The Environment Agency has launched a five-week consultation on a proposed change to discharge sea water and fish at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Bridgwater. The proposal is to vary the operational Water Discharge Activity (WDA) permit, to remove conditions that relate to an Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD) and add a waste stream […]
The first seeds are due to be planted in waters off the Scottish capital as part of a major restoration project that aims to improve biodiversity in the Firth of Forth. Conservationists and volunteers have collected more than 40,000 seagrass seeds from around Orkney and prepared them for planting, with sowing work due to start […]
The Chair of the Commons EFRA Committee has written to Therese Coffey, Defra Secretary of State, following the recent publication of the independent Crustacean Mortality Expert Panel’s report on the mass die-off on the north east coast of England. Below are some extracts from the letter: The Committee notes in the letter that the Minister […]
Coastal communities are unique in many ways: their geographical locations, culture, heritage, and the challenges that they face. A new study Communities on the edge from Pragmatix Advisory, commissioned by the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group (LGA Coastal SIG), Coastal Communities Alliance (CCA), Coastal Partnerships Network (CPN) and partners, is being released on Wednesday 1 […]
Researchers in Scotland have developed a tool to help ensure porpoises are not being harmed by the construction of offshore wind farms. The pile driving required to build offshore turbines can harm or even kill noise-sensitive marine mammals like porpoises. To move them away from the construction sites, acoustic deterrents (ADDs) are often installed underwater: delivering […]
The UK fishing industry is to benefit from an initial £2 million investment to trial new, greener engines and help create a safer, more sustainable fishing fleet as the latest round of the £100m UK Seafood Fund opens, the UK Government has announced. Older vessel engines are some of the industry’s biggest polluters and, according […]
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), acting on behalf of all four UKFAs, is seeking views on proposals to close UK waters in the ICES area 7d and Lyme Bay in ICES area 7e to the king scallop (Pectens maximus) dredge fishery in summer of 2023. The proposed closures are to protect the stock during spawning […]
A concerted effort is needed to better protect our coastal communities and economies whilst enhancing our marine environment, said Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell (26 January) as the EA launches its latest ‘State of the Environment: Coast and Marine’ report. Speaking at the Coastal Future’s Conference, Alan Lovell said that with over a third of […]