10 Jun 2025
Photo of Nice, France at night The 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) opened on Monday 9th June, kicking off a week of high-level dialogue and action. Focused on advancing SDG 14 – to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas and marine resources – the conference brings together world leaders, scientists, and marine […]
10 Jun 2025
Photo: Fishing boat by Paul Einerhand The UK Government has announced a major proposal to ban bottom trawling in 41 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across English waters. If implemented, it would expand existing ban on bottom trawling from 18,000 km² to 30,000 km², of the UK’s offshore areas, covering nearly a quarter of the […]
10 Jun 2025
Photo of shells by Anthony A crisis breaching planetary boundaries A groundbreaking study by researchers from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, NOAA, and Oregon State University has found that ocean acidification—driven by escalating CO₂ absorption—has crossed a key “planetary boundary.” By 2020, acidification levels in approximately 60% of the ocean at depths near 200 m had […]
10 Jun 2025
Photo of beach in Adelaide, Australia South Australia’s coastline is grappling with an unprecedented environmental disaster as a toxic algal bloom, exacerbated by marine heatwaves, continues to decimate marine life and disrupt local fisheries. A bloom of unprecedented scale Since March, the harmful algal bloom (HAB), primarily composed of Karenia mikimotoi, has spread across […]
10 Jun 2025
Photo of a Seagrass Meadow Benjamin Jones A major new report by WWF Mediterranean warns that the region’s iconic seagrass meadows—vital to marine biodiversity and climate stability—are under severe threat from widespread damage caused by anchoring vessels. The study highlights the scale and urgency of the crisis, estimating that in 2024 alone, more than […]
10 Jun 2025
Image: Offshore wind turbines by Nicholas Doherty A novel dispute has arisen in the North Sea as Belgium faces accusations of “stealing wind” from Dutch offshore wind farms. The contention centres on the placement of Belgian wind turbines southwest of Dutch installations, leading to concerns about reduced wind speeds and energy generation for […]
10 Jun 2025
In a landmark step for ocean conservation, Argentina has officially designated a vast new marine protected area along its southern coast — one nearly the size of Greater London. The newly established Patagonia Azul Provincial Park spans 729,000 acres (around 295,000 hectares) in Chubut Province, securing a critical stretch of coastal and marine ecosystems […]
03 Jun 2025
Image: Whaleshark in the dark by Aaim Zameer A new scientific study has revealed that vast areas of the ocean have grown significantly darker over the past two decades, with potentially serious consequences for marine ecosystems. Researchers used satellites and computer models to examine how far sunlight penetrates the upper layers of the ocean. […]
