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.

 

September 2026 News

Studland Bay seahorse population rises but warming seas could be a threat: Studland Bay in Dorset is seeing increasing numbers of seahorses among its seagrass meadows. Last year brought the highest number of seahorse sightings since the pandemic, when reduced boat traffic allowed the habitat to recover, as the anchors of boats damage the delicate seagrass seabed which forms the seahorse’s habitat. Divers licensed to survey the bay now visit every two weeks, with spiny and short-snouted seahorses among the species being recorded. The improvement has been supported by the Studland Bay Marine Partnership and an eco-mooring scheme, which aims to limit the damage caused by anchoring boats by providing mooring locations. There are currently eighty-seven such moorings, with more planned. However, researchers warn that the recovery could be vulnerable to increasingly severe and unpredictable storms. The seagrass grows in relatively shallow water and, although Studland is sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds, easterly storms can tear up the seabed. Climate projections suggest winter storms could become more frequent and intense, while a developing El Niño event is expected to be unusually strong. Read more by clicking here.

Iceland look to start process to ban whaling: The Icelandic government is preparing legislation that would permanently outlaw commercial whaling, leaving Norway and Japan as the only countries still carrying out the practice on a commercial basis. The bill is due to be presented to parliament in February of next year, with the governing coalition holding a majority and therefore in a position to secure its passage. Whaling has remained a contentious issue in Iceland, attracting years of opposition from animal welfare campaigners and international celebrities. The government said the proposed legislation would establish a “permanent ban on whaling”, leading animal welfare groups to welcome the move. About eighty fin whales had been killed in Iceland’s current hunting season, according to Humane World for Animals, against an annual quota of 150. Wendy Higgins, a spokeswoman for the organisation, said there was substantial political and public backing for a ban, alongside ethical, legal and conservation arguments in its favour. Fin whales, which account for most of Iceland’s commercial catches, are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Iceland’s last remaining whaling company was granted a five-year licence by an interim government in 2024. According to the International Whaling Commission’s records, Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only nations to have undertaken commercial whaling in recent years. Norway resumed the practice in 1993, while Iceland restarted in 2006, despite an international moratorium introduced in 1986 to help protect whale populations. Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in 2019 and subsequently resumed commercial whaling within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. The moratorium does not prohibit traditional whaling by some Indigenous communities, including those in Greenland and Alaska, where whale products remain important to food security and cultural traditions. Read more on the NBC News website here.

Nine new sponge species reveal Alaska’s marine diversity: Scientists have identified nine previously unknown species of deep-sea sponge in waters around Alaska, highlighting how much remains to be discovered about the region’s marine life. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the sponges were found in the Gulf of Alaska and around the Aleutian Islands, taking the number of recorded sponge species in Alaska to 232. The specimens were gathered during annual NOAA Fisheries seabed-trawl surveys designed primarily to monitor groundfish and shellfish stocks. Researchers examined material collected as far back as 2012, with their findings published in two recent scientific papers. Sponges are among the oldest multicellular animals on Earth, having existed for more than 600 million years. Although they lack brains and complex organs, they filter seawater and create structures on the seabed that provide shelter for other marine species. Sean Rooney, a NOAA fisheries biologist and co-author of the studies, compared them with trees in a forest because of the habitat they create for fish and crabs. He said the difficult-to-reach deep waters of Alaska were likely to contain many more undiscovered species. Identifying sponges can be particularly challenging because they often lack obvious physical characteristics. Scientists instead examine their microscopic skeletons and DNA. Meredith Everett, a NOAA biologist, said genetic “barcodes” provided a rapid means of distinguishing species, although testing sponge tissue can be complicated by foreign DNA and chemicals. The NOAA considers dense sponge communities essential fish habitat because they offer refuge that can aid fish survival, growth and recovery. Sponges also produce defensive chemicals, some of which are being investigated for potential medical applications, including cancer treatments. Read more by clicking here.

Giant jellyfish photographed in UK waters: A diver has described the moment he encountered a giant lion’s mane jellyfish while swimming off the Pembrokeshire coast. Iestyn Morgan, a 21-year-old conservationist from the county, estimated the animal was around ten to fifteen metres long, describing it as roughly the length of a bus or small train. Morgan, who films marine life for social media to highlight the threats facing Welsh seas, said it was the first lion’s mane jellyfish he had seen in Wales. He was diving near Trefin Beach when he noticed a handful of tentacles in the water, which appeared to multiply as he looked closer. “Three turned to ten, and then to twenty,” he said, with the tentacles eventually disappearing beyond his field of vision. Morgan initially assumed he had found a compass jellyfish, a species commonly seen in British waters, but quickly realised the animal was far larger. Lion’s mane jellyfish are named for their numerous trailing tentacles, which can exceed thirty metres in length even though the main body may only grow to three metres. Its sting is considered the most severe among British jellyfish, but is not regarded as dangerous. Morgan said he had noticed increasing numbers of jellyfish and other warm-water species in Welsh waters, including a Mediterranean triggerfish. His filming project, he said, was intended to make marine environments more accessible while allowing the animals to remain undisturbed. Click here to read more.

Salmon catches at lowest levels in seventy years: Wild salmon catches in England and Wales have fallen to their lowest level in records stretching back seventy years, prompting warnings that urgent action is needed to halt the species’ decline. Just over 4,050 wild salmon were caught by fishermen last year, according to figures from the Environment Agency, 42 per cent below the average annual catch between 2020 and 2024. Salmon populations are under growing pressure from pollution, deteriorating river habitats and dams and other barriers that prevent fish from reaching their traditional spawning grounds. Mark Owen, head of fisheries at the Angling Trust, said the latest figures represented another grim milestone in a decline that anglers and fisheries managers had been highlighting for years. Anglers already release more than 98 per cent of the salmon they catch, he said, but greater efforts were needed to address threats throughout the fish’s lifecycle, including poor water quality and barriers in rivers. Environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey said the decline demonstrated the damage being inflicted on Britain’s rivers, while the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust has warned that salmon could disappear as a breeding species from British rivers within twenty-five years. Salmon farming is also a threat to wild salmon. Farm cages can harbour sea lice, which can attack wild salmon during migration, while escaped farmed fish may interbreed with wild populations and produce weaker offspring. Read the article, which was originally published in the Telegraph, by clicking here.

BBC News looks at how fishing improves veterans’ mental health: A veterans’ charity in Liverpool says regular fishing trips are helping former service personnel improve their mental wellbeing by providing a combination of peace, concentration and companionship. Launchpad Liverpool, which offers accommodation and support to ex-service personnel, takes groups of residents to a lake near Preston, where sessions are led by a qualified angling instructor. The charity supports about fifty veterans at its Liverpool site, many of whom experience depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Paddy Donoghue, who works in education, training and employment at Launchpad, introduced the trips after discovering the benefits of fishing himself. He said the activity gave participants something else to concentrate on, allowing them to temporarily put difficult thoughts aside. Wayne, a veteran who takes part, said being outdoors and focusing on the end of his fishing rod could transform his mood, while memories of fishing with his father as a child added another dimension. He also highlighted the importance of the camaraderie and humour among the group, which he said could help people through difficult periods. Fellow veteran John valued the unusual combination of company and solitude, describing the peaceful surroundings and single-minded focus as a welcome escape from everyday problems. He believes fishing should even be available on the NHS through GP referrals. Read more here.

Can fish and chip shops survive?: Britain’s fish and chip shops are facing a combination of rising costs, reduced supplies and changing consumer tastes, leaving many independent businesses struggling to survive. Darren Sudlow, who opened the Plaice Station in Cheshire in 2007 after spotting an empty former stationmaster’s house, eventually closed the shop after nineteen years. His son Kieran, who had grown up working there, said soaring fish prices, reduced quotas, VAT and other costs had steadily destroyed the business’s margins. The experience is increasingly common across the industry. A survey by the National Federation of Fish Friers found 47 per cent of operators were extremely worried about their future, while about one in five expected to leave the trade within a year. Britain now has an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 fish and chip shops, compared with 25,000 at the peak in the 1930s. The average takeaway now costs £11.43, more than 60 per cent higher than five years ago. Cod and haddock have been particularly affected by declining quotas, while potatoes, cooking oil, energy and equipment have also become more expensive. VAT, business rates, wages and other employment costs have added further pressure. Meanwhile, pizza, burgers and other takeaways offer cheaper alternatives, while younger consumers appear less attached to the traditional dish of fish and chips. Some shops are responding by using alternative fish or broadening their menus. Sudlow abandoned the chippy altogether, opening a premium sandwich shop that has attracted younger customers and higher turnover. Others are taking a different approach. The Scrap Box near York has won industry recognition by concentrating on high-quality ingredients and traditional preparation. Its owners argue that the dish can survive if operators focus on quality while adapting to modern tastes. Click here to read more.

Huge proportion of wild-caught fish and shrimp to be used for aquaculture by 2040: Nearly half of the wild-caught fish taken from the world’s oceans could ultimately be used to feed farmed fish and other aquatic species by 2040 if aquaculture continues to expand at the current rates. The news was revealed in a report by the UK-based Changing Markets Foundation, which was published shortly before the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries meeting in Rome, where governments discussed the future direction of fisheries and aquaculture. The findings have added to an increasingly contentious debate over the rapid expansion of aquaculture, now the world’s fastest-growing food sector and, since 2022, responsible for about half of global seafood production. Representatives of small-scale fishing communities at the meeting have criticised industrial aquaculture for its environmental and social effects. Changing Markets, working with researchers at the University of British Columbia, examined what would happen to demand for wild fish used in feed if aquaculture achieved a 75 per cent increase from 2020 levels by 2040, a milestone included in a 2023 FAO roadmap. The researchers found that outcomes would vary substantially depending on the species being farmed. If expansion focused on species such as shellfish and carp that require little or no fishmeal, wild-caught fish used for feed could account for 13 and 17 per cent of the global catch. Under current trends, including greater production of shrimp, salmon and other carnivorous species, that share could rise between 29 and 38 per cent. A more heavily market-driven expansion towards such species could push it as high as 46 per cent. FAO officials have stressed that the 75 per cent figure is not an organisational target but one option discussed in its roadmap. Manuel Barange, the agency’s fisheries director, said the actual goal is a 35 per cent increase in sustainable aquaculture by 2030 compared with 2020, noting that production had already risen 17 per cent between 2020 and 2024. He also said the FAO expected improvements in feed efficiency and alternative ingredients to prevent marine-ingredient use from increasing. Changing Markets has nevertheless criticised the FAO’s sustainable aquaculture guidelines, arguing that safeguards over competition between food for people and feed for fish were weakened during their development. Read more here.

Jersey looks to open bluefin tuna fishery: Guernsey could become “one of the best game fisheries on the planet” if restrictions on bluefin tuna fishing are eased, according to an angler who says thousands of the fish now pass through the island’s waters each year. Landing bluefin tuna is currently prohibited for both commercial and recreational fishermen, but Guernsey’s Committee for Economic Development is proposing a permit scheme allowing recreational anglers to target the species on a catch-and-release basis. The proposals are due to be debated later this year. Greg Whitehead, a former angling journalist, said he first encountered bluefin tuna off Guernsey in 2017 and had since seen their numbers increase dramatically. He estimated that thousands of fish could be present from June through to the beginning of the following year, arguing that a fishery within an hour of Heathrow could attract anglers from across Britain. The proposal follows Jersey’s decision to grant five new licences for fishermen to catch and kill bluefin tuna as part of commercial and scientific trials involving twenty-six tonnes of the UK’s 2026 quota. Any recreational fishery in Guernsey would require the UK’s membership of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to be extended to the Bailiwick, alongside legislative and regulatory changes. Whitehead said even a few tonnes of quota could support permits for dozens of recreational boats. However, he acknowledged that the island’s wider fisheries management remained a major concern. Nicky Harris, marine biology section lead at La Société Guernesiaise, said Guernsey was poorly resourced for monitoring and enforcement compared with Jersey. She said she was not opposed to tuna fishing in principle, but warned it should not become a substitute for addressing the declining health of the island’s wider marine environment. Any new fishery, she argued, would need to be based on evidence and managed sustainably rather than treated as a short-term solution to deeper problems facing Guernsey’s fishing industry. Read more here.

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