Open Seas

New ICES paper sheds more light on the complexity of cod stocks.

Our 2023 blog explains why this must inform strategies to recover cod populations:

www.openseas.org.uk/news/on-thin...

Via Fishing News.

Hearing divers’ stories never gets old.

When we spoke with scallop diver and Director of Keltic Seafare, Alasdair Hughson, for our The Orkney Dive film, he had plenty to share about how rich life on Scotland’s seabed can be.

Take a look 👇

#DivedNotDredged

Aerial view of circular salmon farming pens in deep blue water, connected by thin lines. Overlaid text reads: “Fish farming company to stop using lumpfish to remove sea lice from salmon.”

In June, we revealed 135,000 lumpfish had died on a Mowi salmon farm in the Highlands. Now, Scotland’s biggest fish farming company says it will stop using them.

Find out more: theferret.scot/mowi-...

Hearing divers’ stories never gets old.

When we spoke with scallop diver and Director of Keltic Seafare, Alasdair Hughson, for our The Orkney Dive film, he had plenty to share about how rich life on Scotland’s seabed can be.

Take a look 👇

#DivedNotDredged

Sussex seabed 3.5km dive shows 'thriving' coastline A 3.5km dive along the Sussex seabed has shown it to be a haven for biodiversity, says a researcher.

A perfect example of what happens when we choose to protect the seabed 👏🦈

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Spot the ling 🔍🐟

📍 Loch Hourn

Tourist discovers ‘extinct’ jellyfish while rock-pooling in Outer Hebrides Thistle-shaped Depastrum cyathiforme was last seen in France in 1976, but has now been found on South Uist

Proof that there's still so much to learn about our oceans.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Tourist discovers ‘extinct’ jellyfish while rock-pooling in Outer Hebrides Thistle-shaped Depastrum cyathiforme was last seen in France in 1976, but has now been found on South Uist

Proof that there's still so much to learn about our oceans.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Petition to Bring Back Scotland's Inshore Limit Scotland's coastal seabed was off-limits to bottom-trawling until 1984. Ever since the limit was removed, the fish in our seas declined as seabed habitats were destroyed. Protecting our seabed will he...

✍️ Scotland can do the same — sign the Our Seas petition to call for stronger protections for inshore waters: ourseasscotland.eaction.org.uk/bring-back-t...

#DivedNotDredged

I dive for scallops for a living. They're more sustainable than dredged and don't taste of grit Bob Titterington hand dives for scallops off the coast of Jersey, supplying local chefs straight from the sea floor

"Bob Titterington hand dives for scallops off the coast of Jersey, supplying local chefs straight from the sea floor."

👏 Great to see Jersey backing low-impact fishing.

www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/...

🎙️ ICYMI 🎙️

Tune in to hear our Director Phil Taylor speak with Cal Major on her podcast 'Our Ocean' last week about all things Open Seas, what Scotland's seabed looks like, and the details behind our new #oceanwitness report.

🔍 Search for ‘Our Ocean’ wherever you get your podcasts or listen here: ouroceanpodcast.alitu.com/1?order=newest

📜 And read the #oceanwitness report in full here: openseas.org.uk/ocean-witness/

🎙️ ICYMI 🎙️

Tune in to hear our Director Phil Taylor speak with Cal Major on her podcast 'Our Ocean' last week about all things Open Seas, what Scotland's seabed looks like, and the details behind our new #oceanwitness report.

Fishing vessel believed to have damaged subsea cable A FISHING vessel is believed to have damaged the Shefa-2 subsea cable over the weekend, leaving hundreds of people in Shetland and Orkney without internet. The...

"A fishing vessel is believed to have damaged the Shefa-2 subsea cable over the weekend, leaving hundreds of people in Shetland and Orkney without internet."

It's almost as if we could do with a spatial plan for fishing 👀

www.shetnews.co.uk/2025/07/29/f...

Scotland’s seas can feed communities, support jobs and power local economies but only if we protect them.

We’re backing the call of the #ScottishFoodCoalition to include the right to food and a healthy environment in Scots law.

Healthy seas = healthy food.

📄: foodcoalition.scot/wp-content/u...

The best places to go snorkelling in Scotland Spy a two-spot goby in Loch Craignish or a nimble velvet swimming crab off the coast of MacDuff with these picks from the authors of Snorkelling Britain

Snorkelling might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Scotland but with summer sea temperatures above 15°C, clean waters, and incredibly diverse sea life, these snorkelling spots are worth considering 🤿☀️💧

www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...

"Those responsible for environmental damage must be held to account.”

The Scottish Government and the Marine Directorate's lack of transparency is deeply concerning.

Fishing boat off Shetland abandoned 80km of nets in seas for almost a month A fishing boat off Shetland broke down and left over 80km of nets at sea for nearly a month, raising concerns about harm to marine life and the environment.

“It should not need FOI requests for the public to gain clear insights into the Marine Directorate’s decision-making processes, including where those processes are lacking. Those responsible for environmental damage must be held to account.”

Read more ➡️ theferret.scot/shetland-fis...

David Attenborough: a fisherman’s friend You know something’s wrong when an organisation goes for a national treasure like David Attenborough. The veteran biologist and broadcaster’s new film ‘Ocean with David Attenborough’, has cl

But the facts are clear: just 5% of Scotland’s inshore waters are protected from bottom-towed fishing. And the impacts, on habitats, fish stocks and future jobs, are both real and evidenced by scientific research.

Read our response to the criticism here: www.openseas.org.uk/news/david-a...

As David Attenborough shines a light on the damaging effects of bottom-trawling in his new film Ocean, trawl industry lobbyists have dismissed it claiming the film is "propoganda", "one-sided" and full of "Hollywood tearjerker techniques".

Our newsletter is back! 📩

Catch up on all of the latest by signing up here ➡️ openseas.org.uk/get-on-board/

Our newsletter is back! 📩

Catch up on all of the latest by signing up here ➡️ openseas.org.uk/get-on-board/

The big blue is a public asset with multiple benefits to human, animals and birds alike. Good marine management can ensure we all continue to reap the social, environment and economic benefits for years to come 🐦🤿🐬

We were delighted to have Alex Cole-Hamilton join us on the water yesterday to discover the wonders beneath the waves in the Forth as well as on land with the Bass Rock and Seabird Centre.

Listen to our Director, Phil Taylor, speak with Cal Major on her Our Ocean podcast about all things Open Seas—from what the Scottish seabed looks like to the details behind our new #oceanwitness report.

Listen here: ouroceanpodcast.alitu.com/1?order=newest

"If you think about the shoulders on either side of the Firth of Forth, those were very productive, not only ecosystems but also fisheries. They produced a huge amount of food and there were a huge amount of people working in that fishery, and because it was poorly regulated the fishery’s gone."

David Attenborough’s Ocean film has sparked backlash from parts of the fishing industry — led by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.

Why? Because it shows the environmental reality of bottom-trawling.

Read our response here: www.openseas.org.uk/news/david-a...

Search for ‘Our Ocean’ wherever you get your podcasts or listen here: ouroceanpodcast.alitu.com/1?order=newest

"In certain areas what we were trying to do was get a representative indication of what the habitat looked like for example, this is a marine protected area, is it healthy?"

Hear our Director Phil Taylor speak with Cal Major on her podcast about using an ROV to conduct our #oceanwitness report.

Via Fishing News.