Whether we sail across her surfaces and swells or slice into her depths with a dive, we too often take our oceans for granted. Ordinarily we focus on our marine work in the summer when we know much of our readership are enjoying the balmy pleasures of the seashore environment. However this winter we have a critical chance to change EU policy to better our seas. Their health is essential to us as a source of food, income and employment, but also in providing ecosystem services such as coastal protection and carbon sequestration.
Read more...

Petrol companies Galp and Eni have abandoned their plans to drill for oil and gas off the southwest coast of Portugal, according to their press release issued last week. This decision follows a hard-won victory for conservationists, including our Portuguese partner SPEA, who fought the plan in court – and are still grappling with legal costs.