36 h. ago Shocked fisherman catches rare 'vampire fish' which looks like Men in Black monster

An angler was startled to find he had caught a weird vampire-like creature when he went night fishing - Stefan Scheer caught a rare and protected sea lamprey near his home city

Events

50 h. ago New Zealand is failing to protect its vast ocean resources. We owe it to the world to act | Helen Clark and Kayla Kingdon

Less than 1% of our country’s seas are highly protected and the damaging practice of bottom-trawling must be restrictedIt’s a remarkable feat that a small, isolated island nation of just five million people has managed to stake a claim to one of the largest ocean territories in the world.New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spans more than 4m square kilometres – an area 15 times the size of our landmass.Rt Hon Helen Clark is a former prime minister of New Zealand, and former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb is chief executive of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand. Continue reading...

Events

58 h. ago World must move from ‘plunder to protection’ to save oceans, UN chief warns

Speaking at France summit, António Guterres called for bold pledges to stop deep sea from becoming ‘wild west’Nations must move from “plunder to protection” in order to save the world’s seas from crisis, the UN chief, António Guterres, told the ocean summit on Monday.All countries must come forward with “bold pledges” including a biodiversity target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, to tackle plastic pollution, overfishing and for greater governance of the high seas, he said at the opening ceremony. Guterres also stressed the importance of multilateralism and warned, in an apparent swipe at the US, which was not present at the conference: “The deep sea cannot become the wild west.” Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Campaigners hail plan to ban bottom trawling in half of England’s protected seas

Environmental groups welcome government proposals to clamp down on destructive fishing practiceEnvironmental groups have welcomed government proposals to ban the destructive fishing practice known as bottom trawling in half of England’s protected seas.The plan, to be announced on Monday by the environment secretary, Steve Reed, came before a UN summit in Nice to tackle the ocean’s failing health. It follows pressure from conservationists and the release of a David Attenborough film featuring rare underwater footage of the devastation to the seabed caused by bottom trawling in British waters. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Protect your hair from sun, sea and chlorine damage on holiday with £24 'lifesaver' hair mask

Protect your hair from the sun, sea and chlorine with this £24 water-resistant hair mask that shoppers are hailing a 'lifeaver on holiday' and praising it for stopping hair going green

Economics

5 d. ago ‘It’s goodbye to French fishermen’: Macron under pressure as crucial UN ocean summit opens

As delegates prepare for the global gathering, the president is caught between opposing sides in a row over bottom trawling in France’s marine protected areasOn his trawler in Saint-Malo, one of France’s most important ports for scallops and crabs, Laurent Mevel is fixing his nets. “We really want to protect the seas,” says the 60-year-old fisher. “But we’ve got crews, we’ve got employees.“If you don’t fish any more, the fish will come from Ireland, from Scotland. Now the fish you buy from shops comes by plane. And costs less.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Readers' letters: Protect our farmers from sea eagles slaughtering lambs

A reader says action must be taken to stop sea eagles killing livestock with impunity

Politics

3 w. ago Judge finds police acted reasonably in shooting New Mexico man while at wrong address

A federal judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit that accused police in New Mexico of violating constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures when they fatally shot a man after showing up at the wrong address

Events

3 w. ago Hawks deployed to protect celebrities from swooping seagulls at Cannes

Greedy gulls have been known to swipe sandwiches and smash glasses at film festival buffets

Politics

3 w. ago Protecting the Protectors — How Scotland’s Search and Rescue Dogs are staying protected with year

SARDA and MSD Animal Health team up to ensure Scotland’s heroic rescue dogs stay protected as millions flock to the Highlands

Events

3 w. ago ‘A push towards the conservative’: Cannes tries to ban oversized outfits and naked dressing

Film festival’s rules designed to protect ‘decency’ and seating arrangements stir controversy among those who read themNot for the first time, organisers of the Cannes film festival, the ritziest and most photographed in the industry’s calendar, have decreed that various outfits will not be allowed on the red carpet this year.An official statement released earlier this week stated that for “decency reasons” there will be “no naked dressing” – and no oversized outfits either – “in particular those with a large train that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theatre”. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago I’m obsessed with protecting seals: ‘The flying ring toy was deeply embedded in her neck’

It broke my heart to see a seal so injured by a £1 plastic toy. Now I campaign to ban them – and it has changed my lifeThere was an incident seven years ago that changed my life. I saw an adult grey seal with a plastic pink flying ring toy so deeply embedded in her neck that she was practically dead. It was stopping her from feeding because it was digging into her and she couldn’t extend her neck – the wounds were horrific.It broke my heart. From that moment on, I became obsessed with seals and protecting them from the dangers of plastic flying rings. Continue reading...

Politics