16 Jun 2026

Photo by Owen Wei   The UK and Japan have agreed a landmark Offshore Wind Compact worth up to £9 billion, unlocking Japanese investment into floating offshore wind projects and cementing the UK’s position as Japan’s leading clean energy partner in Europe. The agreement was signed by Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Sanae Takaichi at Downing […]

16 Jun 2026

 Photo by Jack White   Over 10,000 seabirds, more than 1,000 dolphins and porpoises, approximately 500 seals, over 120 tonnes of protected sharks, skates and rays, and more than 1,000 endangered Atlantic salmon are being killed as bycatch in UK waters every year. Those are the headline findings of Hidden in the haul: The true scale […]

16 Jun 2026

Photo by Dear Sunflower   A dramatic surge in common octopus populations off the south-west coast of England has spread as far as Scotland and Wales, with sightings now reported across a range of coastal sites that would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago. New findings from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) confirm that […]

16 Jun 2026

Photo by Kevin Krüger   Bass Rock and its neighbouring island of Craigleith in the Firth of Forth have been acquired by RSPB Scotland, marking the first time in more than three centuries that these celebrated seabird sanctuaries have been held in charitable ownership. The purchase, supported by £586,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, brings […]

16 Jun 2026

Photo by Smithsonian   Ocean productivity across large parts of the north-east Atlantic has been declining steadily for two decades, according to a new study by scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) published in Frontiers in Remote Sensing. The findings raise significant concerns about the future health of marine food webs, fisheries and the ocean’s capacity to absorb […]

16 Jun 2026

Photo by Leticia Golubov   The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is urging eligible English fishermen to register promptly for replacement inshore vessel monitoring system (I-VMS) devices, as the roll-out moves into its next phase. Owners of under-12 metre English fishing vessels currently fitted with Succorfish SC2 devices will be able to register for a Nemo device supplied […]

16 Jun 2026

Photo credit: Nicola / Adobe Stock The Caribbean island of Montserrat has joined the Blue Belt Programme, the UK Government’s flagship international marine conservation initiative, making it the eleventh UK Overseas Territory to enter the scheme and the fourth from the Caribbean. The announcement was made on 8 June, World Ocean Day, as the programme also marked its tenth anniversary. Known as the “Emerald Isle […]

09 Jun 2026

Photo: Shanemyersphoto / Adobe Stock   A deepening crisis The third UN World Ocean Assessment, launched on World Ocean Day (8 June 2026), warns that the world’s oceans face a deepening crisis driven by climate change, pollution, overfishing and biodiversity loss. Compiled over five years by approximately 600 experts from 86 countries, the 1,352-page assessment is the only […]