18 Aug 2026
Photo of Maunsell Forts in the Thames Estuary, by James Boreham UK waters have been gripped by a marine heatwave since February, with the southern half of the country still experiencing category I-III conditions in mid-August and pockets of the Dorset coast reaching category IV, “Extreme,” the most severe classification on the scale. Scientists […]
11 Aug 2026
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel Global sea surface temperatures reached their highest level ever recorded for the month of July, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), as a prolonged marine heatwave around the UK edges towards rare “extreme” territory and much of England and Wales is declared officially in drought. […]
06 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Matt Hardy The marine heatwave that has gripped UK waters for much of 2026 could reach extreme levels this week, the Met Office has warned. Surface waters around north-west Europe are running at strong to locally severe conditions, reaching temperatures normally seen in August and averaging around 2°C above normal, with some offshore […]
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 […]
20 Jan 2026
Photo by Hugh Whyte Vast areas of the Caribbean’s deep waters are being mapped and studied for the first time as part of a UK-led science expedition that could uncover new species. The Beyond the Reef expedition is part of the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme, which supports UK Overseas Territories in the protection of over […]
01 Jul 2025
New research led by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) has revealed how climate change will reshape the UK’s marine environment, with some species gaining suitable habitat while others face significant decline. The study examines how climate change will affect 19 threatened or declining UK marine species — from basking sharks to […]
21 May 2024
A new report sheds light on the future impacts of climate change on marine species across the United Kingdom. Focussing on 21 marine species listed as ‘threatened’ or ‘declining’, ranging from sharks and rays to seahorses and oysters, predictive models were used to forecast the impacts of climate change on ‘habitat suitability’. Factors such as […]
16 Apr 2024
Two reports have been released from the UK government which outline the economic and sustainability outcomes of the annual negotiations for UK fishing opportunities. The ‘Assessing the sustainability of fisheries catch limits negotiated by the UK for 2024’ report from the government’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) details the assessment of negotiated […]
