The United States has extended its claims on the sea floor by an area twice the size of California, securing rights to potentially resource-rich areas. The ‘Extended Continental Shelf’ covers about 1 million square kilometres (386,100 square miles), predominantly in the Arctic and Bering Sea, an area of increasing strategic importance where Canada and Russia […]
Plans to turn a former golf course on the Lincolnshire coast into a wildlife haven have been approved. The National Trust said once complete, the land at Sandilands would feature open water and islands as well as reedbeds and ponds, the BBC reported. There would also be grassland and sand dunes to encourage wildlife and […]
The Wildlife Trusts’ annual round-up of life in UK seas presents the highs and lows for 2023, including bait ball feeding frenzies and increased sightings of Atlantic bluefin tuna alongside the devastating impact of avian flu on seabirds. Dr Lissa Batey, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “2023 has been a historic […]
Scientists from Kiel University have examined crater-like depressions on the seafloor of the North Sea. They were able to show that these directly relate to the habitats of porpoises and sand eels, and for the first time provide a conclusive explanation for the importance of vertebrates in shaping the seafloor. The North Sea seafloor is […]
Plymouth Marine Laboratory have launched a survey to capture responses from those in industry. Scientists currently have a poor understanding of the full socio-economic implications and conflicting pressures on marine space of the rapid expansion of offshore wind capacity. Project Lead Dr Claire Szostek said: “The survey will be open throughout December and the first week of […]
Building on recent announcements relating to the move to a harmonised minimum conservation reference size for crawfish and publication of the crab and lobster FMP, Marine Management Organisation (MMO) can now confirm the decision on the proposal to close English waters ICES area 7 for fishing crawfish. The fishing industry shared concerns regarding the recent increase in crawfish […]
The health benefits of eating seafood are appreciated in many cultures which rely upon it to provide critical nutrients vital to our physical and mental development and health. Eating fish and shellfish provides significant benefits to neurological development and functioning and provides protection against the risks of coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Over three billion people get at […]
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC), working with the University of Southampton and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), recently completed a Fully Autonomous Marine Protected Area Seafloor Survey. This survey will help us understand the suitability of using autonomous underwater vehicles for UK offshore marine monitoring and establish to what extent such systems […]