13 Feb 2025

Ofwat has announced details of the £400m Innovation Fund to spur water sector transformation in next five years.   Photo credit: Cottonbro Studio   There will be £400 million available to share between one main Water Breakthrough Challenge per year, and at least two Water Discovery Challenges across the five-year period. There will also be […]

11 Feb 2025

Microplastics are an incredibly widespread pollutant, found buried in Antarctic sea ice, inside the guts of marine animals inhabiting the deepest ocean trenches, and in drinking water around the world. More than 120 trillion microplastics (i.e. plastic particles under 5 mm) are estimated to have entered the global ocean.     In the ocean, microplastics […]

11 Feb 2025

There is an alarming disconnect between how young people recognise the ocean’s role in tackling climate change and the priority they think measures to help it should be given, according to a new survey. The study by ocean health initiative Back to Blue reveals the concerning gaps in ocean literacy levels among 18–24-year-olds in 35 […]

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 […]

11 Feb 2025

A team of international marine researchers and economists, led by Octavia Aburto at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, have unveiled a comprehensive framework for Marine Prosperity Areas, or MPpAs.   Marine Prosperity Areas encompass a more holistic approach to marine conservation, employing strategic financial investments and tailored community partnerships to align the realms […]

11 Feb 2025

Despite supply chain challenges and unfavourable economic headwinds, an annual update from RenewableUK confirms global operational offshore wind capacity has now topped 80GW, up 15% from last year. More than 60% of this growth was from just two markets: China (adding 6.9 GW) and the Netherlands (adding 1.7 GW).     China is still the […]

11 Feb 2025

 The newly-published EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend report found that the amount of marine macro litter (items bigger than 2.5 cm) in the EU coastline has dropped by 29 % between the baseline period (2015-2016) and the assessment period (2020-2021). While the largest reduction in terms of percentages is seen at the Baltic Sea (45%), […]