St Abbs Marine Station is a Scottish registered charity dedicated to marine science, conservation and education. The charity, funded by private donors has just completed its first major project, the establishment of a fully equipped marine research facility.
Established as a not-for-profit venture in 2010, the St Abbs Marine Station project is a registered Scottish charity dedicated to marine science, conservation and education. The charity has been funded to date entirely by private donors. Four years of planning, development and construction work has resulted in the establishment of the charity’s fully-equipped marine science research facility which is now embarking on initial scientific research. To maximise the use of its facilities and implement a full programme of research in marine science, St Abbs has a collaborative tripartite institutional agreement with Edinburgh Napier University and Heriot-Watt University, members of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS). The partners welcome further project-specific collaborations with other parties interested in marine science.
The St Abbs Marine Station project came about through the awareness of a group of donors of the major challenges facing the marine environment – not least from climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and overfishing – and their belief that there is an increasingly urgent need for marine science to respond these challenges. The fundamental proposition underlying the establishment of the St Abbs Marine Station facility is that greater understanding of the complex issues affecting the sea and human life is urgently required and that independently conducted scientific research is likely to be the key to achieving this.
Located in the historic fishing village of St Abbs, Berwickshire, the Marine Station is ideally placed to access the important marine environment and clean water of the Berwickshire coast. These coastal waters, part of the oldest voluntary marine reserve of the UK, are famous for their interesting seascape and rich biodiversity. In spring and early summer, thousands of seabirds breed on the cliffs of St Abbs Head.
A newly established state of the art facility
An ideal platform for marine science, education and conservation
Supported with secure funding