21 Aug 2025
Image description: Fishermen from Qarmat Ali with the Nahr Bin Umar oilfield across the Shatt al-Arab River. They complain that due to pollution and the river’s increased salinity, they often pull in dead fish. Image by Daniela Sala / The Guardian. The Guardian recently reported on the decline of Iraq’s Hawizeh wetlands, part of […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen Global negotiations to forge the world’s first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution have collapsed for the second time in eight months, as countries remain fundamentally divided over whether to limit plastic production or focus solely on waste management solutions. The sixth round of talks under the Intergovernmental […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Yomex Owo The Scottish Government’s new seabird conservation action plan has received a mixed reception from conservationists, with leading wildlife groups welcoming the strategy whilst warning that recent offshore wind farm approvals could undermine its effectiveness. The Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan, launched on 13 August at the Scottish Seabird Centre in […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Nick Fewings A significant gap has emerged in the UK’s fishing vessel monitoring system after a major supplier halted data transmission to authorities over an unresolved contract dispute, leaving an unknown number of under-12 metre vessels untracked. Succorfish stopped forwarding positional data to the UK VMS Hub on 11th August, citing the […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Link Bekka A comprehensive new study has developed a standardised method for assessing how highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) could displace commercial fishing activity, providing crucial insights as the UK Government considers expanding its marine protection network beyond the three pilot sites designated in 2023. The research, published in Frontiers in Marine […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Noemi Lusetti Conservation campaigners have appealed directly to King Charles to protect the historic Goodwin Sands from commercial dredging, warning that the treacherous sandbank containing over 2,000 shipwrecks could face destructive aggregate extraction despite its marine protected area status. The Goodwin Sands Conservation Trust has written to the King as head of […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by Maxwell Andrews The Scottish Government has announced historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) status for significant shipwreck sites in Orkney and Shetland waters, making it a criminal offence to remove artefacts from some of Scotland’s most important underwater heritage sites. The designation will primarily protect what remains of the German High Seas Fleet […]
19 Aug 2025
Photo by National Cancer Institute Scientists have discovered a marine-derived molecule that triggers an explosive form of cancer cell death, offering a potentially revolutionary approach to cancer treatment that harnesses the ocean’s untapped pharmaceutical potential. The compound, dubbed EPS3.9, was secreted by marine bacteria found off the coast of Taiwan and has demonstrated the […]
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