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 […]

14 Aug 2025

Image description: A swimmers back profile as they stand chest-high in water. Photo by Chris on Unsplash   A new government analysis revealed thousands more waterways are being used for swimming and boating in England than were previously recorded. Their data revealed 3,347 “water recreation locations”, places where people take part in activities including swimming, […]

14 Aug 2025

Image description: Aerial view of the Hong Kong skyline at dawn. Photo by Simon Zhu on Unsplash   Hong Kong firm in lead to buy Thames Water Hong Kong’s CKI, an infrastructure company is reportedly a leading contender to buy Thames Water if the heavily indebted company collapses in coming weeks, according to the Times. […]

14 Aug 2025

Image description: Aerial view of two tractors driving toward each other along parallel lines. Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash   After legal pressure from campaign group River Action, the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs has closed what they claim was “a major loophole”; manure can now only be spread when crops actually […]