30 Mar 2021

Scallops exceeding the carrying capacity of coastal seas. In 1978 I ran a conference where R F Ventilla spoke on scallop culture in Japan. He had witnessed scallop aquaculture in the coastal zone at a highly intense level and reported scallops dominating every part of the pelagic and benthic ecosystem. Their growth rates had massively […]

23 Mar 2021

Defra, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government have now published updates to the marine monitoring programmes for the state of the UK seas. The document sets out the monitoring programmes we use to measure progress towards Good Environmental Status in the UK seas. It notes the improvements we have made […]

23 Mar 2021

‘Nature Article: Summary The ocean contains unique biodiversity, provides valuable food resources and is a major sink for anthropogenic carbon. Marine protected areas (MPAs)are an effective tool for restoring ocean biodiversity and ecosystem services1,2, but at present only 2.7% of the ocean is highly protected3. This low level of ocean protection is due largely to […]

23 Mar 2021

Clean Catch UK is a new initiative to collect data on the life histories, movements, distributions, behaviours, accidental capture and post-release survival of wildlife in UK commercial fisheries, with an initial focus on the Celtic Sea. Find out more at: https://www.cleancatchuk.com/. The seas around the UK are thriving underwater ecosystems. These waters provide essential habitats for a […]

15 Mar 2021

Defra: ‘Consultation launched on environmental principles  The landmark Environment Bill will create a duty on ministers across Whitehall to be guided by five internationally recognised environmental principles when making policy – protecting the environment for the next generation and demonstrating to the world that the environment is at the front and centre of the Government’s […]