22 Sep 2026
Photo by Paul Einerhand A new report from Blue Marine Foundation argues that continued overfishing, rather than climate change or other external pressures, remains the dominant force behind the decline of the UK’s fish populations, and that the outcome is a political choice rather than an inevitability. Apocalypse Now: The True Cost of Overfishing, published in September […]
15 Sep 2026
Photo by Pete Godfrey The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has set out changes to how it supports habitat restoration projects, after gathering feedback from practitioners who told the regulator the marine licensing system can be difficult to navigate. In a blog post published on 2 September, Adam Tillotson, the MMO’s Regulatory Reform Unit Manager, said […]
15 Sep 2026
Photo by Wynand van Poortvliet Scientists and fishermen are working together to understand a resurgence in Atlantic bluefin tuna numbers that has transformed the species’ prospects in UK waters within a decade. Dr Lucy Hawkes, an ecology professor at the University of Exeter who leads the Thunnus UK tagging project, said the population had […]
08 Sep 2026
Photo by Tania la Vaullee The Government of Jersey has significantly expanded its Marine Protected Area (MPA) network, increasing the proportion of territorial waters protected from dredging and trawling from 6.5% to 21.7%, The Fishing Daily reported. The new rules, which took effect on 1 September, mean the area of sea protected from trawling and […]
11 Aug 2026
Photo by Paul Carroll Plans to establish large-scale salmon farming in the Falkland Islands have divided the archipelago’s 3,500-strong population, with opponents now calling for a referendum after losing confidence in a government consultation they say is skewed towards the industry. What’s being proposed Unity Marine, a joint venture between local fishing company Fortuna […]
14 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Adobe Stock The regulatory system in England and Wales is the primary obstacle to restoring marine habitats at scale, according to a new report from the Blue Marine Foundation. Coastal Comeback argues that a licensing regime designed to control industrial development is being applied, largely unchanged, to projects whose purpose is ecological recovery, and sets […]
23 Jun 2026
Photo by Thimo van Leeuwen Scottish Ministers have been both non-compliant with, and ineffective in implementing, their legal duties to protect and restore the seafloor, according to a new report published on 23 June by Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), the independent body that monitors environmental law in Scotland. The findings landed on the same day campaigners […]
02 Jun 2026
Photo by Hans Peter Traunig The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has allocated the 30 commercial licence authorisations for the 2026 bluefin tuna fishery following a ballot, after receiving 155 applications, more than five for every available place. The fishery, which is restricted to UK vessels of 12 metres and under using low-impact rod and reel gear, […]
