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, […]
26 May 2026
Photo by Jemima Whyles The owners and masters of two under-10 metre Cornish fishing vessels have been fined a total of £12,375 following prosecutions brought by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for exceeding their monthly pollack quota in Area 7. The cases were heard at Bodmin Magistrates Court on 19 May 2026. The Kerry Marie Berlewen […]
21 Apr 2026
Photo by Karl Hanssens Two developments this week have put Sussex’s marine conservation zones in the spotlight – one bringing new protections, the other raising fresh concerns about the integrity of a neighbouring site. Trawling ban takes effect off Beachy Head A new law banning trawling and scalloping in a zone of 101 square […]
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 […]
10 Mar 2026
Photo by M S Premier Marinas has applied for an interim one-year dredging licence for Brighton Marina after its previous ten-year permit was quashed last year following a successful legal challenge over the disposal of sediment within a Marine Conservation Zone. The application, submitted to the Marine Management Organisation on 6 March, opened a 28-day […]
03 Feb 2026
Photo by Fotogra The Marine Management Organisation has secured its second successful prosecution for breaches of Marine Protected Area byelaws, following a guilty plea at North Tyneside Magistrates Court relating to illegal fishing activity inside the Canyons Marine Conservation Zone. On 29 January 2026, Marcos Gonzales-Rivera, a Spanish national and master of the British-registered […]
26 Jan 2026
Photo by Max Shirko A prolonged data transmission failure affecting inshore vessel monitoring systems has left the Marine Management Organisation without live positional information from an unknown number of fishing vessels, five months after equipment supplier Succorfish stopped forwarding data amid an unresolved contract dispute. The issue, which began on 11 August 2025, continues […]
