Stockholm University's marine research station, the Askö Laboratory, has been awarded the Trosa Municipality Environmental Prize for 2026—in recognition of its work, which has enabled decades of research and education on the marine environment.
For the first time in more than a decade, marine researchers and professionals from across the Nordic region will gather under a common banner. The Nordic Marine Science Meeting 2026 aims to strengthen collaboration across disciplines from all Nordic countries while broadening the conversation to include climate, atmospheric science and policy-related perspectives on the future of the seas.
2026.06.04 The recent advice from ICES paves the way for a significant TAC increase ifor Baltic herring and sprat next year. If quotas are set according to headline advice, there is a high risk that the two major herring stocks will fail to meet the targets set out in the management plan.
2026.06.04 Industrial fishing for Baltic herring and sprat will not be halted immediately, as suggested in the European Parliament’s ‘Baltic Sea Report’. However, in the long term, the report could serve as a political tool to make the EU’s fisheries management less risk-prone and more focused on stock recovery, according to fisheries experts at the Baltic Sea Centre.
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It is time to start talking more openly about risks and implicit trade-offs in fisheries management, writes Charles Berkow, advocacy and analysis officer at Stockholm University’s Baltic Sea Centre.
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Cyanobacteria play a more important role in the food web than previously thought, and global warming can increase the competition for food between pelagic fish species. This new knowledge was revealed through DNA metabarcoding methods, presented at the latest Baltic Breakfast.
Remarkable so-called cable bacteria have for the first time been found decimetres down in completely oxygen-free sediments. The discovery raises new questions: how can they survive there – and what impact does their presence have on oxygen-depleted marine environments?
The scientific journal Tellus has been relaunched as a unified, independent, and scientist-led platform for Earth system science. The first set of publications reflects this renewed scope, bringing together research that advances understanding of the processes and interactions shaping the Earth system in a changing climate. With an expanded editorial structure and broader scientific scope, Tellus aims to publish high-quality, interdisciplinary research across the atmosphere, oceans, land, cryosphere, and biosphere—fields that are increasingly interconnected in the study of global environmental change.
Revising the Water Framework Directive entails significant risks, and should not be rushed. Instead, priority should be given to implementing, funding and enforcing its existing obligations. This is emphasised by a large group of researchers and experts at Stockholm University in a consultation response to an initiative from the European Commission related to the mining sector.
The harbour area in Oskarshamn is one of many heavily contaminated marine sites in Sweden. To address the pollution, the area was dredged at a cost of SEK 630 million. However, research presented at the recent Baltic Breakfast seminar suggest that this remediation may have been unnecessary. Leaving the sediments undisturbed, or applying thin-layer capping, could be more suitable in this type of environment.
The Askö laboratory is being equipped with an Imaging FlowCytobot, an autonomous, submersible microscope that can capture detailed images of the sea's phytoplankton communities.
Shallow Baltic Sea bays are significant but highly variable sources of greenhouse gases. This is shown in a new study conducted by a large group of researchers from CoastClim and the Thriving Bays projects.
