Marine Ecology

  • A brittlestar remains in a sediment sieve after the rest of the sediment has been hosed away

With our comprehensive experience in marine environments, our team is perfectly suited to provide all the marine ecology surveys that your project may require.

Marine ecology surveys form an important part of any habitat restoration project. Establishing a baseline, and quantifying species diversity and richness changes throughout the lifetime of the project can help determine the success of restoration attempts. They may also be required to satisfy licensing requirements with the MMO.

We have excellent familiarity with underwater video surveys, such as Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) surveys. We have also undertaken a number of eDNA surveys, in which water and sediment samples are collected in order to analyse genetic material and build an outline of species present.

The Marine Ecological Surveys we offer include:

  • Environmental DNA surveys (eDNA) from both water and soil/sediments

  • Intertidal species surveys

  • Underwater video surveys (e.g. Baited Remote Underwater Video) for marine species

  • Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) surveys

  • Seagrass surveys

  • Saltmarsh surveys

  • Native oyster surveys

 

Case Studies

  • The Wilder Humber project is a collaboration between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and energy company Ørsted. The project aims to restore the endemic habitat and species of the Humber estuary, particularly focussing on saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reefs.

    As part of this 5-year project, Exo Environmental have been contracted to monitor biodiversity at two sites on opposite sides of the estuary: one at Spurn Point on the north shore, and the other at Horseshoe point on the south. We began our monitoring in Summer 2024 and continued with another visit in Winter 2025.

    This monitoring specifically focuses on the collection of environmental DNA (eDNA), which is simply the genetic material released by an organism. This material can be found in both sediment and water samples, depending on the type of organism you are looking to detect.

    In the case of this project, both sample types have been taken, with sediment samples being collected from predetermined 1m2 plots. Surveys are conducted in both summer and winter to assess and account for seasonal differences, altogether ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the Humber’s biodiversity.

    All samples were then sent to a genome laboratory for analysis, with the results of this being compiled into a full report for Wilder Humber. A 2024/25 report has already been completed, and we are scheduled to repeat the sampling again later this year.

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