Main image:The Boring Sponge (Cliona celata) – one of over 600 UK epifaunal species in the Epifaunal Identification Protocol produced by JNCC and available on the NMBAQC website. © Matt Green, NRW.
When monitoring the marine environment, it is essential to know that methods are consistent, robust and comparable with other programmes. This ensures that resulting datasets are high quality and suitable for the widest use. Managing this across so many diverse areas in the marine environment, from tiny plankton to benthic communities and fish, is no easy task, yet it is coordinated by a UK group, the Northeast Atlantic Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) scheme. The scheme reached its 30th birthday in 2024, and its longevity is a testament to the increasing need for robust datasets in a time of ecosystem change.
Figure 1. In keeping with the focus on taxonomy, the NMBAQC logo depicts a caprellid shrimp pretending to be a microscope!
The scheme had its origin in the UK with an initial focus on benthic communities, in conjunction with the Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group. From this, a national UK marine biological AQC scheme was proposed, to provide quality assurance (QA) for the fledgling Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP). This was concerned with assessing (and reducing) contaminant inputs to marine sediments and the associated anthropogenic impacts on the benthic community. As expected with no scheme in place, preliminary comparisons of macrofaunal data from different UK marine monitoring authorities showed considerable inconsistencies. Collecting and analysing marine benthos samples was, and still is, hugely expensive, so ensuring data sets achieved an acceptable level of quality to enable valid statistical intercomparisons was a key aim. The sediment type is also a key factor in determining the composition of marine benthic communities, therefore the new scheme included a QA component for sediment particle size analysis. The first NMBAQC exercises were run in 1994 and quickly proved their worth.
The initial component on Benthic Invertebrates has, over the last 30 years, audited over 2,000 benthic macrofauna samples across 85 exercises, keeping a running tab on the overall pass rate and issuing annual Statements of Performance for individual labs. In addition, over 40,000 invertebrate specimens have been circulated across 66 ring test exercises covering a variety of invertebrate groups or themes.
The journey was not without its bumps. Although the concept of the scheme was broadly welcomed, not all were initially supportive. Some independent ‘experts’ were concerned about their status being questioned, leading to a system of independent review being established. Subsequent clarification of the purpose and rationale clarified the aims—nowadays the purpose of the scheme is very much accepted and feedback from participants is very positive.
The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) in 2000 required broader assessment of the status of ecological communities and was the main driver for the introduction of additional QA components for fish and macroalgae in 2006. Components on epibiota and zooplankton, of relevance to the conservation agencies and, in the case of zooplankton, to the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, followed in 2015. The phytoplankton component commenced in 2016—a key requirement for both WFD and the Food Standards Agency Shellfish Monitoring Programme.
Figure 2. Benthic Invertebrate Taxonomic Workshop taking place at the Dove Marine Laboratory in North East England in 2006. © Myles O’Reilly.
The NMBAQC scheme was set up to meet the QA needs of the laboratories of the various UK competent monitoring authorities (CMAs). It is run by the NMBAQC Committee with representatives from these CMAs, and reports to the UK Healthy and Biologically Diverse Seas Evidence Group (HBDSEG) under the umbrella of the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Contractors providing marine biological data to the UK CMAs may also be requested to join the scheme and many commercial labs take part to demonstrate their commitment to its QA standards. Although initially limited to UK labs, the scheme now has a broader range and has attracted other participants from north-east Europe and from around the Black Sea. The phytoplankton component, with its focus on harmful algal blooms, has an even wider sphere of influence and draws participants with a truly international flavour.
The day-to-day operation of the scheme components is mostly outsourced to sub-contractors, who are overseen by the NMBAQC committee. The scheme is self-financed, with operation costs covered by participation fees, with some very welcome additional support from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The scheme components comprise various QA exercises including circulation of ring tests, submission of own samples for audit, as well as workshops on sampling, sample processing and taxonomy (Fig. 2).
The scheme has produced pass/fail standards and remedial action guidance for audited samples as well as numerous reports on the various exercises and workshops over many years. When the scheme started 30 years ago, websites were not yet a thing; now everything to know about the scheme, its operation, and its history is available at the click of a button at www.nmbaqcs.org. In keeping with the focus on taxonomy, the NMBAQC logo depicts a caprellid shrimp pretending to be a microscope!
In addition to the current scheme components, as technology and new methods are developed, it is essential that QA is developed for those used in monitoring. In recent years, digital imagery and molecular techniques have developed in sophistication and ease of use. However, as marine monitoring was not the intended initial application, developments have been uncoordinated. The NMBAQC scheme hopes to address some of the issues, and to add new components to encompass developments in emerging areas, such as digital imaging and eDNA—all under the mantra of ensuring subsequent datasets are fit for purpose.
While the QA aspect of marine biological monitoring might not seem the most exciting, it is essential to produce robust data by trained experts and it would be impossible to have confidence in monitoring results without it. Taxonomy is, unfortunately, a declining field and increasingly difficult to fund—however, the training of field operatives and lab analysts, intercomparison exercises and workshops, and sample audits all play a key role in ensuring the proper management of healthy and productive marine ecosystems for the future.
Myles O’Reilly (myles.oreilly@sepa.org.uk), Invertebrate Technical Manager, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and David Johns, Chair of Scheme, Marine Biological Association.
For more information, visit: www.nmbaqcs.org
