24 Feb 2026
Photo by Jay Alexander New data from a national survey of British coastal waters has found average microplastic concentrations of 59 particles per cubic metre of seawater, more than double the levels recorded in comparable surveys in 2022 and 2023, which found averages of 23 and 20 MP/m³ respectively. The highest single reading, 418 […]
24 Feb 2026
Photo by Ekaterina Boltaga A major new report from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has identified critical gaps in scientific understanding of the ocean’s carbon cycle that could be significantly undermining global climate predictions and the policies built upon them. The Integrated Ocean Carbon Research Report, prepared by 72 authors across 23 countries, reveals […]
17 Feb 2026
Photo by Yilei (Jerry) Bao President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on 6 February reopening the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean, to commercial fishing, reversing protections restored by President Biden in 2021. The monument, designated by President Obama in 2016, covers 4,913 square miles […]
17 Feb 2026
Now officially open for contributions, MARINE Fund Cymru establishes a strategic framework for sustained investment dedicated to the ecological restoration and long-term resilience of the Wales’s seas and coast MARINE Fund Cymru to provide new route for long-term investment in the restoration and resilience of Wales’s marine and coastal environment. The fund was launched at […]
17 Feb 2026
Photo by Kat The UK government has opened consultations on the final four fisheries management plans (FMPs) required under the 2020 Fisheries Act, completing Defra’s programme to establish management frameworks for England’s key commercial stocks. The four proposed FMPs cover Celtic Sea and Western Channel demersal fisheries, Celtic Sea and Western Channel pelagic stocks, the wrasses complex, and seabream. All […]
17 Feb 2026
Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya Scotland will become the last of the four UK nations to ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic, with new regulations published by the Scottish Government setting an enforcement date of 11 August 2027. The move follows a UK-wide consultation in 2023, in which over 93% of respondents supported […]
17 Feb 2026
Photo by Chris Pagan Commercial shipping in the Baltic Sea is causing significantly greater physical disturbance to the seabed than previously recognised, according to new research published in Nature Communications. The study reveals that wake turbulence from large vessels is disrupting water stratification and causing seabed erosion of up to 1.5 metres over a decade in […]
17 Feb 2026
Photo by Silas Baisch The UK has moved a significant step closer to ratifying the landmark High Seas Treaty after the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Bill received royal assent on 12 February, becoming an Act of Parliament. However, the government confirmed that additional secondary legislation is still required before full ratification can be achieved. The […]
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