A new study by University of Maine researchers compares two scallop farming methods, ear-hanging and lantern net culture, over a complete grow-out cycle to determine which approach yields the best results for commercial growers. The study found that scallops grown with ear-hanging culture had slightly larger shell heights, about 1–4% greater than those in lantern nets. More significantly, ear-hanging scallops had up to 12% more adductor muscle weight. Researchers also found that ear-hanging scallops grew more quickly in optimal conditions, which are between 50 and 59 degrees Farhenheit, but were more affected by colder winter temperatures than those in lantern nets.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team investigated the case of a male Asian small-clawed otter that fell down the stairs while sleeping, after which it developed left-sided paralysis.

A predictive model suggests that seabirds and marine mammals forage in the same areas where wind potential is most significant and that their populations may be at risk if wind farms are built there. The authors propose developing risk maps before the spatial planning of offshore wind farms to avoid harmful impacts on biodiversity.

Scientists have developed an AI-powered fluid simulation model that significantly reduces computation time while maintaining accuracy. Their approach could aid offshore power generation, ship design and ocean monitoring.

A genomic study of hydrogen-producing bacteria has revealed entirely new gene clusters capable of producing large volumes of hydrogen.

A group of diatom species belonging to the Nitzschia genus, gave up on photosynthesis and now get their carbon straight from their environment, thanks to a bacterial gene picked up by an ancestor. Gregory Jedd of Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, and colleagues report these findings in a new study published April 1^st in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

MIT oceanographers discovered big fish like tuna and swordfish get a large fraction of their food from the ocean’s twilight zone — a cold, dark layer about half a mile below the surface.

New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively influence biomineralisation processes in marine environments, raising fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of microplastic pollution on marine ecosystems. The research, led by a team from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Natural Sciences and published in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe, shows that these microplastics promote the crystallisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) minerals, potentially affecting the growth and stability of marine calcifying organisms.