Paper Summary: Dave K A Barnes & others: ‘Solving biodiversity loss and climate change are part of the same problem; intact natural habitats can provide powerful and efficient climate mitigation if protected. Beyond the land (forests), there is little appreciation of just how important ocean nature is to climate mitigation. Carbon captured, stored and the […]
Three quarters of the UK lies beneath the sea, yet when it comes to climate policy our focus remains concentrated on the quarter of the UK above the shoreline. Carbon is captured in the UK ocean by habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass, kelp forests and biogenic reefs, and vast amounts of carbon is stored in […]
Peter Evans in The Conversation ‘Our oceans are under pressure like never before, with over 60% struggling from the increasing impact of fishing, coastal activities and climate change. The harsh truth is that as we move towards 2022 only 3% of oceans are totally free from the pressure of human activity. The greatest impact appears to be […]
Defra – MMO ‘The Sea Fisheries (Amendment etc.) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 retained and amended the Bass Measures 2020 as per Article 10 of Council Regulation (EU). This means that revised measures on vessels catching European Seabass are to be introduced on 31 December 2021. The bass control measures described implement measures designed to manage fishing effort to […]
Extended protection for flapper skate. The critically endangered flapper skate is to gain further protection following the extension of an urgent Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the Inner Sound of Skye. The site protects a nationally important flapper skate egg nursery area which is the largest of its kind to be identified in Scotland. The […]
Coastal Organisms Thrive on Floating Plastic Debris in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch Coastal plants and animals have found a new way to survive in the open ocean—by colonizing plastic pollution. A new commentary published Dec. 2 in Nature Communications reports coastal species growing on trash hundreds of miles out to sea in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, more commonly […]
BBC ‘Norfolk Boreas: Consent given for wind farm to power millions of homes Plans for an offshore wind farm that would power millions of homes have been granted development consent by the government. Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm would cover 725 sq km (289 sq miles) and be about 72km (45 miles) from the shore. […]
Defra ‘UK agrees 2022 fishing catch limits with EU and Norway All Parties agree to set catch levels in line with, or lower than, those advised by ICES in bid to champion sustainability and help protect fish stocks. The UK has today (10 December 2021) reached agreement with Norway and the European Union on catch […]