From the 22nd - 29th April all donations made through The Big Give will be doubled! To be the first to hear about the huge impact this has and other ways you can support us, sign up to our email updates.

Shore Crab Scotland Mark Kirkland

Latest ocean news

Mermaid's purse

24 May 2023

Mermaid's purse treasure hunt

You may have gone hunting for chocolate eggs at Easter, but there’s another treasure you can hunt for year-round: mermaid’s purses.

Aerial photo over Isle of Lewis Michael Grant

19 May 2023

Solutions to Scotland's sewage scandal

Scottish Water recently published data on just 3.4% of Scotland’s monitored sewage overflows. Our experts have analysed this data and what they’ve found shows that we need urgent action to address Scotland’s sewage problem.

Houses of Parliament Luxstorm

15 May 2023

Retained EU Law Bill: Where we are, and what happens next

The Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill is an extremely important piece of legislation for the natural world currently moving through Parliament. Find out the latest about it

Blue Shark

2 May 2023

Sharks need a rebrand: Redefining the misunderstood

Sharks have long-captured the world's imaginations, whether through fear, fascination, or frenzy but marine biologist and shark expert, Hannah Rudd, explains why they need a rebrand.

Ocean waves breaking on beach

28 Apr 2023

Positive ocean news: April edition

A monthly round-up of the positive news stories for our ocean from April, including a newly discovered coral reef, a captive whale set for release, and the deepest fish ever recorded.

Sewage in the sea

28 Apr 2023

We've got a court date!

In just over two months’ time, our case against the UK Government will be heard in the High Court. In November last year, we joined a legal case as a last resort. We’re urging the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to address the deluge of raw sewage being dumped into English seas.

Spiral wrack seaweed

19 Apr 2023

Big Seaweed Search inspires research report

As part of her degree in Marine Conservation, Nicola Vlad, one of our Marine Conservation Society Sea Champions, wrote a report based on our citizen science project, the Big Seaweed Search.

Big seaweed search people

13 Apr 2023

Meet the Citizen Scientists

From cleaning beaches to spotting seaweeds, our dedicated citizen scientists play an essential part in protecting our ocean. We meet some of the wonderful people who collect and provide vital data to help save our seas.

Kingcase Primary - Prestwick Beach

12 Apr 2023

The ongoing success of Scotland's Marine Education Roadshow

From DIY whale song, to celebrating International Women's Day, we've been bringing the sea to schools across Scotland.

Source to sea

12 Apr 2023

How Source to Sea forms are changing

We recently asked our volunteers about their experiences conducting inland litter surveys. We've used feedback to make some changes to our Source to Sea inland litter items. Find out what's changing and why.

Grey Seals in the surf Loch Eriboll Scotland Kirsty Andrews

9 Apr 2023

Inspired by Wild Isles?

The incredible scenes on the fifth episode of the BBC’s Wild Isles shows us the wonders of our seas at home, highlighting life beyond the shore and beneath the waves.

mackerel swimming - scotland - Cathy Lewis - RS34136

5 Apr 2023

Mackerel no longer a sustainable choice

We've updated the environmental sustainability ratings on our Good Fish Guide in line with the latest scientific advice.

Lobster - rockpooling

4 Apr 2023

Rockpooling: A window to another world

Orkney, a Young Ocean Optimist Award runner-up, is passionate about the ocean and protecting its inhabitants. From beach cleans to rockpooling, he's written a blog to explain what he gets up to on the Isles of Scilly.

beach-2006993_1920.jpg

4 Apr 2023

The UK Government's Plan for Water

The UK Government has just released its Plan for Water for England. The Plan outlines various issues impacting the state of England's waters, including chemicals, sewage and plastic. Here, we look at what the Plan means for our seas.

Sea Slug shutterstock_414250924 MilanTomazin

30 Mar 2023

5 Species of Sea Slugs: A rainbow of life in our seas

From the deep sea to the open ocean, and kelp forests to coral reefs, sea slugs are found in waters all over the world – including our own. We look at five colourful (and cute) species living in our seas.

Waves shutterstock - SKphotographer

29 Mar 2023

Positive ocean news: March edition

It’s been a good month for our ocean, so we’ve rounded up some positive news stories from March to celebrate.

plastic bottle.png

22 Mar 2023

Don't bottle Scotland's Deposit Return Scheme!

We've been campaigning for a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland for almost ten years. Our latest beach clean data shows that drinks-related pollution isn't going away.

Raindrops-in-water_shutterstock_44598319_Thomas Dutour

17 Mar 2023

Behind the headlines: 'Forever chemicals'

The Marine Conservation Society's chemicals expert, Francesca, goes behind the headlines to give an update on the complicated world of ‘forever chemicals’ and what the latest news and research tells us about the chemical pollution problem.

Skomer Island Puffins

10 Mar 2023

Skomer Island: A marine conservation success story

Skomer Island is a well known jewel in Wales’ crown, sitting among the Pembrokeshire archipelago. But hiding under the surrounding waters are even greater treasures...

Curled Octopus - Billy Arthur

3 Mar 2023

14 incredible photos celebrating UK marine life

Today is World Wildlife Day and to mark the occasion, we've put together a selection of stunning ocean photography to celebrate the incredible marine life around the UK.