UK government to ban eel exports to Russia: The UK government has banned the export of endangered eels from British estuaries to Russia following public outcry and a petition signed by over 55,000 people. Previously, a tonne of glass eels, equating to around three million individual baby eels, could be exported each year, and plans were in place to increase this to five tons. However, this has now been prevented from happening and all eel exports to Russia will be stopped. A spokesperson from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told the Guardian: “This application for the export of glass eels has been refused over concerns of significant risks of illegal trading compounded by the current situation in Russia.” Andrew Kerr, the chair of the Sustainable Eel Group, supported the decision, saying that the surplus of glass eels could now be used for restocking rivers in England and Wales and said that the future focus should be on conservation and restocking programs within the UK. Peter Wood of UK Glass Eels, who would have overseen the export of the eels to Kaliningrad in Russia, said the decision to ban eel exports was “devastating” and added “All my team are going to lose their jobs. This will be hundreds of years of heritage and culture gone.” Recent years have seen programmes to aid eel populations, barriers such as weirs and dams being removed or fish passes constructed to allow eels to migrate up rivers. Another effective approach is relocating glass eels from estuaries to suitable habitats upriver to ensure their growth and eventual migration. However, European silver eels remain a Critically Endangered species. Read more here.
Fishing noise dispute in Norfolk village: The seaside village of Sea Palling in Norfolk is embroiled in a dispute between locals and newcomers over noise generated by its centuries-old fishing industry. Owners of holiday lets and second homes have complained that the activities at the yard where fishermen store their boats and equipment are disrupting the peace. The fishermen and long-term residents contend that the work is essential for preserving the area’s tradition of commercial fishing and argue that newcomers should not have bought properties nearby if they wanted tranquillity. When tides and weather allow, fishermen use tractors to tow their vessels onto the beach. However, second home owners claim that larger boats and heavier machinery are now used, increasing noise levels way beyond that produced by traditional fishing. North Norfolk District Council has backed the second home owners and threatened to take action to limit fishing activities in the area. But long-term residents argue that the influx of outsiders has led to a housing shortage, inflated property prices, and turned communities into ghost towns during off-season periods when holidaymakers leave. Newcomers argue their investments are crucial for supporting local businesses and tradespeople. Despite the council’s stance, the parish council supports the fishermen, defending actions by stating that the fishing industry in Sea Palling is the only local fleet along the North Norfolk coast. Read more by clicking here.
Blue Marine Foundation brings case against Defra: Campaigners gathered outside the High Court in London this week where the marine conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation brought a case challenging the government’s decision to ignore scientific advice when setting post-Brexit catch limits. It was argued that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s management of fish populations was unsustainable. Charles Clover, the co-founder of Blue Marine Foundation, was quoted in the Guardian as saying: “By continuing to allow exploitation above sustainable limits for so many species, the government is not only putting fish populations at risk but everything that relies on them, including the marine ecosystems and the fishing industry itself.” The case against Defra centred on fishing quotas and catch limits for the year 2024, determined by the previous government in December 2023. It took a year for the case to come to court. Each year, the UK, EU, and Norway negotiate catch limits for shared commercial fish species for the upcoming twelve months, advised by an independent scientific body on sustainable practices. In December 2023, the agreement resulted in quotas for 54 per cent of fish populations being allocated above scientific advice. As Charles Clover pointed out, “I am not sure the public knows that what has been going on is that one stock after another is allowed to be caught above scientific advice year after year to keep the fleet fishing instead of taking appropriate conservation measures. We cannot believe that is consistent with the law.” Defra denied acting irresponsibly and stated it had considered “all relevant factors” when setting the quotas. In a written submission, Ned Westaway, representing Defra, argued that the claim should be dismissed because it was “premised on a misunderstanding” and “ignores the wider international and regulatory context for the determination of fishing opportunities.” The date for the outcome of the case is not currently known. Click here to read more.
Action urged over commercial bycatch video: Scottish environmentalists are urging action to be taken to protect marine life following the release of a video to Sky News depicting the alleged unlawful disposal of wasteful bycatch. The footage reveals the seabed covered with thousands of dead fish, including endangered flapper skate, as well as shellfish, highlighting the environmental impact of seabed trawling. This type of trawling sees vast nets dragged over the seabed, meaning a wide range of species, including non-target species, are swept up into the net. Any species that are not wanted due to having low commercial value or the vessel having no quota for them and discarded back into the sea. Bycatch is a particular problem when trawling for prawns (which are then sold as scampi) due to the small mesh of the nets used. In the video, a flapper skate can be seen with its tail bound by a rope. Flapper skates, along with skates and rays, must be released immediately if caught accidentally, according to legal requirements. However, Nick Underdown of the charity Open Seas pointed out that this rule was clearly violated in the video, as evidenced by the rope tied around the flapper skate’s tail. Underdown emphasised that the wasteful bycatch of various species, often discarded at sea, is concealed from public view. He urged the Scottish government and supermarkets to take substantial action to address the issue. He criticised the scampi industry and supermarkets for profiting from products labeled “responsibly sourced” while neglecting to resolve the underlying problem. Underdown went on the call for the Scottish government to prioritise the reinstatement of limits on seabed trawling in coastal areas and to highlight areas which needed special protection from trawling. Read more by clicking here.
Sperm whale caught in ropes washed up on Scottish island: A fifteen-metre-long sperm whale, entangled in ropes, washed up dead on the island of Raasay this month. The whale had previously been spotted off Skye. Volunteers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) freed it from several ropes but couldn’t remove all of them and the whale was later found with a rope wrapped around its mouth, preventing it from feeding and likely causing malnutrition. Sperm whales, which dive deep to prey on large squid, can get entangled in lost or abandoned ropes and nets from commercial fishing operations. Previous incidents include a sperm whale found dead on the Isle of Harris in 2019 with a 100-kilogram (220lb) “litter ball” made up of ropes, plastic cups, and packaging in its stomach, and a humpback whale was found dead on a beach in Thurso in Caithness in 2019. This whale was also entangled in fishing gear, which was traced back to a fisherman in Canada, meaning the whale may have dragged it for thousands of miles across the Atlantic. Such incidents highlight the dangers of marine debris and abandoned fishing equipment to all marine life, but especially large marine mammals such as whales. Read more on the BBC News website by clicking here.
Supertrawlers continue to operate in UK MPAs: A Greenpeace UK investigation has revealed that supertrawlers continue to fish in the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) despite the government possessing the power to stop them. Between January 2020 and January 2025, twenty-six supertrawlers, mainly foreign-flagged and selling most of their catch overseas, spent approximately 37,000 hours fishing in forty-four of the UK’s offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Each vessel spent about 7,380 hours in these protected areas over the course of a year. The supertrawler spending the most time in UK waters was flagged to the Netherlands, with others coming from Lithuania, Germany and the Netherlands. Supertrawlers, generally classed as those which are over 100 metres in length, use enormous nets to catch species which swim in mid-water such as herring, mackerel and blue whiting. However, this inevitably results in significant non-target bycatch such as dolphins, seals, rays, and sharks being caught. Despite having the power post-Brexit to ban supertrawlers from UK waters, the government has yet to enforce such a ban. Read more here.
Study finds littler at deepest point of Mediterranean: A groundbreaking study has found one of the highest concentrations of deep-sea litter ever detected at the Calypso Deep, the deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers from the University of Barcelona discovered plastic, glass, metal, and paper waste at the bottom of the 5,112-meter (16,700 ft) depression in the Ionian Sea, about 37 miles (60 km) west of Greece’s Peloponnese coast. The study, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, revealed that plastic accounted for nearly 90 per cent of the litter material. The litter abundance in the Calypso Deep, with 26,715 items per square kilometre, is among the highest recorded in a deep-sea environment. The research emphasised the urgent need for global policies to reduce marine waste and encourage changes in human consumption habits. Dr Miquel Canals highlighted that the debris was likely carried by ocean currents and direct dumping by boats, and stressed the impact on marine organisms from ingesting and interacting with the debris. Read more on the Independent website by clicking here.
Seal wrestles with eel: A seal has been filmed ‘wrestling’ with a large eel off the coast of Dorset. Dr Jeremy Rowe, a biology teacher, filmed the seal after spotting it on the surface of Portland Bill. He said that the seal was unable to immediately kill the eel, which appeared to be around 1.5 metres (5ft) in length, meaning the two creatures appeared to be wrestling. Read more here.