About MIES

Invertebrate sampling and the analysis of change in benthic communities is one of the chief components of marine environmental impact assessments.  This applies equally across the oil/gas sector, aggregate extraction industry, wind farm/renewables and for regulatory bodies tasked with environmental protection and monitoring.

The quality of survey design and sample analysis is fundamental to any project.  Acquisition of seabed samples is often costly and sometimes hazardous, so it is vital that sufficient effort is invested in the planning and execution, especially where the outcome may influence the success or failure of a licence application.

Once the samples have been acquired they should be treated as valuable assets.  Careless processing and loss of material during sample processing detracts from the quality of data acquisition and is effectively a waste of the resources invested in taking the samples.

Similarly, inaccurate identification of the fauna may result in misleading conclusions (especially where rare or protected species are involved) and confound comparisons with follow-up surveys and attempts to place the survey in a wider context.

Identification of marine benthos is not a trivial exercise and requires a deep knowledge of invertebrate taxonomy.  This can only be acquired with long experience backed up by species descriptions and identification keys from the academic literature.  MIES has an extensive taxonomic library of books and journal articles covering the macro– and meiofauna from many parts of the world.

MIES can:

· advise on the design of ecological surveys and liaise with relevant regulatory organizations to ensure that expensive errors are not made at the design stage

· provide expertise necessary for sample acquisition on board the survey vessel

· process the samples and identify the invertebrates

· issue a full, detailed report including statistical analysis, providing context for the fauna within the physico-chemical environment.

MIES is operated by Dr. Stephen Jarvis who has extensive experience in survey design, execution and data analysis.  He has over twelve years’ experience in identifying aquatic invertebrates including meiofaunal taxa.  He has managed laboratories working under the UK National Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) Scheme and has Natural History Museum (London) IdQ certification for marine and brackish water harpacticoid copepods.  Click here to download a full CV.

 

Contact details:

Marine Invertebrate Ecological Services

Dr Stephen Jarvis

30 Mill Road

Mutford, Beccles

Suffolk

NR34 7UR

UNITED KINGDOM