The UK Government will introduce a bill by the end of the year, to enable ratification of the BBNJ Agreement (sometimes referred to as the High Seas Treaty), the Marine Minister has announced.
Add your comment!Bottom trawling – a fishing method that involves dragging large nets along the sea floor – could be banned across more vulnerable areas of English seas. The government is committed to protecting UK oceans and has outlined plans to ban the destructive practice in more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The measures would help protect rare marine animals, as well as the delicate sea-beds on which they rely, from indiscriminate and potentially irreversible damage.
Sue Gregory has worked as the GSGSSI Senior Marine & Fisheries Manager for the past 8 years. Prior to that Sue worked as a fisheries ecologist on the South Georgia Project at the British Antarctic Survey for many years, including overwintering on South Georgia, conducting research surveys and acting as a scientific observer on Southern Ocean commercial fishing vessels In the following GSGGSSI Newsletter, Sue relates her experience.
The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has announced that enhanced Marine Protection Area (MPA) measures officially come into force on 22nd Apri), following the signing of new legislation by Her Excellency the Commissioner, Alison Blake CMG.
The Commissioner for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) has announced plans to extend the spatial extent of No Take Zones in the SGSSI Marine Protected Area (MPA), increasing their area from 283,000km2 to 449,000km2.
Under strong pressure from the fishing industry and some island communities, the Scottish government has scrapped plans to create Highly Protected Marine Areas in 10% of Scotland's seas. The proposals would have restricted fishing and other human activities in some coastal areas, in a bid to protect the environment.
Argentina Tierra del Fuego province lawmakers from all parties have agreed to resurface a project to create the Mitre Peninsula Nature Protected Area, an idea born over thirty years ago and which covers the extreme end landmass of Tierra del Fuego and the States Island.
A new Research and Monitoring Plan is being launched today to help support the management of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Marine Protection Area, MPA, points out the SGSSI Newsletter.
The Blue Belt Program has launched a comprehensive online training platform for the UK Overseas Territories. This will provide training and development of skills across a wide range of marine management themes, free of charge.
Some thirty countries have now joined the Global Ocean Alliance championing an international commitment for a minimum 30% of the global ocean to be protected through Marine Protected Areas by 2030.