11 Feb 2025
The newly-published EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend report found that the amount of marine macro litter (items bigger than 2.5 cm) in the EU coastline has dropped by 29 % between the baseline period (2015-2016) and the assessment period (2020-2021). While the largest reduction in terms of percentages is seen at the Baltic Sea (45%), […]
10 Mar 2024
By Samantha Garrard, Senior Marine Ecosystem Services Researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Plastic has been found in every single part of the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor and from the tropics to the poles. Land-based sources of plastic account for the majority of this pollution, with plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, food containers and cutlery among […]
30 Jan 2024
Researchers have found that two-thirds of hermit crabs species were pictured in “artificial shells” of plastic waste. The finding are published in the journal Science of the Total Environment and are based on analysis of photos, taken by wildlife enthusiasts, and published online. The researchers trawled the internet for pictures of Hermit crabs using the iEcology (internet Ecology) research […]
17 Oct 2023
A new consultation on rules aimed at reducing illegal discharge of garbage into seas is launched by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Shipowners and operators, in particular, are being encouraged to have their say on laws designed to further support the UK in its work to keep its seas clean by making it compulsory for […]
26 Sep 2023
From a press release from the UK Ministry of Justice: Plastic and litter will be removed by offenders wearing high-visibility jackets emblazoned with “Community Payback” on beaches up-and-down the country, as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean. The Probation Service has partnered with several major organisations with a focus on […]