14 Mar 2023

Global squid fishing increased by 68% between 2017 and 2020, according to international analysis, prompting concerns that much of the international fishing fleet is sidestepping necessary conservation and management. The extract below is taken from The Conversation. The study reveals that almost all of the increase in squid fishing has occurred in unregulated areas, with 86% […]

14 Mar 2023

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans has reached “unprecedented levels” over the past 15 years, a new study has found, calling for a legally binding international treaty to stop the harmful waste. Ocean plastic pollution is a persistent problem around the globe — animals may become entangled in larger pieces of plastic like fishing nets, or […]

14 Mar 2023

Defra are launching a competition with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to enhance the resilience, health and wellbeing of UK coastal communities and seas. The objectives are to: Apply place-based approaches seeking to transform our understanding of climatic, environmental, health, economic, social, and cultural factors affecting coastal communities and seas; Support the resilient management of […]

14 Mar 2023

Cities are artificially lit to allow humans to make use of the night. This light pollution means that stars are often barely visible in urban skies.  Urban development in coastal areas is increasingly exposing marine ecosystems to artificial light. This exposure is particularly acute in and near some of the world’s largest coastal cities and […]

07 Mar 2023

Kittiwakes, puffins and razorbills are some of England’s most treasured seabirds that could benefit from proposed measures to ban sandeel fishing, Defra has announced today (Tuesday 7 March). Sandeels are small, eel like fish that are a vital food source to vulnerable seabirds, commercially important fish species such as haddock and whiting, and sea mammals […]

06 Mar 2023

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and the Tourism, Mairi Gougeon has told Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland, Monica Lennon, that the government has no plans to introduce a three-nautical mile limit. When the Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland asked in a written question: “To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to […]

06 Mar 2023

New research now shows that seabirds are suffering from a plastic-induced illness named ‘plasticosis’, the Natural History Museum has said. Rather than being caused by viruses or bacteria, ‘plasticosis’ is caused by small pieces of plastic which inflame the digestive tract. Over time, persistent inflammation causes tissues to become scarred and deformed, with knock-on effects on growth, digestion […]

06 Mar 2023

Villagers at Holy Island have rejoiced after HPMA plan was scrapped, the BBC have reported. The government had been exploring designating the area off the coast of Northumberland a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), which would have seen fishing halted. Voicing their relief, campaigners said the news was “still sinking in”. Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan […]