News

Scaly-foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum) by David Shale
Biodiversity

Ocean Census and WoRMS Announce Partnership to Enhance Rapid Discovery and Identification of Marine Life

10/10/2023 - 10:04
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), hosted and managed by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), is proud to announce its partnership with Ocean Census. This collaboration will harness WoRMS’ expertise and global leadership in marine taxonomy and taxonomic data management to take a leading role in Ocean Census’s commitment to accelerate the discovery of ocean life and catalyse its...
Call Concours Olivier Roellinger 2024

European culinary competition - choosing for sustainable fish

10/02/2023 - 09:38
The culinary competition Olivier Roellinger challenges chefs and floor staff to choose for sustainable fish and correctly inform their customers about it. The competition is open to young chefs, students at catering schools, and floor staff in training. The idea of the competition is to choose consciously for sustainable seafood and so contribute to ocean conservation. Candidates can submit their...
DTO-Bioflow logo
Biodiversity

Building the biodiversity component of the Digital Twin of the Ocean: DTO-BioFlow Horizon Europe Project kicked-off

09/27/2023 - 14:11
Funded through the EC Horizon Europe Programme and coordinated by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), the project aims at incorporating previously unavailable or difficult-to-access marine-biodiversity data into the biodiversity component of the EU Digital Twin Ocean, ensuring sustainable data flows for marine biodiversity research. Marine habitats present specific and one-of-a-kind issues when...
Multibeam image of the John Mahn
Technology & innovation Sea & health

North Sea wrecks: Toxic legacies of war

05/31/2023 - 12:03
Some 290 shipwrecks lie in the Belgian part of the North Sea alone, with probably more than 1,000 in the entire North Sea, many of them silent witnesses to the two world wars. Until recently, the environmental impact of these wrecks was largely unknown and, as far as the presence of munitions is concerned, they represented a true Pandora’s box. The North Sea Wrecks project has changed this.
How realistic is EU’s ambition to achieve zero pollution in marine waters under current legislation?
Sea & health

How realistic is EU’s ambition to achieve zero pollution in marine waters under current legislation?

05/17/2023 - 10:00
The SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project made a compilation of legislation and policy-relevant documents, clarifying the feasibility of EU’s ambition to achieve zero pollution in marine waters. “Are you looking for a way out of the European pollution policy labyrinth? Stop searching for the magic and check the new delivery by the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 team!” This quote by Thomas Maes (GRID-Arendal) to introduce the...
Flanders Marine Institute officially endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Partner

Flanders Marine Institute officially endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Partner

05/03/2023 - 14:15
The Ocean Decade global partners’ network keeps expanding. The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) has recently been endorsed by the UN as an Decade Implementing partner due to its general commitment in supporting the goals of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). In particular, the Brilliant Marine Research Idea Grant (#BMRI) and the VLIZ Marine Science Day (#VMSD) are...
Six laureates receive a Brilliant Marine Research Idea grant

Six laureates receive a Brilliant Marine Research Idea grant

04/28/2023 - 15:42
The Sea as a Good Cause – the philanthropy work of VLIZ – awards several Brilliant Marine Research Idea grants every year. These BMRI grants, each worth €5000, are made possible thanks to the membership fees of the more than 1000 VLIZ member, as well as thanks to donations and sponsorship. The six laureates for 2023 have been announced: Jadon Beerlandt (KU Leuven), Joëlle De Weerdt (VUB), Bram...
Calling in our Corals: citizens helping to recognise underwater sounds

Calling in our Corals: citizens helping to recognise underwater sounds

04/19/2023 - 14:16
Anyone with 3 minutes time and an internet connection can assist coral researchers, and help to restore coral reefs around the world. Google Arts & Culture is launching the unique experiment 'Calling in our Corals', and you all can contribute! Train your ear to recognise the sounds of a coral reef, and start identifying in-situ underwater recordings. By doing so, you'll help create a better...
After Brexit, a different future for Flanders fisheries

After Brexit, a different future for Flanders fisheries

04/12/2023 - 17:19
ILVO and VLIZ, together with local actors in Flanders fisheries, are entering into a close collaboration in the framework of the 'Brexit Adjustment Reserve' (BAR). After all, Brexit has far-reaching consequences for the Flanders fishing fleet. Especially the smaller vessels with limited fall-back options, are severely disadvantaged and are looking for a sustainable way out for the future. The...
VLIZ's first multi-robot mission supports submarine canyon research

VLIZ's first multi-robot mission supports submarine canyon research

03/30/2023 - 14:10
The past couple of weeks, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), in collaboration with an international team of scientists, carried out a research mission deploying simultaneously the underwater robot AUV Barabas and the glider Yoko from the Spanish research vessel García del Cid. The aim of this multi-robot mission was to study the geology and physical oceanography of submarine canyons in the...
Are you working as a student at VLIZ this summer?

Are you working as a student at VLIZ this summer?

03/10/2023 - 17:00
Every year VLIZ recruits several students working for us in the months July, August or September. For the summer of 2023 we are looking for a number of enthusiastic students for the various departments of the Flanders Marine Institute. Interested students can submit their candidacy via the online form (up to April 16). Mid-May you will be contacted by our HR department.
Offshore wind turbines in faulted clay layers, what are the risks?

Offshore wind turbines in faulted clay layers, what are the risks?

02/10/2023 - 17:30
In the Clay Tectonics project, researchers from the Flanders Marine Institute, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel join forces to study the influence of faults and deformations in the North Sea subsoil on the installation of offshore wind turbines. The project aims to fill an important knowledge gap in view of the construction of the new wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea.
The challenges and opportunities of marine carbon accounting in the North Sea

The challenges and opportunities of marine carbon accounting in the North Sea

01/11/2023 - 15:51
The latest policy informing brief by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) highlights the concept of carbon accounting within the marine context. What are the main challenges and opportunities? What is the potential climatic importance of sediment-bound organic carbon in shallow seas, such as the North Sea? What role can the Oceans Network of the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) play in...