11 Mar 2025
Five Belgian fishing companies and their vessel masters have been successfully prosecuted for serious breaches of fisheries legislation in Welsh waters, marking the latest success in Welsh Government’s crackdown on illegal fishing activities. The prosecutions relate to the misreporting of Dover Sole catches between quota areas during 2022 and 2023. These cases form part of […]
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 […]
04 Mar 2025
The Scottish Government has commissioned a report scoping potential scenarios for the blue economy up to 2045, highlighting significant risks and opportunities. The report identified four possible futures: End of the Rainbow, Winner Takes it All, Status Woe, and Live Fast, Die Young. Stakeholders that fed into the report agreed Scotland must pursue […]
25 Feb 2025
A group of twenty scientists have written to the Secretary of State, Steve Reed MP, to urge the UK government to ban the use of bottom-towed fishing gear within marine protected areas (MPAs) on a whole-site basis. The academics say in their letter that ‘while the UK has designated more than 30% of […]
18 Feb 2025
A major new study recognises the achievements and challenges in the delivery of regional co-management of England’s inshore seas. ‘The Conversations with the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA)’ project interviewed over seventy IFCA staff and authority members during 2023/24 to capture their reflections on how IFCAs are doing. One of the biggest changes IFCAs […]
18 Feb 2025
Sales of Scottish salmon to other countries totalled £844 million last year, according to statistics released by the UK Government. These export numbers show a dramatic increase of 45% compared to last year and smashed the previous record set in 2019 at £618 million. This year Scottish salmon was exported to 48 countries and remains […]
11 Feb 2025
The Scottish Government’s call for evidence on Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement (IFMI), scheduled for discussion on 5 February, was criticised by a coalition of eNGO’s as reversing progress toward achieving sustainable inshore fisheries management. The IFMI programme was developed in 2024 in response to concerns over crab and lobster stock availability. In an […]
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