04 Aug 2026
Photo by Ben Elliott The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has launched a push to improve public understanding of the legal protections around Britain’s two native seahorse species, warning divers, snorkellers and film crews that intentionally disturbing them without a licence could result in enforcement action. Both the spiny or long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) and […]
28 Apr 2026
Photo by Christian Paul Stobbe A landmark study published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries has produced the first global inventory of fish species caught by bottom trawl fisheries — and the scale is striking. Researchers at the University of British Columbia documented nearly 3,000 species of marine fish caught by bottom trawls, drawn from 236 sources […]
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 […]
02 Dec 2025
Photo by Benjamin L. Jones The Marine Management Organisation has published comprehensive guidance on seagrass protection and recovery, highlighting the importance of this marine habitat which has declined by over 40% in the UK since the 1930s. The guidance provides information on UK seagrass, the value of this underwater flowering plant, and the MMO’s role in […]
02 Sep 2025
Photo by Being Momentx Sussex Wildlife Trust has launched a judicial review challenging the Marine Management Organisation’s decision to allow Brighton Marina to dump 100,000 tonnes of dredged sediment annually in a protected marine area for the next decade. Protected area “in name only” The charity argues the decision exposes “inadequate protection given to […]
13 Dec 2022
A review of Studland Bay’s voluntary no anchor zone (VNAZ) is being conducted by Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The VNAZ was introduced in 2021 to protect the seagrass beds, and the animals it is home to, from damage from the dropping and weighing of anchors. This review will reflect on the first year of the […]
21 Sep 2021
The MMO is introducing the Studland Bay Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Habitat Protection Strategy. This strategy will protect the designated features of the MCZ and ensure that marine activities can continue in a sustainable way. The strategy includes a voluntary no anchor zone which will be introduced to protect the seagrass habitat and the species that […]
14 Apr 2020
Natural England has published nine new draft Conservation Advice packages to enable developers and operators to understand the impact of their proposed development on habitats and species in protected sites across England. These new packages of online advice, now available on the Natural England’s Designated Site System, cover sites which are home to England’s seahorses, black […]
