31 Jan 2023

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 […]

31 Jan 2023

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 […]

31 Jan 2023

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 […]

31 Jan 2023

New legislation is being introduced to crack down on the dangerous misuse of watercraft such as jet skis, with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency being granted more powers to prosecute perpetrators of accidents. The new law will come into force on 31 March 2023, before the busy summer period and will enable watercraft users to […]

31 Jan 2023

South Tyneside Council has secured £6.9m in funding to use with the aim of strengthening North Eastern coastlines and their communities in the face of flooding, erosion and the impacts of climate change. The funding is part of the Stronger Shores initiative, funded by Defra’s £150m Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme which aims to […]

31 Jan 2023

Nearly two-thirds of coral reef shark and ray species worldwide are threatened with extinction, a new study in Nature Communications shows. The results suggest that the extinction risk of coral reef sharks and rays, as a percentage of threatened species, is almost double that of all 1,199 known shark and ray species. The findings highlight the […]

29 Jan 2023

Your Views Needed: Delivery Options for Strategic Marine Net Gain    Have you been involved in marine habitat or species restoration or recovery projects? The Strategic MNG Delivery Task and Finish Group* is seeking views on potential options for the delivery of strategic Net Gain targets for the marine and intertidal environment. Your views will […]

22 Jan 2023

Government’s progress on delivery of its 25 year plan to improve the environment has ‘fallen far short’ and opportunities to change course must be taken. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) presents here its independent assessment of Government’s progress in improving the natural environment in accordance with its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) for England in […]