12 Mar 2024

The Danish fishing industry has raised concerns over the UK’s decision to close sandeel fishing in its waters, particularly in the Dogger Bank region. England and Scotland announced a prohibition on commercial sandeel fishing in UK waters of the North Sea (Area 4) from 2024, a move conservationists say will be a “game changer” for […]

12 Mar 2024

Connecting Shores is a recently launched audio documentary series that will explore the relationship young people of colour have with the sea and coastal environments. Commissioned and funded by Natural England, the series has been created by Exeter-born sound artist Somatic and will be broadcast on BBC Radio Devon and Cornwall next month. This will […]

12 Mar 2024

New satellite data from the European Copernicus Climate Change Service shows the global average sea surface temperature in February was 21.06C, higher than the previous record of 20.98C set in August 2023. Maps released by the organisation show huge areas of the world’s ocean were much warmer than the long-term average. The Atlantic was particularly warm, including the […]

12 Mar 2024

By Claire Szostek, Marine Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Towering up to 260m above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what happens beneath the waves? Government policymakers need reliable evidence to make planning decisions about new offshore wind developments and ensure positive outcomes. Currently, this evidence comes […]

09 Mar 2024

Marine and coastal sociocultural values review – Research wanted   Ecologos Research, in collaboration with Plymouth Marine Laboratory, is currently undertaking a structured review of social and cultural values of UK marine and coastal ecosystems as part of Defra’s Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme. We would like to invite you to submit […]

06 Mar 2024

The European Parliament has adopted the Nature Restoration Law. The law sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The EU nature restoration law, agreed with member states, will restore degraded ecosystems in all […]

06 Mar 2024

Southern Water has been fined £330,000 after raw sewage escaped into a stream near Southampton for what the company admitted could have been nearly 20 hours. Almost 2,000 fish were killed as faulty equipment at a pumping station sent untreated effluent into the environment at Waltham Chase on the edge of the South Downs. Sitting […]