ATTENTION: The IsoEcol 2026 deadline for abstract and workshop proposal submissions has been extended to 20 April 2026 (11:59pm HKT)! More information about the conference can be found on the website: www.isoecol.com/2026/

Calling all isotope ecologists! We are delighted to welcome you to the 14th International Conference on the Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies (IsoEcol 2026), at the University of Hong Kong. The submission deadline is 13 April 2026. www.isoecol.com/2026/

Applying some innovative maths, a new study, led by Dr. Isis Guibert and Prof. David Baker, shows that knowledge of feeding strategies can help assess extinction risks for different species of iconic marine animals – giant clams. www.hku.hk/press/press-...

The Swire Institute of Marine Science celebrated its 35th anniversary with a gala. It was a joyous and emotional occasion where generations of SWIMS family and friends came together to mark more than three decades of scientific and conservation achievements and the support of the Swire Group.

Following the incident of people tramping coral at Sharp Island, Prof David Baker, our Interim Director, wrote an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post on how Hong Kong can benefit from ecotourism while keeping our incredible marine biodiversity thriving. www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...

Our “Lab Twins” - Emily Chei and Róisín Hayden, have defended their PhD theses. Emily and Roisin worked on corals, started their PhDs at the same time and spent countless hours working side by side – underwater and in the lab. Congratulations, Emily and Róisín!

Prof David Baker and Janis Mok attend the first OceanX Summit in Singapore. David and Janis met with OceanX CEO Mark Dalio and Executive Director Tit Meng Lim amidst sessions on Reimagining Ocean Storytelling and Immersive Frontiers: XR & Gaming in Ocean Education.

Integrative Marine Ecology and Conservation students took their first steps outside the classroom to learn fieldwork skills. By “steps” we mean “steps” - Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve is outside our front door! Special thanks to Prof. Gray Williams & RA Brian Leung. #marinescience #HKU #SWIMS #IMEC

Prof. Juan Diego Gaitán-Espitia’s team were featured in TVB (Hong Kong's public television broadcasting company) episode 7 of the series "Go global and attract foreign investment: The Greater Bay Area." Start at 12:14 of the reel. youtube.com/watch?v=VNiW... #marinescience #hku #SWIMS #seagrass

Part one of the story of SWIMS whale – the blue whale skeleton that stood outside SWIMS building for almost 30 years. #HKU #UniversityofHongKong #SWIMS #marinescience

SWIMS’ alumnus Dr Sanjay Nagarkar, PhD in marine microbial ecology, gave workshop Scientist to Entrepreneur to Integrative Marine Ecology and Conservation students @jonscibulski.bsky.social: "Some of our students look for a career outside science, so we include such experiences into the programme.”

SWIMS will be a very busy place from tomorrow because Integrative Marine Ecology & Conservation (IMEC) MSc has launched! Tomorrow, forty-four students will start their journey at SWIMS and HKU. Their first class – Ocean Biodiversity, is at 9am. Welcome to SWIMS, everyone! @jonscibulski.bsky.social

The SWIMS whale that once stood outside our institute, is coming back! We will tell you the full story (that spans 70 years!) of SWIMS whale very soon. #whales #HKU #SWIMS #marinescience #biodiversity

Today is the National Ecology Day. At SWIMS we have many public outreach programs and at the center is the Swire Coastal Outreach Hub (SCOH), funded by the Swire Trust. Everyone is welcome to come to SCOH to learn about Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity. Visiting times are 1 - 4 pm, Fri & Sat.

Team led by Prof Celia Schunter, with Dr Arthur Chung and Wu Cheuk Ho, in collaboration with WWF Hong Kong, started a major conservation project: Embracing Our Tolo: Analyzing Fishery Landscape and Population Health of a Depleted Seascape. #marinescience #HongKong #HKU #SWIMS #fisheries

Dr Jon Cybulski @jonscibulski.bsky.social talks about the story of his latest paper: Historical Ecology of the Southern Central American Pacific Coast. With @odealab.bsky.social More: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #marinescience #centralamerica #humanspecies #sustainability

We were delighted to host truly distinguished guests – Mr Pat Healy, Director of Swire Pacific and Chair of Cathay Pacific Airways and Swire Coca-Cola, and Mr David Cogman, Director of Swire Pacific, who visited SWIMS together with the Swire Trust members and Swire Scholars alumni.

A delegation from Sino Group came to SWIMS yesterday. The visitors included Ms Nikki Ng – Non-Executive Director and Director of Philanthropy. The visitors met Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity at the Swire Coastal Outreach Hub and saw the institute’s research facilities & residential quarters.

The Area of Ecology and Biodiversity @ School of Biological Sciences @ HKU is recruiting tenure-track /associate/assistant professor. Watch this video to see the astonishing array of ecosystems and species in Hong Kong. To apply: jobs.hku.hk/en/job/53161...

Meet the algae. Salads, medicine, paper, ice-cream… these are some of the uses, actual and potential, of the marine algae species that we collected diving last week. Each species has a story, and we are now experimenting with how to preserve them for public display.

Marine #algae, rich in proteins & essential nutrients, may soon be an important source of nutrition for humanity. SWIMS went #diving in #HongKong to get specimens of edible algae that may become part of a public exhibition. In the next post we will share photos of species of algae we collected.

City of Shells, a documentary about restoration of oyster reefs in #HongKong, is out. Prof Bayden Russell’s research group at SWIMS plays a key role in restoring our oyster reefs. Read this interview with Prof Russell to find out more, and you can watch City of Shells here: www.cityofshells.com