08 Jun 2021

Liabhán chor gréine, or the Great Fish of the Sun, more prosaically known as basking sharks, occupy Irish territorial waters and its EEZ throughout the year. The global population of breeding individuals has been estimated at approximately 8,000-10,000 worldwide, a high proportion of which may at times be present in Irish waters. Basking sharks are protected in […]

08 Jun 2021

Hundreds of fishing fleets that go ‘dark’ are suspected of illegal fishing.  In a global case study of possible AIS avoidance, vessels primarily from China switch off their tracking beacons to evade detection while they engage in possible illegal fishing.  Click here and here.

01 Jun 2021

In the advance of the June G7 meeting in Cornwall, the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) convened a virtual workshop of international scientists to highlight the critical importance of the ocean and outline a plan of action to ensure a sustainable ocean future for nature and people. Ocean scientists from G7 countries, […]

01 Jun 2021

The UK has announced its membership of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA). ORRAA is a multi-sector collaboration between governments, financial institutions, the insurance industry, environmental organisations and stakeholders from the Global South.  The Alliance’s purpose is to build resilience in the regions and communities most vulnerable to ocean risk, by pioneering finance and insurance products that incentivise investment in nature-based solutions and […]

01 Jun 2021

A series of emails, released under the Freedom of Information Act, and reported by investigative news site, The Ferret, in March suggest the Scottish government appears to be smoothing the path for CleanTreat – a system that uses the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid to rid farmed salmon of sea lice, to be accepted for regulatory approval in […]

01 Jun 2021

The appointment of Richard Benyon as Defra minister in the House of Lords has prompted a rethink within the NFFO on its approach to the management of marine protected areas. In a long blog post, NFFO sets out its views and concerns: “To this point, our approach has been to challenge the Government’s shift from […]

01 Jun 2021

With fundamentally important scientific questions and issues to be tackled in the coming years, Cefas have launched a new Fisheries International Centre of Excellence (ICoE) which aims to become the international go-to source of advice for successful fisheries management. The key objectives of the Centre will be to advance, apply and share expertise in fisheries science and advice to further fisheries sustainability; showcase and strengthen Cefas’ end-to-end and quality-assured […]

01 Jun 2021

The recording of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries’ recent webinar #FishingAndWind event, which explored how the fisheries and offshore wind sectors can collaborate and ensure optimal marine planning outcomes for all involved, is now live on the APPGF website, alongside summaries of speakers’ answers to questions from Parliamentarians and attendees.   Click here Dickon Howell, Howell Marine Consulting and […]