01 May 2025
Image description: Aerial shot of water treatment centre. Image by Tom Fisk. Unprecedented challenges facing UK water sector A critical new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) audits the three water regulators (Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate) and Defra, which sets policies for the water sector. It examines their effectiveness […]
01 Apr 2025
The UK government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) intends to establish a Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) for use by relevant offshore wind activity across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Once operational, it will be a voluntary mechanism that organisations undertaking relevant offshore wind activities (such as developers or plan promoters) can pay […]
18 Mar 2025
The UK fishing industry will receive over 2,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities in Faroese waters, following annual negotiations with the Faroe Islands for 2025, the UK government has announced. Based on historical prices, those are valued at £5 million to the UK. The agreement secures UK fishermen 880 tonnes of cod and haddock, 575 tonnes of saithe, […]
11 Mar 2025
As a new Crown Estate Act moves ever closer to becoming a reality, the final Parliamentary debates and readings of the Bill threw up discussions focussing on marine planning, devolution and community benefits. Final amendments to the Bill – which aims to modernise the management and investment powers of the Crown Estate and give broader […]
11 Mar 2025
The UK Government went against scientific advice when it set maximum fishing quotas for 2024, risking the sustainability of stocks and the livelihoods of fishers, the High Court has heard. Blue Marine Foundation is bringing legal action against Defra, saying it acted contrary to its commitments to protect the UK’s marine environment and fishing industry. The case against […]
25 Feb 2025
The dispute over sandeel fishing in the North Sea marks the first time the UK and EU have been to court since Brexit in 2020. The outcome of the case could be hugely significant for seabird populations along the east coast and for UK-EU trade relations. A tribunal under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) […]
25 Jan 2025
The government has ordered offshore energy firms to avoid “noisy” detonations when disposing of unexploded bombs on the seabed. Over 300,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance from the First and Second World Wars sit on the UK seabed and, if encountered, must be cleared during the construction of offshore wind projects. Marine minister Emma Hardy said […]
25 Jan 2025
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament has launched the next of its thematic inquiries, on fisheries and the marine environment. MPs will delve into the challenges facing the fishing sector, including access to labour and competing spatial pressures on the marine environment. The inquiry will see the Committee scrutinise the […]
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