The government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands has announced plans to introduce significant enhancements to marine protection in the Southern Ocean. The announcement of an additional 166,000km2 of ‘No Take Zones’, covering an area eight times the size of Wales, will result in 449,000km2of highly biodiverse marine habitat being closed to all […]
The Crown Estate has concluded the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for the Celtic Sea floating offshore wind leasing process. The HRA covers the three Project Development Areas (PDAs) which are being made available through the Round 5 leasing process, and which will see commercial-scale floating wind farms established in the Celtic Sea for the first […]
Sea urchins exposed to diluted seawater for long periods show signs of physical deterioration, according to scientists from British Antarctic Survey, the University of Cambridge and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Their study also found that even slight changes in salinity – or saltiness – trigger changes to urchin behaviour as they try to […]
A three-year research programme, co-designed by scientists, policymakers, recreational anglers, skippers and conservationists, to unlock understanding of Bluefin Tuna (BFT) populations in English waters has been deemed a success or a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to understand these remarkable top predators; leaving a valuable legacy of high welfare standards and professional skills to inform […]
Vaughan Gething, a front runner for Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, has set out his vision for the future of Welsh devolution. As First Minister, Vaughan Gething would seek more powers for Wales, and share more powers within Wales. Vaughan said: “If I am elected Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, responsibility for the […]
Bird flu has caused a “catastrophic” fall in the number of seabirds in the UK, a study of breeding sites by the RSPB has found. In some species the charity said bird flu had “completely reversed” previously positive trends. The number of gannet nests at Grassholm in Pembrokeshire – the main colony in Wales and […]
Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, has launched a public consultation on fishing with trawls inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines and is seeking the public’s opinion on the matter. Minister McConalogue said: “Five years ago, in December 2018, a transition to a ban on vessels over […]
A Devon nature reserve is due to be significantly expanded thanks to a unique piece of coastal engineering, which has seen 50 hectares of internationally important new wetland habitat created. The huge climate change adaptation project led by the Environment Agency reconnected the River Otter with its historic estuarine floodplain – helping protect properties but […]