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, […]
28 Apr 2026
Photo by Nick Fewings The UK government must develop a strategic framework for managing competing demands on its coastal and offshore waters, a cross-party parliamentary committee has concluded, warning that fishing communities have lost confidence in the department responsible for supporting them. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee published its report, Resetting the relationship […]
28 Apr 2026
Photo by Roman Manshin A major new report has concluded that the UK’s whales, dolphins and porpoises are being let down by legal protections that exist on paper but not in practice, with the North Sea, one of the most important cetacean habitats in UK waters, identified as a particular area of concern. The […]
14 Apr 2026
Photo by Leon Bredella England’s fishing industry, seafood businesses and coastal communities can now apply for grants through a relaunched Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS), backed by £132 million from the government’s Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund over the next five years. The announcement was made on 13 April by Fisheries Minister Dame Angela Eagle, with the […]
14 Apr 2026
Image description: A puffin with fish in its beak. Photo by Tim Morgan Defra published its updated UK Marine Strategy Part One on 7 April 2026 – the first full update since 2019 and the opening of the strategy’s third six-year implementation cycle. The headline finding is stark: the UK is failing to meet Good Environmental Status in […]
09 Apr 2026
Body of water between grasses, Arundel UK. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash £90 million pledged to safeguard England’s wildlife Ministers have announced a new £90 million government funding package for species recovery in England, which the government says is the largest ever Government investment in threatened species recovery. More than double the previous round […]
07 Apr 2026
Photo Richard Bell Almost 40% of England’s seas are designated as marine protected areas. Their stated purpose, according to the government, is to protect and recover rare, threatened and important marine ecosystems from damage caused by human activities. Yet in the four years to 2024, trawlers using vast nets, including those that scour the […]
05 Mar 2026
Image description: Corby Bridge, also known as Wetheral Viaduct, which carries the Newcastle–Carlisle railway. Photo by Ian Cylkowski on Unsplash The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) review on the implementation of laws for terrestrial and freshwater protected sites in England has now received an official response from the UK Government. The government’s key commitments The government welcomed the OEP’s […]
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