Does biodiversity-focused protection of the seabed deliver carbon benefits? A U.K. case study Researchers have found that by using recent data on UK seabed sediment carbon and mobile bottom fishing, the current UK Marine Protected Area network is likely to offer limited carbon benefit, even if fully protected. Dr Graham Epstein of the University of […]
A new survey has revealed the overwhelming value the public feel the marine environment offers to their mental and physical health. However, around half of the 12,000 people surveyed also expressed concern, with over 80% of those taking part saying how crucial it is to protect the ocean. Almost 70% of people see marine litter […]
There is strong support for more legal protection for Irish waters according to a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations and networks. Fair Seas has revealed details of its survey conducted to learn about the connection Irish people have with the sea. The research shows that 31% of people believe that Irish seas are […]
A huge marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean has led to the recovery of tuna and other migratory fish around its borders. Carefully placed no-fishing zones can help to restore tunas and other large, iconic fish species, according to a study published in Science. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii is almost four times […]
Following advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the EU Commission closed 87 sensitive marine areas in EU waters to bottom fishing. The closed areas amount to 16,000 km2of EU waters, of which nearly 9,000 km2 are within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Thanks to the Deep-Sea Access Regulation, waters below […]
An expert led ‘Biodiversity Deep Dive’- commissioned by Welsh Government to assess how nature recovery across land and sea can best be accelerated – has set out its recommendations. The recommendations centre around the United Nation’s ’30 by 30’ goal, which aims to protect and effectively manage 30% of the planet’s marine and […]
More than 200 scientists have signed a statement calling for the prohibition of bottom trawling, and other industrial activities, in the EU’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The statement was led by Enric Sala, of National Geographic Pristine Seas, and the press statement follows here: September 12, 2022 – More than 200 scientists have signed a statement calling for […]
New research has been published in Marine Policy which assessed the extent to which the fishing activity of vessels using bottom-contacting mobile gears (trawls, dredges and demersal seines) were impacted by the construction of 12 offshore windfarms in the UK EEZ. The paper, ‘Windfarms, fishing and benthic recovery: Overlaps, risks and opportunities’, by Frith Dunkley and Jean-Luc […]