Southern Water have recently been fined a record £90m for deliberately pouring sewage into sea. The Environment Agency also highlighted their response to the case which saw 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges taking place in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex between 2010 and 2015. Cefas’ involvement in this successful prosecution is a tangible example of how our water quality research makes a real difference to supporting production of safe seafood. Cefas was called upon to provide scientific support for the Environment Agency’s prosecution case regarding Southern Water causing major environmental ha ..read more

Fully enclosed RAS in Wales With increasing concerns around food security in the face of growing populations, climate change and recent global events, such as the Ukraine invasion, the UK government is turning their attention to new and innovative ways of meeting future food demands and tackling rising prices.   One method of focus is the use of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Unlike traditional aquaculture where fish are grown outdoors, RAS is a modern and highly technical form of aquaculture, which uses indoor tank systems to grow fish in a more controlled environment. B ..read more

Coastal areas of the Channel Manche region (between England and France) have an excess level of nutrients (such as nitrogen) from river run-off and urban discharges, which causes excessive growth of green algal mats. Seaweeds will begin to build up over time on mudflats forming dense mats containing many layers of individual algae (Figure 1). Decaying algal mats are unpleasant to look at, and cause reductions in biodiversity and prey density for wading birds and wildfowl. The gases produced during seaweed decomposition can also be toxic to animals and humans if present in high quantities. Fig ..read more

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) takes place this week, 18-24th November 2022, and aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to encourage best practices to avoid further emergence and spread of drug-resistant microbes. Cefas, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) jointly hold the UK Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Reference Centre, which exemplifies how the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) science agencies work collectively to tackle this m ..read more

A history of production and a renewed interest In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in seaweed. This has been driven by the many uses of seaweed, its high nutritional value, and its ability of providing ecosystem services, such as habitat provision, carbon and nutrient uptake, coastal protection. In the UK, seaweeds have been used for centuries as a food, feed, and soil enricher, playing an important role, particularly for island communities. Around 600 species of seaweed can be found along the UK shore, with brown seaweed, such as kelp and wracks, representing the most abun ..read more

Serious diseases pose a threat to aquatic animal health both in aquaculture and in the wild. Many of these diseases have no effective treatment and have the potential to cause high numbers of mortalities in aquatic animals, with the consequent large economic loss and threat to biodiversity. Official control of diseases through policy and legislation is necessary to ensure a sustainable aquaculture industry that meets international standards and ensures safe trade. To be effective, disease controls must use applied science and research to inform Government policy and direct the appropriate legi ..read more

One of the less well-known aspects of Cefas’ seafood safety work is in support of seafood-borne human illness investigations. In the UK, an estimated 12,000-14,000 people per year experience sickness and diarrhoea after eating seafood, usually raw oysters. Frequently shellfish-borne illness is caused by the group of viruses known as noroviruses. Norovirus is an extremely common infection with an estimated 3 million cases per year in the UK, mostly (~84%) transmitted via person-to-person contact, but oysters, exposed to noroviruses when human sewage enters their growing areas, can be vehicles o ..read more