16 Sep 2025

Photo by Christian Paul   The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) long-awaited agreement aimed at curbing harmful fisheries subsidies has entered into force. The deal — struck after more than two decades of negotiation — prohibits subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as those supporting fishing in overfished stocks. At a special […]

16 Sep 2025

Photo by Vincent Guth   Ireland has unveiled a National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) to guide the country’s offshore wind development, mapping out suitable zones for fixed-bottom, floating, and floating demonstration projects. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said the framework is designed to give “greater certainty for developers and marine users,” helping the […]

05 Aug 2025

Photo by SpaceX   Groundbreaking research using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence has provided the first comprehensive evidence that strictly protected marine reserves successfully deter illegal fishing, offering new hope for ocean conservation efforts worldwide. The peer-reviewed study published in Science analysed 1,380 marine protected areas (MPAs) globally and found that 78.5% had no commercial […]

22 Jul 2025

Photo by Julie Aagaard   Fishermen in the Celtic Sea are raising urgent concerns over the future of their queenie fishery, warning that two proposed offshore wind farms could trigger its complete collapse. As reported by Fishing News, the floating wind projects—part of the UK’s Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5—are poised to disrupt key fishing grounds […]

01 Jun 2020

Marine and coastal environments provide extensive and essential ecosystem services upon which much of humanity relies, yet the incorporation of human dimensions into marine and coastal policy and management has historically been lacking. As efforts to address the substantial and diverse challenges facing marine and coastal environments continue, recent years have seen a growing call […]

05 Apr 2019

Perspectives on marine policy and management in the UK: An online survey An online survey is being conducted to collect views on marine policy and management practice in the UK – aimed at marine stakeholders, academics and policy-makers. The survey will feed into PhD research being carried out by a student at the University of […]