10 Jun 2025
Photo: Fishing boat by Paul Einerhand The UK Government has announced a major proposal to ban bottom trawling in 41 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across English waters. If implemented, it would expand existing ban on bottom trawling from 18,000 km² to 30,000 km², of the UK’s offshore areas, covering nearly a quarter of the […]
03 Jun 2025
Image: Fishing boat at the harbour – Paul Einerhand A new report claims that the marine insurance industry is enabling illegal and environmentally destructive behaviour in the fishing sector by insuring vessels that deliberately disable their tracking systems — a practice known as “going dark.” In 2023, Blue Marine investigators revealed how industrial fishing […]
27 May 2025
Image: EU flags at the European Commission by Guillaume Périgois The General Court of the European Union has ruled that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must be properly protected from fishing practices such as bottom trawling. New regulations had been adopted on 8th December 2022, providing stronger levels of protection. However, the German fishing association […]
27 May 2025
Image: Bluefin Tuna in Torbay, Devon by Ray Harrington Angus Campbell, a fisher based on the Isle of Harris, the Outer Hebrides, has secured one of only 15 licences, which allows him to land 3 tonnes of tuna this season. Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) have returned to UK waters after being absent […]
27 May 2025
Image: Fishing boats by John Mark Strange The number of octopus are increasing in the south-west, and fishers are feeling the impact. Instead of hauling up pots with crabs, lobsters and other shellfish, fishers are finding octopus and empty shells instead. Plymouth crab fisherman Brian Tapper described the situation: “The octopus are ruining us… […]
27 May 2025
Image: Fishing boat by Michel Stockman A new report from marine conservation organisation Oceana claims that bottom trawling continues to pose a serious threat to the UK’s offshore marine protected areas (MPAs), with over 20,000 hours of suspected activity recorded in 2024 alone. The report, titled The Trawled Truth, estimates that the suspected trawling would […]
20 May 2025
Late Monday night, negotiations between the UK and the EU – covering trade, defence and fishing, came to a dramatic close, as the UK agreed to allow EU vessels continued access to UK waters until 2038. Reaction to the deal on fishing revealed highly differing views. The UK Government stressed that the agreement maintains […]
13 May 2025
Launched in cinemas across the globe on May 8th, the documentary film ‘Ocean’ from Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios was released to coincide with David Attenborough’s 99th birthday. The film, narrated by the veteran broadcaster, will be available globally on some streaming services from June 8th. The film’s release has highlighted the visually stunning […]
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