Marine Conservation Society

Our new beach clean report is out and the UK has a plastic pollution problem! Last year a whopping 15,000 of you helped us pick up and record over 3/4s of a million pieces of litter off our coastline 🙌 The data you collected revealed a shocking almost 10% increase in plastic across UK & Channel Island beaches, and even worse, 9 out of 10 pieces of litter recorded were plastic Our Beachwatch Manager, Lizzie Price shares: “The data from our beach cleans is clear: plastic pollution remains a huge problem for our marine environment. We urgently need more policies to reduce single-use plastics”. We will continue to campaign for cleaner and healthier seas, stopping plastic getting there in the first place. A huge thank you to everyone who took part, your efforts help us to make real, positive changes for our ocean Take a look at the report to find out more👇 actmcs.org/li-beachwatch24 A big thank you to players of the People's Postcode Lottery for generously supporting our beach cleaning work

Mothers are amazing - be they human or marine animals. This #MothersDay we're shining a light on some underwater mothers and their unique parenting styles 💖 1. Otters: Sea otter mothers are good at multitasking. Sea otters can’t swim at birth, so mothers will swim on their backs whilst carrying their young on their stomachs for the first few months until the pups can swim on their own. When they go to find food, mother sea otters have been known to wrap their pups in kelp to keep them close and stop them from floating away. 2. Puffins: Puffins often mate for life and are dedicated parents, with both mother and father working in partnership to set up a home and take care of their pufflings. Puffins try to provide a stable home for their young, returning to the same nest year after year and making it homely. They line a section of the nest with feathers to protect and incubate the eggs, which acts as a cosy bedroom area, and craft a toilet section away from the puffling’s sleeping area to keep their precious feathers clean and dry. 3. Octopuses: Researchers discovered a remarkable deep-sea octopus nesting ground where thousands of octopus mothers gathered to look after their brood. The mothers took advantage of the inactive volcano, using the warm waters released between cracks in the ocean floor to warm their eggs until they hatched. Although it took almost two years for the eggs to hatch, the mothers never left their eggs. Some deep-sea octopus mothers have been found to guard their eggs for 53 months – that's four and a half years! 4. Bottlenose dolphins: Bottlenose dolphins turn to their community for support, living in pods of up to 15 dolphins that work together to raise their young, protect themselves from predators and catch food together. They’re great at communicating with and helping one another. They sometimes even have other adult female dolphins assist them during the birth, to make sure the calf reaches the surface to take its first breath. Whatever species you are, mothering takes hard work and dedication, and that deserves reward. If the mother figure in your life is a fan of the ocean and would love to help protect it, then why not treat her to a Marine Conservation Society gift membership? https://lnkd.in/eY2KjWdv

OUT NOW🚨 - The Spring 2025 edition of Your Ocean, our exclusive members' only magazine, has been published! Here’s a taste of what you can find in this edition: - Delve into the surprising world of new life in our ocean. Discover how puffins kiss by rubbing their beaks, male seahorses become pregnant, and dolphins have their own baby talk. - Explore the ethereal life of the Sea Angel... a mesmerising courtship dancer and ferocious predator with an enchanting appearance. - Celebrate some inspiring feats of endurance and hard work from our fundraisers. From Arabella rowing across the Atlantic to nine-year-old Connie who organised a fundraising night at her Brownie unit. Piqued your interest? Click the link to preview our articles and get full access to Your Ocean three times a year by becoming a member 👉 https://lnkd.in/evZZbbri 🎥 Creatas Video+, Science Photo Library/Getty Images. 📸 Courtesy of Arabella Lloyd and Becky Frewin.

New storm overflow data for England published today shows that sewage discharges are still unacceptable. Despite a slight drop in the number of sewage discharges in 2024, the duration has increased. Sewage was discharged 450,398 times for a total of 3,614,428 hours. This is simply unacceptable. Sewage contains a cocktail of bacteria, viruses, harmful ‘forever chemicals’ and microplastics, which threatens the health of water users and affects the health of our ocean. Although there are now targets to reduce sewage discharges, progress is too slow and plans won't stop pollutants like ‘forever chemicals’ and microplastics from entering the water system in the first place. The UK and Welsh governments have promised to transform the water industry in England and Wales and restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health and now is the time to make our voices heard so that they deliver on that promise. You can add your voice today by responding to the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence. Check out our handy Q&A guide to make it easier https://lnkd.in/eanV7FGU

Forever chemicals are everywhere: in our homes, our ocean, and even our wildlife ☣️ However, our new YouGov survey reveals that knowledge of these chemicals remains relatively low among the UK public with 74% of respondents knowing nothing about forever chemicals, and even more (83%) knowing nothing about PFAS. Overwhelmingly, respondents expressed concern about their impact, with 68% stating they were concerned about the impact of PFAS on the environment, and 60% stating they were concerned about the impact of PFAS on their health. The survey also revealed strong public backing for tighter regulations on PFAS. 57% of respondents supported a UK Government ban on PFAS where alternatives are available, whilst only 3% opposed this idea. At Marine Conservation Society, we are urging the UK Government to take immediate steps to phase out PFAS and prevent more poison from entering our ocean. Visit our website for more information on forever chemicals and how to stop them: mcsuk.org/what-are-pfas

Forever chemicals are poisoning our planet ☣️ Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are a group of thousands of highly persistent chemicals widely used in manufacturing for their desirable properties, such as water and stain resistance. However, these same properties mean that these chemicals pose a significant environmental threat due to their extreme longevity and resistance to breakdown. Forever chemicals routinely end up in the environment – for example, when we wash household cleaning products or cosmetics down the drain. Once they’re in the environment, forever chemicals can move in water very easily. As such, they’ve been found in seawater, rivers, and even drinking water. At present, water treatment does not effectively remove forever chemicals. In the ocean, forever chemicals wreak havoc on marine species. Studies have repeatedly shown links between forever chemicals and the health of wildlife, ranging from neurological impacts to reduced immunity. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with more studies on the devastating effects of chemical pollution published regularly. We are asking the Government to ban all non-essential use of forever chemicals, like in firefighting foam and consumer products. Visit our website to learn more about this ocean poison and what we are doing to stop it: mcsuk.org/what-are-pfas

Thousands of plastic pellets (aka nurdles) have been spilled into the ocean following the recent North Sea ship collision, posing a significant threat to marine life. We're deeply concerned about nurdles washing up along the Wash, a vital internationally important protected area for birds like waders, wildfowl, gulls and terns. What are nurdles? Nurdles are small, pre-production plastic pellets, typically about the size of a lentil, that are used to make almost all of the plastic products we buy. Why are they a problem? Millions of tonnes of nurdles are made each year and are transported all over the world. Accidental spillage and mishandling means billions of them end up in the ocean, creating countless problems within the marine ecosystem. How do they affect marine wildlife? Nurdles floating on the ocean's surface can be accidentally ingested by marine animals. Ingesting plastic creates a false sense of fullness, reducing appetite and putting animals at risk of starvation or poor health from nutrient deficiency. Additionally nurdles act as magnets for harmful chemicals, which can build up in animals' bodies when ingested, posing serious health risks. What can be done? Clean up efforts are on-going for this incident are ongoing but to combat this problem we need to reduce overall plastic consumption. Less plastic being produced made = fewer nurdles entering the marine environment. We need legislation & international agreements, like the Global Plastics Treaty, to enforce best practices across the plastic supply chain and strong clean-up protocols. Find out more about the impact of plastic on marine life and some practical ways to reduce plastic pollution: https://lnkd.in/eJiArYg2

We're hiring! Want to join the team and help protect our ocean and marine wildlife? We've got some exciting new opportunities available: - Director of Engagement, Communications & Marketing - Great British Beach Clean Administrator (fixed term) For more info and to apply -> https://lnkd.in/e-Y7FrNF Know someone who'd be perfect for the job? Tag them 👇 #CharityJobs #EnvironmentJobs

This month we are back in the azure waters of the the Turks and Caicos Islands (a UK Overseas Territory) to work on the East Caicos Wilderness Project, which aims to bring about community-based management of the largest uninhabited island in the insular Caribbean 🌊🌴 From some of the most intact coral reef systems in the Caribbean to carbon-capturing seagrass beds, mangroves, dry forests and wetland expanses, East Caicos is a diversity hotspot. The East Caicos Wilderness Project uses a combination of biological research, social science, and community engagement to develop a plan to safeguard the island while also ensuring that community values and needs are respected. We are a key support partner of the project, with Turks and Caicos National Trust and RSPB as leading partners. As part of this field trip, we are feeding back our community voice method workshop findings to key community members to get final input from them before they inform the key outcome - an East Caicos Community Vision Plan. During our time in the TCI, we have also been monitoring some of our turtle tagging sites on the island, and are very happy to report that the local green turtle populations appear to be thriving! Stay tuned for more updates from the field and visit our website to learn more about our work in Turk and Caicos: https://lnkd.in/ec8sh2qV Join Marine Conservation Society and become a crucial part of our mission to protect and improve our ocean's health for generations to come: actmcs.org/membership-li

This week's #SpeciesSpotlight is a mesmerising, graceful marine creature - the feather star 🌟 - Feather stars have been around for over 200 million years! They’ve outlived dinosaurs and survived ice ages - There are around 550 species of feather stars - Despite their name, feather stars aren't related to starfish at all, although they look similar. They belong to the class Crinoidea (crinoids), which is more closely related to sea urchins - Most feather stars have at least 10 arms but some can have up to 200! They use them for various tasks - catching food, crawling, or even holding on to something in the current. The arms are covered with tiny tube feet, which help them grab onto things or navigate through the water - They have an incredible range of movement with their arms—they can bend, stretch, and coil them. Some species can even coil their arms into a ball. They often move their arms in a rhythmic, waving motion, which looks like they’re dancing. And if they ever lose an arm, they can grow a new one! - Feather stars can blend into their surroundings and they often look like pieces of coral or sea fans - When mating they do a bit of a dance. The males and females release eggs and sperm into the water (called "broadcast spawning") and may even “wave” their arms to attract a mate 🎥: Dr. Angela Stevenson By becoming a Marine Conservation Society member, you can help us protect our ocean and the incredible species that inhabit it for generations to come: actmcs.org/membership-li