27 May 2025

  Sea temperatures around the UK and Ireland have risen over the past week, with some regions now measuring up to 4°C above average — a spike that could impact marine ecosystems and swimmers alike. Dr Ségolène Berthou at the Met Office explained that “marine heatwaves in UK waters usually last around two to four […]

27 May 2025

Image: The Statue of Liberty by Stephen Tafra   Empire Windfarm has been given the go-ahead after a u-turn by the Trump administration. Only last month, 16th April, President Trump issued a stop-work order on Empire Wind, a USD 5 billion project to build a wind farm off the coast of New York. At the […]

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: Brighton Marina by Being Momentx   The MMO has been heavily criticised for renewing a licence for the Brighton marina to dispose of sediment, in Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone. While the marina needs to be dredged to allow vessels to access the marina, there are fears that the sediment is smothering marine […]

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 […]

27 May 2025

North West Marine Ecosystems (NWME) conference Reporting Annual Change at a Regional Scale & Building Social Capital Photo credit: Emily Baxter 30 June 2025, Lancaster 10:00 – 17:00 Buy your ticket here! Join us at North West Marine Ecosystems (NWME) Conference 2025! Join us at the inaugural North West Marine Ecosystems (NWME) Conference! NWME will […]