Sea Fishing News

Read all of the latest news about angling, commercial fishing, conservation and other issues relating to the marine environment from the UK and beyond.

January 2026 News

Japanese annual tuna auction reaches record price: A huge bluefin tuna has set a new record at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, selling for ¥510.3 million (£2.4m) at the first auction of the year. The 535lb (243kg) fish was bought on Monday morning by Kiyomura Corp, which operates the popular Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain in Japan and overseas. The buyer was Kiyoshi Kimura, the company’s president, who is a regular and high-profile participant in the annual New Year tuna auction. Often nicknamed the “Tuna King”, Kimura is known for placing eye-catching bids on premium bluefin tuna, a tradition he says brings good fortune for the year ahead. Speaking after the auction, he admitted he was surprised by how quickly the price rose. Kimura has repeatedly made headlines at Toyosu and its predecessor, the Tsukiji market, by setting record prices. He paid ¥56.5 million for a bluefin tuna in 2012 and ¥155 million the following year. In 2019, he broke records again with a ¥333.6 million purchase, a figure that this latest bid has now surpassed. The first auction of the year is famous for its inflated prices, fuelled by tradition, publicity and competition among buyers. Last year’s top tuna sold for ¥207 million and was bought by another major sushi chain. Shortly after Monday’s sale, the record-breaking tuna was prepared and served to customers at Sushi Zanmai restaurants. Read more here.

Seabed trawling continues in Scottish waters despite protection promises: Concerns are growing over the effectiveness of marine protection in Scotland as destructive fishing practices continue within many of the nation’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Although 37 per centmore than one third of Scotland’s seas are formally protected, environmental groups say only a small proportion of these areas have management measures in place. Seabed trawling and scallop dredging – industrial methods that drag heavy gear across the seabed – are still permitted in around 95 per cent of Scotland’s coastal waters, including many MPAs. These practices are widely criticised for damaging fragile marine habitats, disrupting ecosystems and releasing carbon stored in seabed sediments. Seabed trawling also burns significantly more fuel than other fishing methods and generates high levels of discarded bycatch, most of which does not survive. The issue extends beyond Scotland. A 2024 report by the Marine Conservation Society and Oceana found that 90 per cent of protected marine sites across seven European countries experienced seabed trawling between 2015 and 2023, amounting to 4.4 million hours of activity within areas set aside for conservation. Scientists warn that habitat degradation reduces breeding and nursery areas for fish, with knock-on effects throughout the food chain. A 2023 analysis estimated that banning seabed trawling in UK offshore protected areas could deliver economic benefits of up to £3.5bn over twenty years through improved carbon storage, ecosystem services and recreation. The Scottish government has delayed a planned consultation on fisheries management in coastal protected areas, citing logistical challenges, but says further restrictions are expected as it works towards meeting international conservation targets by 2030. Read more by clicking here.

Octopus blooms increasingly likely in UK waters: Octopuses are becoming a more familiar presence in British waters, according to new research documenting a dramatic population surge in 2025. Scientists say the rise is closely linked to unusually warm seas, which have encouraged the common octopus to expand its range northwards from southern Europe to the south-west coast of England. A report by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) described a “major population bloom” last year leading to commercial landings of common octopus being almost sixty-five times higher than recent annual averages. Researchers analysed fishing records and scientific surveys to confirm the scale of the increase. They found that sea temperatures in the south-west reached up to 4 degrees centigrade above normal, leading to exceptionally favourable conditions for octopus breeding and survival. Lower salinity and persistent easterly winds also appear to have helped larvae drift from northern France and the Channel Islands, while modelling suggests blooms in Guernsey in 2024 may have contributed to the UK surge. The findings have sparked concern within parts of the fishing industry. Octopuses are voracious predators of crabs, lobsters, and scallops, and around two-thirds of fishermen surveyed reported negative impacts. Official figures suggest catches of these shellfish species have fallen by 30 to 50 per cent, prompting some fishers to leave the industry or invest in new gear to target octopuses instead. While octopus can fetch around £7 per kilo, many worry about the long-term health of shellfish stocks. Researchers say further blooms are possible and believe the common octopus may now be a permanent, rather than occasional, resident of UK waters. Read more by clicking here.

UK urged to sign high seas treaty: The UK is being urged to ratify the United Nations high seas treaty amid warnings that delays in parliament could see Britain excluded from a major global oceans summit later this year. The treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, comes into force on Saturday after more than twenty years of negotiations. While the UK has officially signed the agreement, the legal process needed to ratify it has not been completed, meaning it is not currently among the countries that have fully adopted the treaty into law. In a letter to the foreign secretary, the leaders of eighteen UK environmental charities criticised what they described as the “glacial pace” of progress through parliament. They warned that unless the legislation is passed and formally lodged with the UN at least thirty days before the first Ocean Cop summit – expected as early as August – the UK could be barred from attending. “While the world celebrates this milestone, the UK risks missing out,” the letter said, noting that more than eighty countries, including China, France and Japan, have already ratified the treaty. The charities said exclusion would represent a serious failure of international leadership on ocean protection. The high seas make up nearly half of the Earth’s surface but have until now lacked a comprehensive legal framework for protecting wildlife. The treaty introduces mechanisms to create marine protected areas in international waters and sets rules for the sustainable use of ocean resources. A Foreign Office spokesperson said the government remained committed to ratifying the treaty “as quickly as possible” through the parliamentary process. Click here to read more.

Scheme to help migrating salmon starts to show success: More than 1,000 tonnes of gravel has been added to the River Teign over the past decade as part of a long-running effort to help revive struggling Atlantic salmon populations. The project, led by South West Water (SWW) in partnership with the Westcountry Rivers Trust, has been underway since 2015 and focuses on restoring salmon and trout spawning habitats downstream of Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor. Dams and reservoirs interrupt the natural movement of sediment along rivers, depriving fish of the gravel beds they need to reproduce. Olivia Cresswell, head of fisheries and ecology at the Westcountry Rivers Trust, said the work had helped recreate riverbed conditions similar to those that existed before the reservoir was built. Salmon and trout lay their eggs in nests, known as redds, dug into clean gravel, and early signs suggest the restored habitat is already being used. Fish have been recorded travelling further upstream than in recent years. SWW said the Fernworthy Reservoir is critical to maintaining water supplies across Devon and Cornwall, a region that relies heavily on rivers rather than groundwater. However, the company acknowledged that the reservoir disrupts both water and sediment flows, limiting access to historic spawning grounds upstream. Dr Georgina Samoluk, fisheries and biodiversity adviser at SWW, said the work was essential, noting that none of the sixteen main salmon rivers in Devon and Cornwall currently support self-sustaining populations. She said careful management of river flows and ecosystems was central to the company’s environmental strategy. Not everyone is convinced the approach goes far enough. Dr Janina Gray, deputy chief executive of the conservation group Wildfish, described the project as a “sticking plaster”, arguing that lasting recovery will depend on urgent action to reduce water pollution, particularly sewage discharges. Read more here.

BBC asks what is being done about shipping containers washed up on Sussex coast: In December, the cargo vessel Baltic Klipper lost sixteen containers near the Isle of Wight. In January, two further incidents occurred in the same area, with containers falling overboard from the Lombok Strait and the Condor Valapariso. Since then, container fragments and their contents have been coming ashore in parts of Sussex and Hampshire, prompting clean-up operations by councils, agencies and volunteers. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is carrying out a preliminary assessment into the Baltic Klipper incident and the loss of seventeen containers from the Lombok Strait on 8 January. Vessel operator Seatrade said it was working closely with authorities to recover the containers, which it said held non-hazardous goods. The MAIB will decide whether to open a full investigation once the initial evidence has been reviewed. The loss of containers from the Condor Valapariso falls outside MAIB jurisdiction, as the vessel was not UK-flagged or operating in UK waters. Its operator said the containers were empty and assistance was being offered to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which has issued navigational warnings and monitored the area by air. Environmental groups say the debris poses a serious risk to marine life, particularly plastic packaging and insulation materials. Local authorities report that hundreds of tonnes of waste have already been removed from affected beaches. Globally, the World Shipping Council says 576 containers were reported lost at sea in 2024, although experts warn the true figure may be higher. New international rules now require ships to report container losses promptly to reduce risks to navigation and the environment. Click here to read more.

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