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The Wildlife Trusts publish marine review for 2021

The Wildlife Trusts has published its Marine Review for 2021, revealing both highs and lows for our coastal wildlife. Compiled by the Trusts’ Living Seas teams, who are the eyes and ears of the UK coast, the report looks back at some memorable moments from the past year. In good news, strong numbers of humpback whales were … Read more

Rare penguin chicks hatch at London Aquarium

SEA LIFE London has welcomed the only Gentoo penguin chicks to be born in England this year following a successful nesting season for the Southbank-based aquarium. The fluffy pair – who weighed just 105g and 98g (about the weight of an orange) when hatched – are currently being cared for by penguin parents Ripley and Elton and … Read more

Wildlife Trusts publish Marine Review for 2020

The Wildlife Trusts has published its Marine Review for 2020, revealing both highs and lows for our coastal wildlife. Compiled by the Trusts’ Living Seas teams, who are the eyes and ears of the UK coast, the report looks back at some memorable moments from the past year. In good news, thousands of people thrilled at the … Read more

Celebrate marine wildlife at Scotland’s DolphinFest

Aberdeen is one of the best places in Europe to see bottlenose dolphins. To celebrate the local marine wildlife found here RSPB Scotland is hosting its second DolphinFest event from 15th to 19th April 2020. Visitors to the Granite City can learn all about Scotland’s marine wildlife and how to protect it at a number … Read more

Trusts’ annual report reveals mixed year for marine wildlife

The Wildlife Trusts this week published their Marine Review for 2019, revealing both highs and lows for our coastal wildlife. Compiled by the Trusts’ Living Seas teams, together with thousands of volunteers who are the eyes and ears of the UK coast, the report looks back at some memorable moments from the past year. In good news, … Read more

Citizen scientists needed for Shoresearch survey

The Wildlife Trusts are calling on people to get involved with their Shoresearch citizen science project and record what they find on our coastline, beaches, rockpools and estuaries. Our seas are home to some fascinating and beautiful creatures,  but we need to find out more about where they live to give them better protection. Starting … Read more

Brighton aquarium launches new Day & Night display

SEA LIFE Brighton has launched a new £2.7 million Day & Night ocean exhibit, allowing visitors to experience 24 hours on a coral reef as part of an immersive display – the first of its kind in the UK. Home to over 840 stunning sea creatures, the impressive 700,000 litre display features an ocean tunnel … Read more

World first for Edinburgh Zoo with LEGO ocean exhibit

Edinburgh Zoo will host a world-exclusive this summer with the first-ever showing of BRICKLIVE Ocean. The display, featuring more than one million LEGO® bricks and over 30 life-sized sculptures, includes a killer whale, a hammerhead shark, and a giant squid, among other marine creatures forming an interactive trail around the Zoo. Lyndy Donaldson, the Zoo’s … Read more

Sea sparkle and where to see it

Sea sparkle glowing at Penmon Point Anglesey in a photo by Kris Williams

Sea sparkle – or bioluminescent plankton – is a magical blue light, made famous in Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Beach, and whilst it usually occurs in tropical waters such as those around the Maldives islands, it made headlines recently on BBC Earth when a display was captured off the shore of North Wales. How to find … Read more

New ‘blue belt’ marine conservation zones announced

The Wildlife Trusts has welcomed news that the Government is designating 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to help protect the seas around our shores. The new zones will form a vital series of underwater habitats which can be nursed back to health and join 50 previous MCZs awarded by the Government in 2013 and … Read more

Farne puffin numbers stable following initial concerns

Anxious rangers on the remote Northumberland Farne Islands had feared that its puffin numbers were in decline after noticing fewer seabirds nesting last May. However, it now seems the low count was actually due to the thriving grey seal population who had inadvertently crushed puffin burrows on the outer islands, meaning more birds were nesting … Read more

Fun fishing game teaching marine conservation launched

A new game created by scientists at international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) aims to educate children on how seabed trawling is damaging to marine wildlife off the Greenland coast. Casting their nets far and wide, players of ‘Tricky Trawling’ must attempt to catch fish out in the open ocean, while avoiding vulnerable seabed-dwelling creatures like … Read more

First Thames seal pup survey conducted

The first ever survey of seal pups in the Thames Estuary has been carried out by marine biologists. Positive findings will now be used to provide evidence of the estuary’s ecological importance. The inaugural harbour seal breeding survey was conducted via sea, land and air over a four day period (1-4 July), led by international conservation … Read more

The Wildlife Trusts need your support to protect marine wildlife

The Wildlife Trusts are looking for your support in backing 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to help protect the ‘blue belt’ around our English coast. Marine Conservation Zones are protected areas in English seas which have been put in place to protect the seabed and the marine wildlife that lives there. So far, we … Read more

World’s first beluga whale sanctuary to open in Iceland

Plans to create the world’s first open water sanctuary for beluga whales have been unveiled by The SEA LIFE TRUST this week. The ground-breaking marine welfare project, created in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and located in Iceland, will be ready to welcome its first residents in Spring 2019. The SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga … Read more

Celebrating World Oceans Day in Plymouth

The United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day on 8th June every year and many countries have celebrated this special day following their 1992 conference on Environment & Development held in Rio de Janiero. The main action focus for this year’s event is to prevent plastic pollution and encourage solutions for a healthy ocean. The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, … Read more

Europe’s largest aquarium relaunches this weekend

NAUSICAA, the French National Sea Centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer (France), has undergone a massive expansion, making it one of the largest aquariums in the world. The new large-scale structure will open its doors to the public this Saturday 19th May and is a real architectural, aquatic and technical triumph for NAUSICAA and the first of its kind … Read more

Best marine wildlife books for kids this Easter

If your kids are keen to find out more about our blue planet and the wildlife that lives there, why not treat them to our pick of the best new marine themed books around this Easter. 10 Reasons to Love a Whale by Catherine Barr & Hanako Clulow Part of the popular Natural History Museum series, this brand … Read more

Massive expansion for Boulogne aquarium NAUSICAA

NAUSICAA, the French National Sea Centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer (France), has undergone a massive expansion which will launch on Saturday 19th May, making it one of the largest aquariums in the world. The new large-scale structure is a real architectural, aquatic and technical triumph for NAUSICAA and the first of its kind Europe. Built in the … Read more

Rise in River Thames seahorse sightings

Marine biologists from conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) have reported a surge in seahorse sightings in the River Thames. In the past two months six seahorses have been spotted, compared with just one or two sightings in the previous year. The most recent sighting of a short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) was recorded by … Read more

Discover sounds of the sea with little readers

The Little Book of Ocean Animal Sounds is an ideal introduction to the world of marine life for younger readers eager to learn more about different sea creatures. Did you know an Emperor penguin sounds like a Formula 1 racing car or that an Atlantic puffin makes a noise like a disgruntled chainsaw? Fans of … Read more