Queen's University Marine Laboratory

Queen's University Marine Laboratory QUB Marine Laboratory (QML), is the marine research station in Portaferry, Northern Ireland

QML is located in Portaferry at the entrance of beautiful Strangford Lough, a large enclosed, marine lagoon (150 km2) opening into the Irish Sea. We are approximately one hour drive from the main QUB campus in Belfast. Strangford Lough is a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union Habitats Directive. The marine flora and fauna in the vicinity of Portaferry are among the most diverse i

n the North Altantic; Portaferry is located in close proximity to an extraordinary diversity of habitats, from tidal mudflats inside Strangford Lough to the exposed coast of the Irish sea outside the Lough. The entrance to Strangford Lough is a narrow channel that experiences high speed tidal fluctuations, the whole volume of the Lough is exchanged every two weeks through a passage less than 1 km wide. The Narrows is the site of an experimental commericial tidal energy generator, SeaGen, operated by Marine Current Turbines. Students and Postgraduate Researchers at QML conduct fieldwork and research on a wide variety of subjects including Marine Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Sustainable Energy Resources and Tidal Engineering.

20/05/2026

Delighted to have this excellent new project building capacity at the Marine Lab!

Our Marine Lab relay team had a great day at the Belfast Marathon today! QUB had over 30 teams running to celebrate 180 ...
03/05/2026

Our Marine Lab relay team had a great day at the Belfast Marathon today! QUB had over 30 teams running to celebrate 180 years of the University, raising funds for QUB Medical Research and Student Wellbeing. The team managed a finish time of 3.30.05 with two of our runners hitting 5km personal bests on the way! Congratulations to all the runners taking part today 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

19/02/2026
12/02/2026

Spotted us on Countryfile this week? Well we’re not done yet! 👀

BBC's Winterwatch caught up with Dr Patrick Collins to learn more about our fascinating local marine life. The programme also featured ongoing work from Queen's University Marine Laboratory, including the ELASMO project, which aims to reduce the bycatch of sharks, skates and rays 🦈

Catch up now on iPlayer and keep an eye out for us on Springwatch later this year!

🔴Episode 2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002q907/winterwatch-series-14-episode-2
🔴Episode 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002q8y5/winterwatch-series-14-episode-4

09/02/2026
Look out for us on BBC Countryfile tonight!
08/02/2026

Look out for us on BBC Countryfile tonight!

Congratulations on this great discovery by our PhD student Rebekah!
22/01/2026

Congratulations on this great discovery by our PhD student Rebekah!

A new seagrass meadow has been discovered at Strangford Lough by a PhD student using DAERA technology.
👉Read more: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/new-seagrass-meadow-discovered-northern-ireland-phd-student-using-daera-technology

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Queen's University Belfast Centre for Environmental Data and Recording - CEDaR Strangford Lough Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Northern Ireland Environment Link Climate Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Marine Task Force

11/01/2026

Great news for Belfast Lough, as thousands of European oysters are getting a new home on the seabed, bringing a much-needed boost to this endangered native species.

For the first time in Northern Ireland, Ulster Wildlife - with support from Belfast Harbour and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - has introduced 2,000 adult oysters and 30,000 juvenile oysters (spat) to help restore vital oyster reefs. These incredible creatures not only support marine life but also help keep our water clean, as each one can filter up to 200 litres a day!

Find out more about this amazing project at https://bit.ly/455YjIJ

02/01/2026

The Dolphins Sub Aqua Club explore Strangford Lough 🐬

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12-13 The Strand
Portaferry
BT221PF

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