News

The new results of the national monitoring programme for Belgian marine recreational fisheries, with the focus year 2019, reveal higher catches of sea bass compared to 2018, but also indicate a worrying decline in cod catches in the southern North Sea.

On Friday 20 November 2020, the USV 'Adhemar' was the first Belgian unmanned vessel to enter and leave the seaport of Ostend. The voyage is part of a research mission at sea set up by VLIZ. With this achievement, the institute, together with the government partners FPS Mobility and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC), takes an important new step towards the full operational deployment of unmanned (research) vessels in our North Sea.
 

A Brilliant Marine Research Idea scholarship is aimed at PhD students or junior postdoctoral researchers to further explore and elaborate a unique research idea that could provide added value for ongoing research. The BRMI scholarship is an initiative of VLIZ philanthropy and has a maximum value of 5,000 sponsored by DEME and ANTEA Group.

On March 3, 2021 VLIZ organizes a digital VLIZ Marine Science Day. Abstracts for an online presentation or digital poster (video) presentation can be submitted before December 16.

The Interreg project Sustainable And Resilient Coastal Cities (SARCC) organizes a panel discussion on 18 November on how to build a resilient coast by working together with nature.

Ostend (2020.08.19) – Anno 2010, 0.17% of the global ocean surface layer is impacted by microplastic pollution, posing a threat to the marine ecosystem. Under the worst case scenario, this fraction will increase to 1.62% of the ocean surface layer by 2100, an area as big as ten times the size of France. In particular, the Mediterranean Sea and the Yellow Sea, two enclosed basins facing high human pressure, are under serious threat. In the worst case, by 2100, 69% of the water surface of the Mediterranean and 54% of the water surface of the Yellow Sea will show unfavourable conditions for marine life due to the pollution with microplastics.

With the latest edition of the European Atlas of the Seas, citizens across Europe now have access to stunning sea charts and interactive ocean information in their own language, making the Atlas an even more accessible and useful educational tool. From now on, visitors can navigate the Atlas in the 24 official languages of the European Union and explore a wide range of popular marine topics such as tourism, litter, the environment, energy, aquaculture and many more.

The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) recently launched the renewed ScheldeMonitor portal. On this platform you will find a wide range of data, visualizations, maps and literature on all kinds of Scheldt-related themes. The new portal now also offers many possibilities for non-experts with an interest in the Scheldt.

The Environment Department of the Government of Flanders, together with the team of Vlaamse Bouwmeester and various government agencies, has brought together the various climate and environmental factors that play a role at the coast in a handy guide. The booklet makes a plea not to take a fragmentary approach to the climate challenges on our coast, but to continue to look for solutions in an integrated way.