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.

July 2026 News

North East beach hit by nurdles spill: An estimated one billion plastic nurdles have spilt into the River Tyne following what campaigners have described as a devastating pollution incident. Nurdles are the raw plastic pellets used to manufacture plastic products, and typically measure between 1mm and 5mm in diameter. The spill occurred when the vessel Wind Orca collided with the moored container ship BG Orange at the Port of Tyne, damaging a dockside crane and leaving one person injured. South Tyneside Council said the collision released up to 25 tonnes of nurdles into the river. This would equate to roughly one billion individual pellets according to the environmental charity Fidra. The pellets then began washing up on nearby South Shields beach. The council urged people not to handle the nurdles and advised dog owners to keep pets on leads. Although nurdles are not inherently toxic, they can absorb harmful pollutants from the marine environment and are notoriously difficult to recover. A range of sea creatures can mistake nurdles for food, and have been found in the digestive systems of seabirds, turtles and fish in areas where nurdle spills have happened. Once released, nurdles can be carried vast distances by tides, currents and wind and tracking by Fidra now suggests pellets from the Tyne incident may already have reached Sunderland, around seven miles to the south. Heather McFarlane, senior project manager at Fidra, described the incident as another devastating plastic pellet spill and called for stronger UK rules governing pellet handling on land, together with mandatory measures at sea to reduce the risk of similar incidents. South Tyneside Council said it is assessing the full extent of the contamination while supporting clean-up efforts where appropriate and intends to seek recovery of the costs from the insurers of those deemed responsible. The Environment Agency said it is working alongside local authorities and partner organisations, providing technical expertise during the early stages of the clean-up. The Port of Tyne said its emergency response plan was activated as soon as the scale of the spill became clear, with measures including efforts to prevent further pellets escaping and the rapid deployment of boats to recover those already floating in the river. Click here to read more. Despite the claims from the Port of Tyne authorities that measures were taken to immediately deal with the nurdle spillage, the BBC later reported that the floating barrier that was used to stop the nurdles from spreading was only deployed three days after the accident happened. The Port of Tyne told the BBC that their emergency response was “activated immediately” and that the situation was “highly complex and dangerous.” But Debbie Mason of the trade publication Maritime Journal said that the response had been “very strange” and that port bosses had “so many questions to answer” over their response to the incident. Read more on this here.

14-year-old schoolboy reels in record-breaking catch: A skate weighing 195lb has been caught by a 14-year-old from a beach at Argyll and Bute in Scotland. Henry Ralph thought at first that he was snagged on seaweed, but soon realised he was hooked into a very large fish and fought to reel in the skate for two hours. Henry told The Sun newspaper that it was the “fight of a lifetime” and he only realised how large the skate was when it was about twenty yards away from him. Henry was fishing with a fishing guide named Michael Hannah, but reeled the skate in on his own. Measurements of the skate put its weight at 195lb, and it was safely returned to sea after being photographed. Read more by clicking here.

Warning over venomous weever fish in British waters: Beachgoers have been warned that venomous weever fish are becoming increasingly common in the shallow waters around the UK coastline. The small, sand-coloured fish bury themselves beneath the seabed with only their eyes and venomous dorsal spines exposed, making them difficult to spot. Anyone who accidentally steps on one can receive an intensely painful sting. According to Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, rising sea temperatures linked to recent heatwaves are encouraging the fish to move into shallow coastal waters earlier in the year than usual. Known by the scientific name Echiichthys vipera, a name derived from the venomous viper snake, weever fish bury themselves in the sand, and beachgoers are stung when they inadvertently step on the fish when walking through shallow water. Despite their small size – weever fish do not grow larger than a few inches in length and the British record catch is only 95 grams – their sting is very painful. The recommended treatment is to immerse the affected part of the body in hot water, as the venom is protein-based and heat helps to break it down. Once treated, the pain often subsides within around fifteen minutes. While healthy adults usually do not need any further treatment, children, older people and those with underlying medical conditions may require further medical attention following a weever fish sting. Read more by clicking here.

New basking shark research to be carried out in Isle of Man waters: Researchers have launched a new conservation organisation to improve understanding of endangered basking sharks in the waters around the Isle of Man, following a noticeable increase in sightings this year. The Manx Shark Foundation, established by shark scientist Gemma Scotts and fisheries officer Tom Morgan, will investigate the factors behind the species’ return after several years during which encounters were relatively scarce. Morgan said the recent rise in sightings was encouraging but stressed that it remained unclear why sightings of the sharks had become more common. Researchers hope to determine whether environmental conditions, prey availability or other factors have influenced their movements, or whether the increase is simply a short-term fluctuation. The foundation was created after two years of research carried out in collaboration with marine conservation charity Mareco, the Isle of Man Government’s environment department, Manx Wildlife Trust and Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch. Their work has included underwater camera surveys, drone observations, the study of shark egg cases and observations from local anglers. Beyond basking sharks, the foundation aims to address significant gaps in knowledge about the island’s sharks, skates and rays, groups that Morgan said are often overlooked despite their importance to healthy marine ecosystems. Read more here.

New project aims to restore seagrass habitats: Conservationists have launched a £1.8 million marine restoration programme designed to revive Cornwall’s coastal waters by restoring vital habitats, rebuilding native oyster populations and creating healthier underwater ecosystems. Known as Mor Nature, the three-year initiative will include the restoration of ten hectares of seagrass meadow in Falmouth Bay, making it the largest seagrass restoration project undertaken in the UK. Led by Cornwall Wildlife Trust in partnership with the Ocean Conservation Trust, the scheme aims to restore some of Cornwall’s most valuable marine environments while tackling biodiversity loss, improving water quality and strengthening the resilience of coastal habitats. Seagrass meadows are regarded as one of the ocean’s most valuable habitats, providing shelter for marine life, improving water quality, storing carbon and helping to protect coastlines from erosion. The restoration area will extend between Swanpool and Pendennis Castle in Falmouth Bay, building on conservation measures introduced in 2022, including sensitive habitat marker buoys and voluntary no-anchor zones to protect fragile seabed environments. The project will also expand existing work to map and monitor seagrass meadows while collaborating with fishermen and community groups to establish new native oyster nurseries. Restored habitats are expected to support a wide range of marine species, including seahorses, spider crabs, cuttlefish, bass and sharks. Click here to read more.

UK marine protected zones endure days of trawling: A report by marine conservation organisation Oceana UK has concluded that none of the UK’s marine protected areas (MPAs) fully prohibit seabed trawling, despite growing evidence that the fishing method damages marine ecosystems far beyond the seabed itself. The report, Trawled and Mauled, argues that the effects of seabed trawling extend throughout all levels of the food chain and have long-lasting impacts on the marine environment. Government assessments already identify seabed trawling as a threat in three-quarters of the MPAs covered by the report, while Oceana says its findings demonstrate that allowing some trawling to still take place in MPAs means that they provide meaningful protection. Satellite tracking data cited in the report indicates that the Southern North Sea Special Area of Conservation experienced almost 31,000 hours of apparent seabed trawling during 2025, despite its protected status. According to the report, seabed trawling destroys seabed habitats that support sandeels and other small fish forming the base of the marine food web, reducing prey available to fish, seabirds and marine mammals. The practice also creates underwater noise that can interfere with the echolocation used by dolphins and porpoises, while disturbed sediment reduces water clarity, making it more difficult for diving seabirds to locate prey, while non-target species are caught as bycatch. Oceana UK’s executive director, Hugo Tagholm, said the findings raised serious questions about the effectiveness of Britain’s marine protection policies, and argued that protected areas cannot fulfil their purpose while destructive fishing continues within their boundaries. The government has pledged to consult on tighter management of seabed trawling in five protected areas, but campaigners argue that legally designated marine sanctuaries should be fully protected rather than having trawling only partially restricted. To coincide with the report’s publication, Oceana UK projected footage of seabed trawling onto the white cliffs of Botany Bay in Kent, overlooking a protected area. Read more by clicking here.

‘Franken trout’ are ‘infesting’ Scottish lochs: Campaigners have claimed that wild brown trout in some Scottish lochs are growing to extraordinary sizes after feeding on uneaten pellets escaping from salmon farms, raising concerns about the ecological impact of intensive aquaculture. The Green Britain Foundation and fisheries campaign group WildFish argue that trout congregating around salmon cages have reached weights of up to 20lb after a process known as cage grazing. They contend that these unusually large fish are disrupting local ecosystems by preying on smaller species and altering natural food webs. Dale Vince, the businessman, campaigner and founder of the Green Britain Foundation, said industrial fish farming could not prevent feed, waste and other by-products from entering surrounding waters, describing the oversized trout as an unintended consequence of intensive salmon production. The claims focus particularly on the Loch of Cliff in Shetland, where Cooke Aquaculture operates salmon nurseries. Local anglers have reported that brown trout have grown significantly larger since fish cages were introduced. WildFish Scotland director Nick Underdown said the phenomenon reflected wider concerns about the environmental regulation of the salmon farming industry. Campaigners argue that salmon farming also contributes to other environmental pressures, including sea lice affecting migrating wild salmon, the escape of farmed fish that may interbreed with wild populations, and the release of organic waste into surrounding waters. Cooke Aquaculture said that its sites are subject to strict environmental regulation and ongoing monitoring. The Scottish Government acknowledged that some wild trout feed on uneaten pellets and may consequently grow larger than normal, but said there was no evidence that the additional food available around freshwater salmon farms affected the long-term viability of wild brown trout populations. Read more by clicking here.

Telegraph asks what fish will people eat when cod comes off the menu?: An article in the Telegraph this month looked at the different species that UK consumers could soon eat as traditional species decline. Listing rising sea temperatures as the main cause of changing species in British waters, the article stated that traditional species such as cod were declining, with new species moving in to take their place. Catches of octopus, for example, increased by 7,700 per cent, while bluefin tuna have returned to British waters to such an extent that a small commercial fishery has re-opened to target the species. Other species, such as anchovies – which are traditionally associated with the warmer waters of the Mediterranean – can now be found around the south of the British Isles. David Jarrad, the chief executive of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, told the Telegraph that the situation was akin to “uncharted waters”, saying “you’ve got the sea bass moving north, and we’ve got the bluefin tuna coming into our waters … we have a dynamic situation in the marine environment. It’s constantly changing.” However, the changing species were also causing problems. Octopus feed on crabs, lobster and whelks, and the rising number were having a massive impact on existing fisheries for these species. Andrew Cook, the president of the National Federation of Fish Fryers, told the Guardian that there was “more diversity” in chip shop menus as traditional species such as cod became scarcer and therefore more expensive. He said that dogfish was a species which could take its place, describing it as being “different” and “not as flaky” as cod, but having a “more meaty texture” and being “tasty.” Read more on this story here.

Orca rams sunfish which then ‘explodes’: Orcas have been observed ramming into sunfish so hard that the sunfish effectively explodes by breaking into hundreds of pieces. The incident took place in the Gulf of Mexico in July 2024 (but has only come to light this month) and was captured on a GoPro camera. On some occasions, one orca has been observed holding the sunfish in its jaws to allow another to ram into it. Dr Kathryn Ayres, a scientist from the non-profit ocean conservation organisation Beneath the Waves, told the Guardian: “We think this may help younger orcas feed more easily or it could also just be for fun. Orcas are known for playing with their food.” Read more and watch the footage of the sunfish exploding by clicking here.

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