Marine Conservation Society

Drinks-related litter was found on 99% of the beaches that our volunteers cleaned and surveyed in Wales last year 😨 The Welsh Government is currently consulting on their Deposit Return Scheme to tackle drinks litter ♻️ Your voice matters! Whether you're part of a local community project, youth group or school, your experiences with litter, beach cleans, recycling and reusing can help shape the scheme Check out our blog for an easy step-by-step guide on how to respond 👇 https://lnkd.in/e_TSf5-3

Wow, we've received an amazing number of jellyfish sightings this year 🙌 A huge thank-you to everyone who submitted one - your reports provide us with important data and help us to work to protect these precious species 💙 While we're busy compiling the results ready for our report coming out soon, let us know, which jellyfish do you think was the most spotted this year? 👇

We're so excited to announce that we've been shortlisted for the ScottishPower Foundation Awards 2025 in the Community Engagement category for our Hiraeth Yn Y Môr (HYYM) project 🎉 Hiraeth Yn Y Môr (HYYM) was a community-led project in North-East Wales to connect local people with the ocean on their doorstep. Thank you to The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of Welsh Government for supporting the project through the #NatureNetworks Programme. And thank you to our additional funders 71blue Foundation, Gaynor-Cemlyn-Jones Trust, Nineveh Charitable Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation. ScottishPower Foundation's recognition is a testament to our team's hard work and the lasting legacy of the project. Wish us luck! Supported by: #NatureNetworks / #RhwydweithiauNatur / Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government / The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Did you know there are colourful corals in the UK? 🪸 This week, we shine our spotlight on the pink sea fan, one of Britain's rarest and most vulnerable species. - Like all corals, the pink sea fan is not a plant but a colony of tiny, anemone-like animals called polyps. - Pink sea fans are incredibly slow-growing, increasing by about 1 centimetre per year. The largest fans, which can reach up to 50 cm tall and 1 meter across, may be over 50 years old! - They typically grow on rocky surfaces oriented at a right angle to the prevailing current so their polyps can catch plankton as it floats past. - The pink sea fans provide a crucial habitat for other marine life, including the rare sea fan anemone and a type of sea slug capable of matching its body colour to the specific shade of the fan. The delicate pink sea fan is one of the most threatened species in the UK, and is particularly vulnerable to bottom trawling. The Marine Conservation Society is campaigning for an end to all fishing practices that damage marine habitats and species, including a phase-out of bottom-towed gear. Become a member today and help us give the ocean a voice 👉 actmcs.org/membership-li 📸 Kirsty Andrews, Paul Naylor, Libby Keatley

CAMPAIGN WIN! Scottish Government has announced today new fisheries management measures which will protect over 176,000 km2 of Scotland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) from bottom-towed fishing gear 🙌 This is a HUGE win for our ocean. We're taking a look at the almost 20 yrs it's taken us to get here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dbKVcGnE 📷: Dan Bolt

We've updated our Good Fish Guide in line with the latest scientific advice and this autumn’s update brings concerning news for a number of seafood species that are commonly eaten in the UK 🐟 Read more 👇

Did you know that most of the seafood we eat in the UK actually comes from what we call The Big 5: cod, haddock, salmon, tuna, and prawns? This puts significant pressure on wild stocks and can lead to unsustainable fishing and farming practices Ocean-friendly seafood doesn’t have to be complicated or costly, just make some simple sustainable swaps. Next time you're making your favourite fish curry or classic pie, why not give it a delicious and eco-friendly twist and try out 1 of these great alternatives If you eat fish or seafood and want to make sure that you're choosing sustainable options, we can help. Our newly updated #GoodFishGuide shows what fish to avoid if you want to protect our ocean 🐟 https://lnkd.in/eNBAwsRX

Forget haunted houses - the real horror is under the sea. 🐙💀 Plastic ghosts, coral graveyards, and vanishing fish... Help us turn the tide on the nightmare beneath the waves 🌊

What's Monday without some pirate speak? "Hoist yer sails an’ dive right in, ye scallywags, an’ see what sights the sailors o’ old might’ve spied, me hearties!” Translation: Did you know that some mythical beings (often spied by sailors) may actually have been real marine creatures?

This week's #SpeciesSpotlight is on one of the biggest superheroes of our seas, the humble oyster 🦪 Here are some fantastic facts: - Osyters are incredible water filters. A single adult oyster can filter up to 200 litres of water a day, removing pollutants, chemicals, and particulates. This cleaning action helps maintain the health of our ocean. - Oysters are ecosystem builders. As they grow, oysters attach to each other and form rock-like structures called oyster reefs. These reefs provide a critical habitat for hundreds of other species, including fish, crabs, mussels, and sea anemones. - Oyster reefs also act as natural coastal defences, helping diffuse wave energy from storms and tides, which reduces shoreline erosion and protects the ecosystem. - Oysters live attached to a surface for life. After a brief free-swimming larval stage, the juvenile oyster, known as a spat, will cement itself to a surface - often another oyster shell - and remain there for the rest of its life, which can be up to 30 years! - Most oysters are "protandrous hermaphrodites," meaning they start their lives as males and later develop female reproductive organs. Some can even switch back and forth multiple times throughout their lives, often in response to environmental cues like water temperature. - Oysters don't have a brain, but they have a nervous system, gills, two kidneys, and a three-chambered heart that pumps a colourless blood throughout their body. Wild native oyster beds are one of the most endangered marine habitats in Europe, and their population in the UK has decreased by 95%, largely due to historic over-harvesting. At Marine Conservation Society, we believe that oyster restoration is one of the best ways to improve the health of our seas. Become a member today and help us protect our ocean for generations to come 👉 actmcs.org/membership-li