STOP the plastic tide!
Choking. Starving. Poisoning.
That’s what plastic litter is doing to marine life.
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The Marine Conservation Society is the UK’s leading marine charity. We work to ensure our seas are healthy, pollution free and protected.
Our seas are under immense pressure: too many fish are being taken out, too much rubbish is being thrown in and too little is being done to protect our precious wildlife. Our vision is for seas full of life where nature flourishes and people thrive.
1 billion people, largely in developing countries, rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein
Over 170 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum signed up to our Marine Charter calling for a network of ‘marine protected areas’ in UK Seas
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Good Fish Guide
The latest advice, top tips and recipes for buying and cooking fish that is sustainably sourced.
Discover our wildlife
and report your sightings
Use our guide to find out more about our marine wildlife and where it lives.
The link between mental health and nature is one that is often discussed – it is well-known that people might go for a walk on the beach when they are feeling stressed, or go swimming in the sea to feel more at peace.
On 2 May 2018 we could not wait to launch our call to you all to contact the Treasury on the proposed plastic tax. We got a little bit too excited about it, and accidentally sent an email to some of our supporters who had not asked to be contacted by us in relation to news regarding campaigns, and who only wanted to hear from us about volunteering and beach cleans.
MCS took a deposit return machine to Parliament today as part of an MP Drop-In Session to address plastic pollution.
Statutory watchdog ‘with teeth’ to hold ministers publicly accountable on environmental standards during and after the Brexit transition, in a draft environmental governance bill to be published in the autumn, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announces in recent consultation.
The Welsh government are gearing up to tackle the throwaway plastic crisis, as Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn announces plans to reduce their plastic waste.
Michael Gove’s crack down on plastic continues as wet wipes enter the focus of the Environment Secretary. News sources today have reported on the Secretary’s latest attack on plastic and highlighted the true trouble with wet wipes. Data from the Marine Conservation society (MCS) has revealed a 94% increase in wet wipes on UK beaches between 2016 and 2017. They are top of the league in personal hygiene products, but what do you do once you’ve finished with them?
Joshua Pedley, a 23-year old Waitrose partner is walking 1600 miles along the west coast of England and Wales from March to September 2018 to raise funds for the Marine Conservation Society.
Chef Caroline Rye, The Urban Fishwife, tells us her experiences using MCS’ Good Fish Guide to make informed choices when buying fish.
After years of campaigning, there is to be a deposit refund system (DRS) for England. This is fantastic news, but of course is only the first step in actually getting a system in place!
We are currently going through the most significant legislative reform of the past 40 years; exactly how this will impact fisheries is unclear. There may be much to gain but also… so much to lose
MCS’ Catherine Gemmell has been recognised at the inaugural No.1 Magazine Amazing Woman Awards in Glasgow. The awards were a celebration of the fantastic strength and depth in talent, which women across Scotland possess from business to sport. Catherine received an Award of Special Thanks for her work on inspiring people across Scotland to care for their marine environment. Read her blog.
MCS has been attending a meeting to discuss the future resilience of coral reefs in this, the third ‘International Year of the Reef’. MCS President, HRH Prince Charles, addressed the invited audience, saying the stakes are high and time short when it comes to coral reefs. Prince Harry, who has an interest in the issue, was also in attendance. MCS’ Dr Jean-Luc Solandt was there – read his blog.
It could be the final straw soon for three Devon towns as they bid to make their businesses plastic straw free. Teignmouth, Dawlish and Dawlish Warren will host the Marine Conservation Society’s straw monster, to raise awareness of single-use plastic.
The Seaside Scavenge is being launched at Watergate Bay Beach, on Wednesday 30 May. The Cornish beach will become a trading station where beach cleaners can swap tokens for pre-loved items donated by the public to help bring the concept of the circular economy to life.
50 of the UK’s best-known children’s authors and illustrators have joined forces to launch AUTHORS-4-OCEANS, a campaign to encourage both the book industry and young readers to ditch the plastic.
Join marine and river charities as they clean up the Thames with supermarket staff. Marine Conservation Society and Thames21 invite volunteers to spruce up the river at Slough as part of Waitrose partnership. Members of the public are being urged to join staff from Waitrose as they help investigate the link between river and marine litter.
The SCRAPbook project will take to the skies to find Scotland’s coastal and marine litter hotspots. Scottish Coastal Rubbish Aerial Photography will see aerial photographs taken and fed into an online scrapbook for volunteers, communities, schools and individuals to direct beach clean up and survey activity.
After a battering from winter seas and winds, Langland Bay on the Gower needs help to get rid of the beach litter that has washed up or blown onto the shore in recent months.
The link between mental health and nature is one that is often discussed – it is well-known that people might go for a walk on the beach when they are feeling stressed, or go swimming in the sea to feel more at peace.
On 2 May 2018 we could not wait to launch our call to you all to contact the Treasury on the proposed plastic tax. We got a little bit too excited about it, and accidentally sent an email to some of our supporters who had not asked to be contacted by us in relation to news regarding campaigns, and who only wanted to hear from us about volunteering and beach cleans.
MCS took a deposit return machine to Parliament today as part of an MP Drop-In Session to address plastic pollution.
Statutory watchdog ‘with teeth’ to hold ministers publicly accountable on environmental standards during and after the Brexit transition, in a draft environmental governance bill to be published in the autumn, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announces in recent consultation.
Joshua Pedley, a 23-year old Waitrose partner is walking 1600 miles along the west coast of England and Wales from March to September 2018 to raise funds for the Marine Conservation Society.
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