Des observations scientifiques analysées par « Le Monde » suggèrent des ventes de poissons, notamment de merlus, ne respectant pas la taille minimale de commercialisation.

Five years on from a landmark ban on bottom trawling, early signs of ecological recovery are beginning to surface along the Sussex coastline, as scientists and fishers report encouraging changes beneath the waves. Introduced in 2021 by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, the Nearshore Trawling Byelaw removed destructive bottom trawling from more than 300 km² of seabed. Now, on its fifth anniversary, evidence suggests the measure is beginning to deliver tangible benefits for marine habitats and coastal communities. Once home to extensive kelp forests stretching from Selsey to Shoreham-by-Sea, the Sussex seabed had undergone dramatic decline in recent decades. By 2019, an estimated 96% of kelp had disappeared, driven by a combination of trawling, marine heatwaves, storm disturbance, and sedimentation. Today, that narrative is beginning to shift. At the centre of the recovery effort is the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project, a wide-ranging collaboration between scientists, conservationists, fishers, policymakers, and local communities. The initiative – the largest marine rewilding project in the UK – is working to monitor and support the natural regeneration of this once-thriving ecosystem. Early indicators point to a slow but meaningful return of marine life. Mussel beds, in some cases extending over a kilometre, are...

The ocean is becoming both a climate solution and a geopolitical battleground in 2026.

Mission to Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands reveals degradation of a sea ice haven

Overfishing and illegal fishing are contributing to the loss of sharks, including great whites.

Tourism is severely damaging posidonia meadows across the Mediterranean, vital carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots. Weak enforcement, inconsistent laws, and uncontrolled anchoring threaten their survival, despite limited restoration and protection efforts.

Under the vast undulating surface of the ocean, "constellations" of towering subsea mountains dot the Earth – and they are teeming with sharks. Beneath the waves, ocean currents roar like the wind over the summits of long-extinct volcanoes. These seamounts...

As of 2025, approximately 9.6% of the global ocean is covered by MPAs (with a further very small percentage of OECMs), far below the 30% target6. While the urgency to expand MPA and OECM coverage is undeniable, the pressure to...

Journée mondiale de la pêche : L’UNAPAS sonne l’alerte et exige la fin du chalutage de fond au Sénégal

The momentum of COP30 and the first global agreement for marine areas beyond national jurisdiction creates a unique opportunity to further integrate the ocean, particularly the deep sea, into the clim...

A deep-sea expedition has recorded 30 previously unknown species from one of the planet’s most inaccessible regions, at depths of up to 700 meters, or 2,300 feet, in the Southern Ocean. The astonishing array of deep-sea life included a carnivorous...

Experts, MPs and the public agree: this practice must stop!

The University of Gothenburg deployed machine learning to analyse 26 years of underwater footage and analyse seabed changes since trawling ban

Scottish government says it's investigating but concerned locals fear enormous damage has been caused

What pressures are these fishing methods placing on oceans and those who depend on them?

In June 2023, after nearly two decades of negotiations, the international community adopted the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and…

A large portion of seafood is obtained using bottom trawling, one of the most environmentally harmful fishing techniques ever developed.

Marine heatwaves are no longer rare outliers, their global frequency has jumped six fold since the 1980s. Longer events give ecosystems less time to heal before the next hit arrives.

A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. The species they logged...

Science, Volume 389, Issue 6758 , Page 392-395, July 2025.

The Wildlife Trusts urge the public to speak up for our seabeds