources and Exposure
Dr Jessica Savage (Zoological Society of London) discusses how plastic pollution is impacting Reef Manta Rays in the Chagos Archipelago.
Big Rock Pool Challenge: The Power of UK Marine Citizen Science
Ben Holt (The Rockpool Project) introduces the Big Rock Pool Challenge, a UK-wide initiative engaging people with marine citizen science, one rock pool at a time!
Exploring Underwater Scilly: Managing MPAs Using Cutting Edge Underwater Cameras
Dr Owen Exeter (University of Exeter) shares mesmerising footage and exciting results from a project using remote video to monitor marine life in the Isles of Scilly.
How is all of this free?
The truth is that it isn’t! There are costs associated with running the programme, including fees for our website, Eventbrite and Zoom. We also strongly believe that those involved in science communication should be paid appropriately for their time, so we ensure that all invertebrate scientists delivering entoLIVE webinars are offered fee of £60 per webinar.
The marineLIVE programme is only possible due to the financial support we receive from our partners and the donations that have been generously given by webinar attendees. For every £500 donated to our marineLIVE GoFundMe campaign, we’ll organise another marineLIVE webinar.
The 2025 and 2026 marineLIVE webinar programme was made possible through an Outreach Grant from the British Ecological Society.
