15 Sep 2019
15 Sep 2019
Natural Capital Committee highly critical of progress
Latest papers from the Natural Capital Committee say that the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan Progress Report “does not tell us much about whether and to what extent there has been progress”. Failures include no assessment of whether the environment has improved and no assessment of outcomes. The Committee says that there is an urgent […]
15 Sep 2019
Brexit and fisheries – scenarios and press coverage
The UK Governments’ reasonable worst-case planning assumptions under a no deal Brexit were published in the ‘Operation Yellowhammer’ papers last week. On the question of fisheries, they estimate that up to 282 EU and EEA nations fishing vessels could enter illegally, or already be fishing in UK waters on day one. Up to 129 vessels […]
15 Sep 2019
EFRA Committee report on plastic packaging
Plastic pollution of the marine environment, of which food and drink packaging is a significant contributor, has captured public interest over the past two years, and the Government has set out its ambitions to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. In the backlash against plastic, other materials are being increasingly used as […]
15 Sep 2019
Pollutant threat to largest European community of bottlenose dolphins
Most organochlorinated contaminants were banned in developed countries in the 1970s and 1980s. However, their chemical properties favour long-range transport and persistence in water, air and biota, including the deepest ocean fauna. Studies of cetaceans in Europe have reported bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, with markedly elevated Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in their blubber. “Hotspots” include […]
15 Sep 2019
Sea grass restoration project
An estimated 92% of the UK seagrass beds have been lost in the last century. This summer seeds were collected from existing meadows around the British Isles by a group of volunteers led by Swansea University. They have been sorted and are being prepared to be planted this winter in Dale Bay, Pembrokeshire. Historically this […]
10 Sep 2019
Lost Bills – legislative deficit builds – Fisheries & Agriculture Bill to fall – more wasted efforts
The last week was remarkable in terms of the political dynamics, but there are practical consequences. Three emerge. Losing Bills The Fisheries Bill and Agriculture Bill are both likely to fall this week. In part because of the proroguing of Parliament and probably compounded by the likelihood of another election. As of Friday afternoon no […]
10 Sep 2019
Major strandings report (2011-2017) covers a wide range of marine vertebrates
Final Contract Report 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2017 Between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2017, the UK Cetacean Strandings. Investigation Programme (CSIP) received reports of 4896 cetaceans, 97 marine turtles and. 21 basking sharks. The largest number of cetacean reports was received in England (n=2363), with smaller numbers in Scotland (n=1616), Wales (n=774), Northern Ireland (n=76), the Isle of Man […]
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