The Irish Government has confirmed the establishment of Ireland’s first Marine National Park – Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí. The new park, which is in Co. Kerry, will unite some of Europe’s most ecologically valuable places in celebration of nature across 70,000 acres of lands and seas. It brings together new acquisitions by the National […]
A novel method for predicting the population density of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has been published for periods 2003-2009 and 2010-2020. Declining populations A highly sought after species for the whaling industry in the late 1800s, the Northern Atlantic right whale was thought to have a population less than 100 individuals in […]
Two individual seahorses have been discovered just days apart in separate locations in English waters. A diving contractor found a female spiney seahorse whilst working in the Hamble Estuary, Hampshire whilst a Cornwall Council nature recovery officer spotted another spiney seahorse in a Cornish Estuary. The spiney seahorse is also known as the long-snouted seahorse. […]
Research in the Science Advances journal has published results showing significant deposition of PFAAs from ocean sea spray. Forever chemicals Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic organic chemicals found globally in the environment due to their extensive use in various consumer and industrial applications and are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. Perfluoroalkyl acids […]
RenewableUK, the Offshore Wind Industry Council, The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland have published a detailed Industrial Growth Plan, setting out how to triple offshore wind manufacturing capacity over the next ten years, firmly establishing the UK as a leader in a surging global market. Projected employment With 32,000 already employed in the sector, […]
The Welsh Government proposes to introduce a Marine Planning Notice (MPN) to identify Strategic Resources Areas (SRAs) for tidal stream energy. Tidal stream energy resource occurs in several areas around the Welsh coast, mainly where water flows are restricted, such as areas around coastal headlands. However, there are a limited number of small and discrete […]
Greece aims to be the ‘first in Europe’ to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas as part of 21 initiatives worth 780 million euros. Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline and plans to create two marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, along with efforts to tackle coastal […]
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute today announced that a contract has been awarded to Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon Vigo S.A. for the construction of a new research vessel contracted to complete in February 2027. The state-of-the-art marine research vessel is a significant capital investment by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to strengthen […]