29 Jul 2025
Photo by Ray Harrington The UK government has published a new policy paper detailing the principles for identifying and selecting compensatory Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a key step in balancing the country’s ambitious offshore wind targets with marine conservation goals. The policy, released on 24th July by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural […]
17 Jun 2025
Photo of Kaikoura, New Zealand, by Helen Stegney New Zealand, home to one of the world’s largest exclusive economic zones (EEZs), is under increasing pressure to enhance its marine conservation efforts. Despite its vast ocean territory, less than 1% is designated as highly protected, falling short of the nation’s commitment to protect 30% of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
22 Dec 2024
UK and Scottish Ministers have presented reports to the two Parliaments setting out progress and information on the Marine Protected Area network for Scotland, and English waters (inshore and offshore) and Northern Ireland offshore waters. This is a requirement under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA). Key facts […]
22 Oct 2024
The Azores Islands, part of Portugal, have approved the creation of the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the North Atlantic, covering nearly 287,000 square kilometres. The network, called the Azores Marine Protected Area (RAMPA), designates 15% of Azorean waters as fully protected and another 15% as highly protected, restricting or banning fishing and other […]
09 Apr 2024
Age matters when determining how to protect life in the ocean; every population needs a strong cohort of adults to produce the next generation. But many marine protected areas (MPAs) are falling short of their most basic purpose: to rebuild struggling fish populations. In a new study published in Global Change Biology, scientists looked at the age breakdown […]
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