Did you know?

UK shores and waters are home to a wide range of plants and animals, including seabirds, mammals, fish, molluscs, sponges, algae and invertebrates. From the smallest seahorse to the mighty killer whale, our seas contain a spectacular array of marine life.

Recreational activity on UK beach

Some facts and figures:

  • Estimates show that nearly a quarter of the UK’s sea bed has been affected by human actions such as trawling and other industrial activities.
  • In WWF's 2005 Marine Health Check, 13 of the 16 key species monitored were in decline.
  • Population stocks of major fishery species in the North Sea have declined over the past century by between 50% and 98%, and some species have become locally extinct.
  • Less than 2% of UK seas are protected from damaging human activities. 
  • There are only three marine reserves in the whole of the UK’s seas – Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, Strangford Lough near County Down and Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast.
  • Our seas, which are normally alkaline, are becoming more acidic as increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed at the sea surface. This could have as yet unknown consequences, including possible suffocation of many species.
  • Surface waters to the north and west of the UK have become more saline since the 1970s, and there are concerns about how this could change marine ecosystems.
  • In England and Wales, 75% of our salt marshes – an important home for wildlife, and a useful barrier against severe weather – have been lost due to climate change, and are disappearing at a rate of up to 100ha per year.
  • The UK government has already made a number of international commitments to conserving biodiversity. These include the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Oslo-Paris agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • The UK Marine and Coastal Access Act will replace the confusing mish-mash of over 80 marine laws with a single planning system.
  • The UK Marine and Coastal Access Act will vastly improve and speed up the planning process for offshore renewable energy development, helping us to boost renewable energy generation to meet the UK’s 80% CO2 emissions reduction target. In the EU, three times more fish are caught and thrown away than are eaten.
  • Every year, millions of tonnes of ‘bycatch’, including 300,000 mammals, are caught accidentally around the world.
  • Globally, 70% of fish species are now exploited at or beyond sustainable limits.