A reward is being offered by the Isle of Man charity Basking Shark Watch for the safe retrieval of a shark radar which has fallen off a basking shark called David from the Isle of Man. Basking sharks are a vulnerable species protected by UK law and several other countries. It’s last transmissions were from [...]

A report sent to the procurator fiscal has resulted in a man bieng charged with killing 18 grey seal pups on the isle of East Linga, three miles east of Whalsay. SNH workers carrying out their annual survey of grey seal pups saw two men acting suspiciously on the island; police officers then went to [...]

In an report generated by itself, The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) described its own management of the bluefin tuna fishery as “an international disgrace”. As if to reinforce the point it has now opted to set catch quotas far higher than its own scientists recommend, 22,000 tonnes for next year [...]

From the Scottish Boating Alliance (SBA) – Stuart McMillan MSP (West of Scotland Regional MSP) has been awarded a debate in the Parliament at 5pm on Wednesday 26th November, followed by an opportunity for us to meet him and other participating MSPs. The SBA hope as many as possible will attend but would like you [...]

Numbers of zooplankton, tiny organisms that form the base of the ocean’s food chain, have plummeted 70 percent since the 1960s, according to numbers collected Defra and included without further comment in a graph in their 2008-2009 Marine Program Plan. Buglife – www.buglife.org.uk – noticed this graph and have begun sounding the alarm. “The implications [...]

Solway Firth Partnership Conference and AGM Friday 21st November – AGM 10.30am – Conference 11.15am – 4.00pm The Learning Gateway, University of Cumbria, Fusehill Street Campus, Carlisle. The Solway Firth Partnership Conference and AGM will have Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York, as their keynote speaker this year; Thomas Bryan [...]

A short piece on Radio Scotland this morning highlighting the plight of shark in EU and Scottish waters with a particular focus on spurdog. You can hear it on BBC iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00ff9bd How long will it be before the government do begin to listen ?

88% of EU fisheries stocks  are overfished compared with 25% globally. At the same time EU fisheries ministers are failing to address discards – a recent legislative initiative against discarding announced by the Commission was defeated by the catching sector lobby of certain member countries. One third of the North Sea catch – a million [...]

Three of Scotland’s iconic sea bird species have had another disastrous breeding season and their long-term future is bleak unless conditions change to give them a better chance of successful breeding according to Douglas Gilbert of RSPB Scotland. Gilbert also said the RSPB have been reporting poor breeding seasons for 20 years and time is [...]