Category: MUMM

On December 9th, the tenth anniversary of the Belgian branch of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre was celebrated at the Institute of Natural Sciences. Over the past decade, the initiative has significantly strengthened access to high-quality research infra-structure, expertise, and international collaborations. The anniversary day provided the ideal opportunity to reflect on this impact and to set a course for the coming years, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability, and scientific innovation.

The Belgian branch of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-BE) looked back on ten years of work on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. EMBRC-BE is part of the pan-European research network EMBRC-ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium), which aims to increase our knowledge of the biodiversity and functioning of European coastal seas. EMBRC-ERIC supports and streamlines marine research throughout Europe by providing researchers with access to highly equipped laboratories in marine stations and research institutions.

The marine environment covers 71% of our planet’s surface and is crucial for all life on Earth and a wide range of human activities. Seas and oceans produce approximately half of all the oxygen we breathe. They store large amounts of CO₂, thus buffering the effects of climate change. At the same time, they are a source of food, energy, and employment for millions of people worldwide.

“The marine environment is also increasingly being used as a location for renewable energy production or aquaculture. It’s therefore crucial to fully understand how the marine ecosystem works and how we can sustainably use marine resources,” explains Jan Vanaverbeke of the Institute of Natural Sciences and Ghent University, who was involved in launching EMBRC-BE.

Marine research remains a challenge

However, researching the marine ecosystem is no easy task. Access to the sea is not always straightforward, and the specialized instruments required are often expensive and difficult for many research groups to obtain. EMBRC Belgium helps remove these barriers. The consortium combines the strengths of Belgian marine research institutions and makes high-quality infrastructure and expertise accessible to anyone who wants to conduct research on or with marine organisms.

“This way, excellent science is not hampered by practical concerns, and potentially groundbreaking research is not hindered by local constraints,” says European EMBRC Director Nicolas Pade, who has come to the celebration at the Institute of Natural Sciences for the tenth anniversary of the Belgian branch.

EMBRC Belgium sets a course for the future

Since 2025, Marleen De Troch (Ghent University) has been at the helm of the Belgian hub as its new director. Her ambitions for the coming years are clear: further promoting collaboration between research groups, supporting young researchers, and strengthening the bridge between science, policy, and the blue economy.

Marleen De Troch: “This funding makes a significant difference. We support important Belgian innovation areas in the blue economy, ecology, and nature conservation, such as the development of floating solar panels, sustainable aquaculture, and oyster reef restoration. EMBRC-BE’s scientific services have also led to more than 300 scientific publications over the past ten years.”

The ever-expanding expertise and resulting international reputation of the Belgian marine scientific community have also allowed Belgian researchers to participate in 40 European research projects. This way, a significant amount of funding flows back to our research institutions.

“Our goal remains the same: lowering barriers, encouraging collaboration, and strengthening marine research in Belgium. We also want to focus even more on innovation, knowledge sharing, and sustainability over the next ten years,” concludes De Troch.

EMBRC-Belgium is a collaboration between various research groups from Ghent University, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Hasselt University, KU Leuven, and the Institute of Natural Sciences, and is funded by Flemish and federal research funds. Within this EMBRC collaboration, the Institute of Natural Sciences strengthens the consortium with its monitoring activities and specialized research on artificial reefs.

A group of internationally renowned marine scientists under the European Marine Board has published the Future Science Brief on ‘Monitoring, Reporting and Verification for marine Carbon Dioxide Removal’. The report is clear: rapid CO₂ emissions reduction is the top priority. Carbon Dioxide Removal is not a substitute for emissions reductions; (marine) CDR can only be considered as a potential supplementary measure to support achievement of net-zero emissions. The report clarifies the current scientific, technical and regulatory challenges that must be addressed to develop appropriate and reliable MRV for any future mCDR activities, to safeguard Ocean health and those who depend on it. According to the State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report, marine CDR methods contribute less than 0.1% to current removal efforts, but this field is growing rapidly. The potential impacts on the marine environment are not yet clear but could be significant.

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods, including those focused on marine environments, are currently being researched and piloted. They are seen as a means to address residual emissions and remove legacy carbon from the atmosphere once greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced, and to achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate goals.

Monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) is a structured process to collect, disclose and independently verify data on mCDR activities. The process includes quantifying CO₂ removals, durability, uncertainties and environmental impacts. Going forwards, science-based guidance to develop these robust, transparent and scientific MRV frameworks for mCDR is needed.

The international working group of thirteen researchers has presented its findings and clear recommendations on the Monitoring, Verification and Reporting for mCDR activities. Under the leadership of Dr Helene Muri, Senior Researcher at NILU and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, and Dr Olivier Sulpis at CEREGE – Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, France, the team produced the report, which was launched on November 17th, 2025, by the EMB in a webinar.

The document emphasises, among other points, research knowledge gaps that present major challenges for the practical implementation and efficiency of mCDR methods in the Ocean. Among them are uncertainties about the processes and impacts, and the duration for which the carbon could be stored in the Ocean.

“No mCDR method currently has a sufficiently robust, comprehensive MRV in place,” says Helene Muri. “This means that efficient and safe deployment of mCDR methods cannot be ensured at the moment”.

Building the foundations for responsible development

The working group emphasises that investing in science and innovation, such as Ocean observations and modelling approaches and infrastructure, can help to advance the MRV field. “If we would like to consider the use of mCDR, we have to invest in knowledge generation for MRV now,” says Helene Muri. “That will enable the development of fit-for-purpose MRV frameworks if or when we reach large-scale mCDR implementation.”

The researchers also call for the development of robust governance to underpin MRV for mCDR. Helene Muri: “We do not currently have dedicated governance frameworks for MRV for mCDR”. There is a need for a comprehensive, regulatory framework for MRV that will overcome the fragmentation, inconsistencies and lack of global governance of existing MRV systems.

Find out more about the Future Science Brief and download it here.

 

The Belgian Federal State is represented in the EMB by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and in the EMB Communication Panel by the Institute of Natural Sciences.

Elia Asset NV has submitted an application for the modification of the ministerial decree of 26 september 2023 granting Elia Asset NV an authorization for the construction, an operating license, and a Natura 2000 permit for the Modular Offshore Grid 2 in the maritime areas under Belgian jurisdiction.

Construction of the energy island started on April 1, 2024, based on the environmental permit and Natura 2000 authorization granted on September 26, 2023. Elia Asset NV plans to use an alternative landing method for the export cables, with access channels and turning basins in the coastal zone near Blankenberge/Zeebrugge. This technique is not included in the above-mentioned environmental permit and Natura 2000 authorization and is therefore subject to an additional environmental impact assessment procedure.

The application, which also includes the supplementary environmental impact assessment report prepared by the applicant, the draft appropriate assessment, and a non-technical summary, can be consulted at the offices of MUMM (Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea) in Brussels (Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels; mdevolder@naturalsciences.be; tel. 02 627 43 52) or in Ostend (3de en 23ste Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Ostend; jhaelters@naturalsciences.be; tel. 02 788 77 22), by appointment only and during office hours between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The file has also been forwarded to the coastal municipalities.

The documents can also be consulted electronically (in Dutch) :

Application

• Application

Environmental impact assessment report (+ draft appropriate assessment and appendixes, including non-technical summary)

• Environmental impact assessment report
• Draft appropriate assessment
• Appendix_A_Bathymetry
• Appendix_B1_Situation MSP 2020-2026
• Appendix_B2_Situation draft MSP 2026-2034
• Appendix_C_Protected areas
• Appendix_D_Non-technical summary (Dutch)
• Appendix_E_Non-technical summary (English)

Any interested party may submit their views, comments, and objections to the BMM by letter or email until December 26, 2025.

BMM
Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels

bmm@naturalsciences.be

The 2025 North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum (NACGF) Summit took place from October 13 to 16 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Legal aspects

The first agenda item was to approach the tools or systems we have available from a legal perspective.

This included reflection on the so-called shadow fleet, a network of ships or vessels that use cloak-and-dagger tactics to avoid sanctions, circumvent safety or environmental regulations, evade insurance costs, or engage in other illegal activities.

Professor Kristina Siig (Professor of Maritime Law and Law of the Sea, University of Southern Denmark) emphasized the importance of the principle of “innocent passage.” The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that innocent passage of ships through territorial waters must be permitted as long as they do not threaten the peace, order, or security of the coastal state concerned.

Several recent maritime incidents were also analyzed. What legislation applied? And, above all, how can we better anticipate and respond in the future?

Feedback from working groups

On a more operational and technical level, the Summit regularly provides feedback from the chairs of the various expert groups. These groups met in Aalborg, Denmark, in May 2025 and reported on the most important findings, new techniques, and trends.

The approach to recent incidents such as those involving the Solong and the Stena Immaculate, and the MSC Baltic III, were also discussed in more detail.

Danish expertise

Denmark has several systems that it integrates to obtain the most comprehensive picture possible of activities above its waters. Its long-term vision is supported by systematic training of all coastguard personnel, enabling them to work smoothly with European data systems. Since the launch of this initiative in 2017, more than 600 employees have been trained. Denmark uses, among other things, the RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) service of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and has developed its own manual for its operational use.

Last year, several saildrones were also tested in Danish waters. Four drones were deployed simultaneously and controlled by a single operator on shore. They proved exceptionally resilient to the unpredictable weather conditions and even withstood a Category 5 hurricane. This project, carried out by a private company, is a prime example of successful collaboration between government and industry, aimed at knowledge building and market exploration.

Collaboration and transfer

In addition, all participating Member States collaborated last year on a thematic paper on “Safety and Security in Windmill Parks.” Belgium also has experience in this area and contributed to the project.

Finally, during the closing session, the presidency of the NACGF was officially handed over to Iceland.

The Scientific Service “Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM)” of the Institute of Natural Sciences is a partner in the Belgian Coast Guard cooperation and is closely following the developments discussed during the NACGF Summit.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Nederlands.

A minke whale, approximately 6 meters long, ran into trouble in the shallows of Heist Bay on August 31st. Lifeguards and emergency services kept the animal wet in a shallow pool for hours, and a quickly dug channel allowed the whale to be guided back to sea as the tide rose. Although the animal returned to shallow water twice more, they succeeded in guiding it deeper each time. However, doubts remained about the chance of survival.

On Sunday, August 31st, a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) ran into trouble off the Belgian east coast. Just before noon, the animal ended up in the treacherous shallows of Heist Bay, and as the tide receded, it was completely exposed.

Reducing the pressure of weight

Lifeguards worked all afternoon to rescue the unfortunate minke whale. They built a wall of sand around the animal and kept it wet in a shallow pool. It’s important that a cetacean on dry land is supported as much as possible to reduce the pressure of its own weight on its organs. Even a water depth of just 25 cm is better than simply lying dry.

The minke whale, approximately 6 m long and estimated to weigh 4 tons, remained relatively calm. The animal was very alert, its eyes constantly darting in all directions. Only occasionally did it swat its tail or open its mouth, briefly revealing its perfectly aligned cream-colored baleen. The minke whale otherwise appeared healthy: it seemed well-fed, its skin was perfectly intact, and it carried few parasites.

Lend a hand to the rising tide

Marine biologists from the Institute of Natural Sciences advised on appropriate actions. A municipal bulldozer was used to dig a small canal: by deepening the shortest route to the sea, the animal could return more quickly with the rising tide.

The lifeguards, along with several firefighters, a veterinarian, and a few volunteers, remained in the water for hours, initially knee-deep, but later waist-deep as the tide rose. Finally, around 4 p.m., they were able to guide the animal through the deepened channel to deeper water. After swimming back and forth for about an hour and a half further out to sea, the animal returned to shore twice. Each time, the minke whale became stuck in shallow water, but was quickly pushed back. The animal was last seen in the evening.

Continued vigilance

Shortly after the last action, the animal disappeared underwater near the coast. The minke whale was not seen again in the last hours before nightfall. This is somewhat strange, as a cetacean that experiences stress during strandings and exerts itself physically in attempts to free itself is expected not to immediately dive deeply, but to remain at the surface to breathe regularly. Moreover, deep diving is not possible in the shallow Bay of Heist.

Prompted by the repeated return of the minke whale to coastal waters, but also mindful of the possibility of a carcass washing ashore, the emergency services and the Institute of Natural Sciences remained vigilant in the hours that followed. On Monday, September 1st, when two more low tides had already occurred and no more minke whale was found—dead or alive, the final alert was called off shortly after noon.

Successful Rescue?

While August 31st was a wonderful end to the summer season for the lifeguards – a team-building exercise they will never forget, and the many others who contributed (including the fire brigade, police, technical service, the veterinarian, and several volunteers) also deserve praise, fears about the future fate of the Belgian minke whale now appear to be well-founded.

On Friday evening, September 5th, a dead minke whale washed ashore in Katwijk, the Netherlands. This animal, too, was approximately 6 meters long and turned out to be a male. The carcass was taken to Utrecht University. Based on a detailed comparison of photographs of the Heist minke whale and the Katwijk carcass, the Dutch and Belgian researchers concluded that the animals at both locations were the same. A scar on the left flank, among other things, was decisive.

This conclusion was reinforced by a reconstruction of the dead minke whale’s trajectory in the days before it washed ashore. This “back-in-time” simulation, based on a scientific model in which currents play a key role, was performed by the Institute of Natural Sciences. The model brought the minke whale remarkably close to the location where it was last seen on August 31st. This result also indicates that the animal likely died shortly after its last sighting off the Belgian coast, as a living whale would not simply be carried along by the currents.

 

Minke whales remain rare in Belgium. For an overview of the most recent strandings and sightings in Belgium, please refer to the 2024 marine mammal report (available in Dutch and French) and a web article about a young minke whale that washed ashore in Ostend in 2024.

Maintaining a high level of preparedness is essential for all Belgian Coast Guard partners when facing maritime pollution threats.

During POLEX 2025, Belgium’s national marine pollution response exercise that took place on 18 June 2025, the Institute of Natural Sciences contributed with two key assets: 1) the aerial surveillance aircraft provided coordination and real-time monitoring from above, while 2) model simulations developed by the Marine Forecasting Centre supported decision-making at sea.

These capabilities complemented the vessel Interballast III (chartered by the European Maritime Safety Agency), Belgian Coast Guard partners, and the French Navy vessel Argonaute in a simulated oil spill scenario near offshore wind farms.

By combining on-site response, satellite imagery, and scientific input, the Institute of Natural Sciences helped strengthen situational awareness and response coordination in this complex environment.

Exercises like POLEX 2025 are crucial to ensure that, when needed, science and operational capacity come together to protect the marine environment.

POLEX 2025 was part of the ongoing Multipurpose Maritime Operation in Belgium and France, and was coordinated by the Federal Public Service (FPS) Health. More detailed information about the exercise can be found in a news item on the website of the FPS Health (in Dutch and French).

A young hooded seal photographed on the beach in Ostend on August 21st was the fifth documented case of this northern seal in Belgium. However, the animal was not identified until the next day. By then, it had already returned to the sea, never to be seen again. Or was it?

On Thursday evening, August 21st, a regular visitor to the Ostend beaches photographed a young seal on the eastern bank. Seals are no longer a rarity on our coast. West of the Ostend harbor channel, there’s even a permanent haul-out site where both common and gray seals can be seen regularly. The observer therefore thought he had captured a young gray seal. Always a nice sighting, but no longer unusual.

Only the next day, when the photos circulated on social media, did it become clear that it was a much rarer species: a young hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), a seal from the distant, icy waters of the far north. The animal appeared healthy, but despite searches by nature lovers and specialists from the Institute of Natural Sciences, it was not found again. The direction in which the young Hooded Seal continued its journey, and whether it would reappear, was unknown at that time.

Who is the hooded seal?

Hooded seals are native to the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, from Spitsbergen to the east coast of Canada. The largest populations occur between Greenland and Canada, with also a significant breeding zone near the volcanic island of Jan Mayen (Norway).

Unlike our familiar common and grey seals, the hooded seal generally lives further offshore, hunting in deeper and colder waters and often inhabiting drifting pack ice. Pups are born there between March and May. Their nursing period is remarkably short, the shortest of any mammal. In just four days, the pups consume so much fat-rich mother’s milk that their weight nearly doubles. Afterward, they are independent and soon cover great distances at sea.

Young animals, like the Ostend specimen, have a blue-gray back and a pale belly, leading them to be called “bluebacks.” The typical hooded seal characteristic, a black skin pouch that adult males can inflate to the size of their heads, is not yet visible in young animals.

Belgian hooded seals

That someone was able to photograph a hooded seal on a Belgian beach on a summer evening shows how surprising nature can sometimes be. Why this young animal showed up in Ostend remains a mystery. It’s tempting to think of changes in its northern habitat, for example due to climate change, but hard evidence is lacking. Nor can the opposite be proven.

What is certain is that this is not the first time Belgium has been visited by a hooded seal. Previous sightings date back to 1987, 1999, 2000, and 2003. The first was the most remarkable: an adult female that had swum up the Scheldt River and was first seen near Ghent, later captured near Tournai. She was housed at Antwerp Zoo and then at the Pieterburen Seal Centre (Netherlands), but died soon after. The other three cases involved young animals: a male in Heist (1999), a female in Knokke (2000), and a male in Middelkerke (2003). All were weak and were cared for by SeaLife. Only the animal from 1999 survived its southern adventure and was released back into the North Sea in January 2000.

The fact that things usually end badly for young hooded seals that appear so far south was unfortunately also illustrated by the recent specimen in Ostend. On September 1st, it reappeared, this time in Rockanje, the Netherlands. After a 24-hour observation period, it was taken to the A Seal center in Stellendam on September 2nd, where it also died.

In the new report ‘Washed ashore. Marine mammals in Belgium in 2024’, the Institute of Natural Sciences summarises the results of the research into stranded marine mammals in Belgium in 2024. 36 harbour porpoises and 72 seals, as well as a very young minke whale, washed ashore. In addition, the report provides an overview of observations of remarkable species, and focuses on a number of relevant events.

Porpoises on the beach and at sea

In 2024, only 36 harbour porpoises washed ashore in Belgium. This number was only lower in 2023 (26) in the past 22 years. The increasing trend in the number of stranded harbour porpoises, which started around the turn of the century, is the result of a shift in the population within the North Sea, with the species increasingly occupying the southern part. The highest numbers of strandings were recorded ten years ago.

Why the number of stranded harbour porpoises has decreased since then is still unclear. An analysis of the data collected during aerial surveys showed that in 2024 there were relatively low numbers of harbour porpoises in Belgian waters: in April, August and October, the numbers were estimated at 5200, 1000 and 3300 animals respectively. In peak years, there were sometimes three to four times more. A study, together with neighbouring countries, showed that harbour porpoises were disturbed by shipping at relatively great distances.

Seals and minke whale

Beachgoers reported a total of 72 dead seals along the Belgian coast in 2024. These were 34 grey and nine common seals, the others could not be identified to species. For these animals, this is the second highest number in the past 30 years, a trend that is the result of growing populations in the countries surrounding us. On the other hand, Sealife cared for relatively few seals in 2024: six grey and three common.

The minke whale that washed ashore in Ostend on 13 May 2024 was only 3.16 m long and was therefore very young. The animal undoubtedly lost its mother and starved to death. It was the only marine mammal that washed ashore in 2024 that was not a harbour porpoise or a seal. The authors take the opportunity to tell the story of two minke whales that ended up here in the 19th century.

At sea, besides many porpoises, one dead and two live humpback whales, two live minke whales, several bottlenose dolphins, a common dolphin and a pod of white-beaked dolphins were seen.

Whale related events

In 2024, many events were organized around whales. In front of the central station in Antwerp, a life-size blue whale attracted a lot of attention on June 13. The animal was placed there to draw attention to collisions of whales with ships.

But it was especially in Koksijde that there was a lot to experience: from 25 May to 15 September there was a Cabin Art festival with the whale as central theme, and there was the reopening of the NAVIGO National Fisheries Museum on 7 September. A new eye-catcher in that museum is the skeleton of sperm whale Valentijn, buried in the polder soil in 1989, and excavated again after more than 30 years.

The new report ‘Washed ashore. Marine mammals in Belgium in 2024’ (only available in Dutch and French) is a publication of the Institute of Natural Sciences. The previous annual reports (available since 2014) can be downloaded here.

Brussels, 19 June 2025 – The Anemoi consortium welcomed stakeholders from across Europe for a dedicated event on chemical emissions linked to offshore wind energy at the Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS).

Bringing together experts from industry, policy and environmental organisations, the interactive workshop focused on current challenges and future directions for regulating chemical emissions from offshore renewable infrastructure.

Planned policy actions at the regional level were presented by the OSPAR Commission addressing hazardous substances from offshore renewables in the North-East Atlantic.

The industry perspective was shared by European Energy, offering reflections on current practices and environmental responsibilities.

The ANEMOI project team presented intermediate research results, including:

• • The identification and distribution of chemical substances associated with offshore wind parks
  • Potential impacts on marine organisms and aquaculture products
  • Options for reduction measures to minimise environmental risks

The event fostered valuable exchange, contributing to a more informed and collaborative approach to safeguarding the marine environment as offshore renewable energy continues to expand.

The Anemoi project is funded by the Interreg North Sea programme, with co-funding from Provincie West-Vlaanderen (Belgium) and VLAIO (Belgium), and is coordinated by Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO, Belgium). Partners are the Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), POM West-Vlaanderen, Antwerp University (Belgium), SINTEF Ocean (Norway), DTU Wind (Denmark), NIOZ (The Netherlands), Ifremer (France), BSH, Hereon and TU Braunschweig (Germany).

For more information about the ANEMOI project and upcoming activities, visit the project website, the kick off news item & the LinkedIn profile dedicated to the project