» Legislation



Wildlife Trusts call for new UK Marine Strategy following Brexit

The Wildlife Trusts, October 2017: A unique chance for the UK to become a world leader in marine management. Seize the moment! In 2019 the UK plans to leave the European Union. While it is important that we retain existing EU law through the Withdrawal Bill and anticipated Fisheries and Agriculture Bills, this departure is […]

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Marinet makes submission to Welsh Government’s MPA public inquiry

Marinet has responded, February 2017, to the formal questionnaire issued by the Welsh Assembly aimed at enquiring about the effectiveness of management of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Wales. Marinet’s full response can be seen here. The objectives of the Welsh Assembly inquiry are: To assess the management of Welsh marine protected areas with a […]

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EU to regulate EU fishing operations outside of EU waters

Oceana reports, 2nd February 2017: The EU has one of the largest fishing fleets operating around the world, and its activities represent 28% of total EU catches. The European Parliament has voted on the European Commission’s proposal to sustainably manage the activities of the EU’s fishing fleet operating outside European Union waters. EU fishing vessels […]

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Regulating Order for sustainable fishing in Firth of Clyde rejected by Scottish Government

The Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT) reports, 28th July 2016: SIFT is disappointed by the Scottish Government’s decision not to approve its Clyde Regulating Order application. We regard this decision as a missed opportunity for Scotland’s vulnerable coastal communities, who have suffered from decades of economic decline under short-term fisheries policies. Note: The Sustainable Inshore […]

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Will EU marine legislation continue to apply once Brexit becomes operational?

The consultancy ABPmer has produced an assessment of which of the existing EU laws will continue to apply to the UK following Brexit, and which will not. If the UK remains wholly within the EU’s Single Market, then most of the existing EU laws will continue to apply. However the consultancy has also considered the […]

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EU Commission discusses “plan” to exceed CFP’s 2020 fishing limits agreement

The Guardian reports, 10th March 2016: Fishermen could soon be given carte blanche to over-fish without needing to worry about restoring fish populations to a healthy state under a leaked European Commission proposal seen by the Guardian. If it is approved, the blueprint for the Baltic Sea could soon be applied to the North Sea […]

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UK Government announces outcome of 2016 CFP quota negotiations

DEFRA reports, 16th December 2015: The UK government has reached a deal for the UK fishing industry, achieving quota increases and ensuring sustainable fish stocks. Tough UK driven decisions have delivered significant reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, leading to improvements in fish stocks, substantial quota increases and a more profitable industry, Fisheries Minister […]

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UN considers a Treaty to protect biodiversity on the high seas

The New York Times reports, 31st July 2015: Suppose a group of scientists wanted to dump 100 tons of iron dust into the sea based on a controversial climate-change theory that the ore might spur the growth of planktonplankton Plankton is a generic term for a wide variety of the smallest yet most important organisms […]

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Legal challenge in US to deep-sea mineral mining

The Centre for Biological Diversity reports, 13th May 2015: “The Centre for Biological Diversity has commenced a lawsuit which sues the U.S. government over its first-ever approval for large-scale deep-sea mining, a destructive project between Hawaii and Mexico that would damage important habitat for whales, sharks and sea turtles and wipe out seafloor ecosystems. The […]

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Fish discard ban: MEPs delay sanctions

EU Parliament press release, 28th April 2015, states: “Fishermen will have until 2017 to adapt to the new discard ban rules, which will make fishing more sustainable. Fishermen will have two years to “adapt” before sanctions for failing to comply with the new fish “discard” ban take effect, under a law passed by Parliament on […]

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EU Parliament undermines CFP reform

Reuters reports, 28th April 2015: “European lawmakers have backed reforms meant to end decades of over-fishing, but critics said unscrupulous fishermen would be able to carry on throwing away perfectly good fish because of a glaring loophole. “The European Union in 2013 agreed to reform the bloc’s common fisheries policy in an attempt to rebuild […]

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Greenpeace secures judicial review of how UK fishing quotas are distributed

Greenpeace press report, 24th April 2015, states: “A full judicial review into the government’s decision to continue to give nearly the entire UK fishing quota to domestic industrial and foreign corporations, at the expense of local, low impact fishermen, has been given the green light by the High Court today. “Mrs Justice Andrews granted permission […]

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Institute of Fisheries Management issues statement on Sea Bass

The Institute of Fisheries Management issued the following statement on proposals and actions relating to the management of Sea Bass: “The European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, is a vulnerable species in a changing and dynamic climate. A combination of slow growth, late maturity, spawning aggregation, and strong site fidelity increases the vulnerability of bass to […]

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Deep Sea Conservation Coalition mounts a new campaign to end deep sea fishing

The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition has announced, October 2014, a new campaign and published a leaflet to end deep sea fishing in UK and EU seas. The leaflet states: “Most of the targeted fishing for deep-sea species in UK waters is carried out by French and Spanish fleets. These fleets are primarily fishing in UK […]

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Marinet’s concerns confirmed: Dutch trawler keeps rewards of illegal haul

Sea Fish Magazine reports, 11th March 2015: “It has been reported that the owner of a Cornelis Vrolijk super-trawler, caught fishing illegally in south-west England, has been allowed to sell its haul for £437,000 while being fined a fraction of the profits, The Times reports. “The Frank Bonefaas was found to be carrying 632,000 kilos […]

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Spanish Government acts against alleged IUU fishing

Oceana reports, 12th March 2015: “The Spanish Government has announced the launch of ‘Operation Sparrow’, an investigation into several companies for alleged links with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. “If the investigation finds links to IUU fishing, including financial connections, it could lead to the imposition of significant fines on Spanish companies and […]

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Show you care about our seas enough to ask for more democracy in UK marine licensing

Marine Licensing is the process for getting planning permission to dig, dump or build something at sea. However, communities currently have no rights to challenge the regulator’s decisions. If you want more protection for our seas, please reply to an important Department of Environment (DEFRA) consultation, before the deadline of 25th February 2015. Unusually, DEFRA […]

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Governments take very cautious steps toward a UN Treaty governing the High Seas

The Environmental News Service reports, 27th January 2015: “Government representatives from around the world agreed 24th January 2015 to develop the first legally-binding agreement to conserve marine life in the high seas and international seabed, an area covering roughly half the planet. After four days of intense deliberations at UN Headquarters in New York, delegates […]

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DEFRA Consultation on Marine Licensing

Amanda Furlonger of Marine Environment Strategy and Evidence, email hidden; JavaScript is required, advises us that DEFRA has just published a consultation on proposals to change how some complex marine licence cases are decided, these applying to English waters and the offshore areas of Wales and Northern Ireland, where the Secretary of State, Liz Truss, […]

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EU ignores scientific advice in its setting of deep-sea fishing quotas

Seas At Risk report, 10th November 2014: “The EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council has agreed on deep sea fisheries quotas for 2015 and 2016 that will allow for the continuation of overfishing of these particularly fragile species. By setting the 2015-16 quotas above those recommended by scientists for alfonsinos, red seabream, black scabbardfish and roundnose […]

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