09 Dec 2025
Photo by Anatol Rurac The German government has launched a €20 million support scheme to permanently reduce its North Sea fishing fleet, acknowledging sustained pressure from declining quotas, offshore wind expansion and marine protected areas. The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Homeland announced the programme will provide public funding to support vessel decommissioning, offering what it describes […]
02 Dec 2025
Photo by Kilian Murphy The UK Government published its North Sea Future Plan on 26 November 2025, confirming an end to new exploration licences whilst introducing Transitional Energy Certificates allowing limited drilling adjacent to existing fields. The plan implements government manifesto commitments to manage existing fields for their lifespan and not issue new licences to explore new fields. […]
25 Nov 2025
Photo by Tanya Barrow The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on 11 proposed joint UK fisheries management plans for demersal fish stocks, marking a significant step in delivering sustainable management of Scotland’s valuable whitefish fisheries. The plans cover eleven different demersal fish stocks, species that live and feed on or near the […]
04 Nov 2025
Photo by David Clode The European Union has introduced new rules to protect the Dogger Bank, an emblematic Natura 2000 site in the waters of Germany and the Netherlands, with a ban on mobile bottom-contacting fishing gear in specific areas coming into effect on 18 November 2025. Protection measures and objectives Starting 18th November 2025, fishing […]
12 Aug 2025
Photo by Engineered Solutions Historic auction failure signals crisis in German offshore wind policy Germany’s latest offshore wind auction ended in unprecedented failure, with the Federal Network Agency receiving no bids for two North Sea sites offering a combined capacity of 2.5 GW. The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) announced that no bids […]
05 Aug 2025
Photo of Gannets on Bass Rock by Kristin Snippe The Scottish Government has approved one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, the Berwick Bank project, despite fierce opposition from conservation groups who warn it could drive vulnerable seabird species toward extinction. The 4.1 gigawatt development, located 23 miles off Scotland’s east coast in […]
07 Jul 2025
Photo of Oil and Gas Platform by Dean Brierley Increasing oil and gas production in the North Sea makes little difference to the UK’s energy import levels, according to Energy Minister Michael Shanks. Speaking to the Scottish Affairs Committee, Shanks said that most domestically produced fossil fuels are traded on global markets rather than […]
01 Apr 2025
A conservation group is challenging the UK government in a London court over dozens of North Sea oil and gas exploration licenses that it says could put marine protected areas and climate stability at risk. Oceana UK said licenses granted by the previous Conservative government in May 2024 were unlawful as they don’t account for […]
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