BLUE’s January 2021 Newsletter

BLUE’S JANUARY NEWSLETTER 

Dear Friend of BLUE,

The start of 2021 finds BLUE busier than ever. We have been challenging overfishing in the North Sea, in Scotland and in the Republic of Maldives, while our landmark report on offshore wind farms explores their use in marine conservation.

BLUE’s 2020 Review

Today we are releasing our 2020 Review, where you can read about our activities and achievements from BLUE’s tenth year.

Fifty wind farm sites to be assessed for conservation potential 

BLUE is undertaking a national review of more than 50 wind farms to see how they might benefit marine species, thanks to a ground-breaking study in conjunction with Ørsted. The study means that we now understand the optimum conditions within a UK wind farm for oysters to breed and thrive and has prompted future research to look at other forms of habitat enhancements such as artificial reefs for fish, kelp
and mussel beds.

BLUE investigation reveals unlawful fishing in Dogger Bank marine reserve

Our latest investigation into fishing vessels operating on the Dogger Bank, a marine protected area in the North Sea, has revealed an unlawful fishing operation by EU or EU-owned fleets. BLUE found that the UK accounted for less than five per cent of the more than 100,000 tonnes of fish that were brought to shore at Dogger Bank in the North Sea in 2017 and 2018.

The trade deal: a sell-out on fish but maybe not on enforcement

Charles Clover, BLUE’s Executive Director, gives his opinion on the UK’s trade deal with the EU after Brexit and its impact on UK fishing. 

BLUE report reveals liabilities facing the UK Government over potentially “catastrophic” deep-sea mining

BLUE’s report revealed that the British taxpayer could face enormous liabilities for irreversible damage done to marine ecosystems, should deep-sea mining be allowed to go ahead. The report also revealed that UK Government has failed in its duty to quantify the potential economic benefit to the Treasury of deep-sea mining, meaning that a fair economic assessment of its benefits, or losses, cannot be
made. 

Tourism – the cause of or solution to overfishing
of reef fish in the Maldives?

Shaha Hashim, BLUE’s Maldives Project Manager at The Maldives Resilient Reefs Project, gives a personal account of changing fishing habits in the Maldives and how the tourism industry may be responsible.

BLUE Legal supports calls for management change in Scotland’s seas

In mid-December, Scottish creel fishermen accused ministers of acting unlawfully in a legal challenge over the “right to trawl” in Scotland’s inshore waters, after a creel fishermen management proposal was rejected. BLUE joined them, placing the story in the Herald. A month later, a judge concluded that Marine Scotland acted unlawfully when rejecting the trial.

In addition, Charles was quoted in a Scottish salmon farming story in The Herald, highlighting the potentially huge problem of sea lice from salmon farms affecting survival rates of juvenile wild fish.

Calls for moratorium on mesopelagic fishing

Leading scientists, including Professor Callum Roberts, call for a global moratorium on fishing in the “Twilight Zone”, the area of ocean between 200-1000m deep. Their paper, published by BLUE, highlights the vital role of mesopelagic fish in carbon uptake and ocean function. BLUE supported a webinar on the topic, where Professor Roberts discusses the paper, which you can watch here.

Switch to Octopus Energy and support BLUE

Thanks to our new partnership with Octopus Energy, you can switch to their renewable energy tariffs and support BLUE! If you switch to Octopus using this link, £50 will be donated to BLUE.