13 Jun 2023

A study published in Science Advances provides evidence that large-scale, offshore, and fully-protected marine areas (MPAs) protect biodiversity without negatively impacting fishing and food security. In the first-ever “before and after” assessment of the impact of establishing Mexico’s Revillagigedo National Park on the fishing industry, a team of U.S. and Mexican researchers found that Mexico’s industrial […]

13 Jun 2023

The vaquita, a small porpoise on the verge of extinction, is still hanging in there, said scientists who had spotted about a dozen specimens of Mexico’s “panda of the sea” on an expedition in May 2023. The vaquita is the smallest of all porpoises, similar to dolphins but with shorter beaks and more rounded bodies. […]

13 Jun 2023

The European Union, on behalf of its 27 member states, has deposited its instrument of acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, marking a major development towards the Agreement’s entry into force. The EU’s instrument of acceptance was presented to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Paris on the side lines of the Organisation for Economic […]

13 Jun 2023

In a breakthrough for ecosystem mapping, researchers at The University of Cambridge and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have published the first globally consistent map of Earth’s tidal marshes. The 10m resolution map is now publicly available on Google Earth Engine App. These often underappreciated yet highly productive coastal ecosystems are critical contributors to human wellbeing, climate, […]

13 Jun 2023

From NatureScot: A trailblazing marine environment fund – designed to help ensure Scotland’s coasts and seas are healthy, productive and nature-rich – is already having a great impact, after its first two years saw over £3.2m in funding distributed to 45 projects. Examples of the projects funded around Scotland include improving the ability to rescue […]

13 Jun 2023

Recreational drugs, pesticides and medicines have been found in seawater samples collected off the south coast of England. Researchers from Brunel and Portsmouth universities analysed nearly 300 samples from Langstone and Chichester harbours, in Hampshire and West Sussex.   Photo by Bob Brewer   The researchers said they found more than 50 different chemical compounds. They […]

13 Jun 2023

The UK government has launched a six-week consultation on expanding its targets to tackle sewage even further to cover all coasts, estuaries and marine protected sites in England. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August 2022, set out stringent targets to protect people and the environment, backed up by £56 billion capital investment – the largest […]