05 May 2026
Photo by Todd Cravens A humpback whale that spent more than five weeks stranded in the shallow waters of Germany’s Baltic Sea coast has been released into the North Sea, after a privately funded rescue team loaded it onto a specially adapted barge and towed it hundreds of kilometres to deeper water. The whale, […]
26 Jan 2026
Photo by Yaopey Yong Ten European countries signed a declaration in Hamburg on Monday committing to deliver 100 gigawatts of offshore wind power through large-scale joint projects in the North Sea by 2050, in a move that underscores the continent’s ongoing commitment to renewable energy despite recent criticism from US President Donald Trump. The […]
26 Jan 2026
Photo by Low Angle The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion has published a comprehensive study examining the employment, skills and social implications of offshore renewable energy development in the European Union. The study, titled ‘Assessment of potential employment, skills and social implications of Offshore Renewable Energy development in the EU’, was released […]
09 Dec 2025
Photo by Anatol Rurac The German government has launched a €20 million support scheme to permanently reduce its North Sea fishing fleet, acknowledging sustained pressure from declining quotas, offshore wind expansion and marine protected areas. The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Homeland announced the programme will provide public funding to support vessel decommissioning, offering what it describes […]
04 Nov 2025
Photo by David Clode The European Union has introduced new rules to protect the Dogger Bank, an emblematic Natura 2000 site in the waters of Germany and the Netherlands, with a ban on mobile bottom-contacting fishing gear in specific areas coming into effect on 18 November 2025. Protection measures and objectives Starting 18th November 2025, fishing […]
12 Aug 2025
Photo by Engineered Solutions Historic auction failure signals crisis in German offshore wind policy Germany’s latest offshore wind auction ended in unprecedented failure, with the Federal Network Agency receiving no bids for two North Sea sites offering a combined capacity of 2.5 GW. The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) announced that no bids […]
27 May 2025
Image: EU flags at the European Commission by Guillaume Périgois The General Court of the European Union has ruled that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must be properly protected from fishing practices such as bottom trawling. New regulations had been adopted on 8th December 2022, providing stronger levels of protection. However, the German fishing association […]
19 Nov 2024
Friends of the Earth Germany, Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) filed a lawsuit against the German government to end bottom trawling, which is taking place in the Dogger Bank European Marine Protected Area. BUND – a member of Brussels-based marine NGO Seas At Risk, which is supporting the lawsuit – had already lodged an […]
