03 May 2022

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has confirmed the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer and Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) announces new permanent CEO. Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) Natalie Prosser, who has been in the role on an interim basis since February 2021, has been announced as the successful applicant for the permanent position […]

03 May 2022

Fishing will no longer be permitted in a Jersey harbour after a vote to create a “no-take zone”. The zone aims to give marine life in Portelet Bay better protection and will also be used as a natural laboratory, the BBC reported. The regulations will come into force from 2 May 2022, making it an […]

03 May 2022

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the world’s oceans, marine biodiversity could be on track to plummet within the next few centuries to levels not seen since the extinction of the dinosaurs, according to a recent study in the journal Science by Princeton University researchers. The paper’s authors modelled future marine biodiversity under different […]

03 May 2022

Work has begun to install the first length of cable for what will be the world’s largest wind farm, firing the starting pistol on offshore construction. Energy Voice has reported that tier one supplier NKT is leading the work to fit the Dogger Bank A nearshore, HVDC export cable off the coast of Yorkshire. It […]

03 May 2022

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has agreed to adopt a new Scottish-designed fishing technology as the new international standard for co-ordinated demersal fish population surveys in the North Sea. The Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government co-operated with international partners – the International Bottom Trawl Survey Working Group (IBTSWG) – to […]

25 Apr 2022

Damaging fishing activity will be prohibited in four Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) using new powers under the Fisheries Act. The four byelaws ban the use of bottom trawls, dredges, demersal seines and semi-pelagic trawls, collectively known as bottom towed gear, over certain areas. There are also additional restrictions in two of the sites preventing the […]

25 Apr 2022

Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) is a science innovation and transformation programme run by Defra, which spans across land and water environments. It has been set up to collect data on the extent, condition and change over time of England’s ecosystems and natural capital, and the benefits to society.  click here This will underpin […]

25 Apr 2022

A report by the British Ecological Society says that the UK government’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 offers the opportunity to revitalise the contribution of protected areas to nature recovery. But it also warns that this ambitious pledge will fail if we don’t make radical, transformative changes. For more on […]