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.
Over 1,000 marine wildlife sightings were reported to MCS last year
To the shelf limits, Scotland has 61% of UK waters, of which 23% are now in existing or new ‘marine protected areas’
Discover our wildlife
and report your sightings
Use our guide to find out more about our marine wildlife and where it lives.
Good Fish Guide
The latest advice, top tips and recipes for buying and cooking fish that is sustainably sourced.
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Our shop is full of lots of beautiful products, ideal for gifts or for yourself.
New research, commissioned by the water industry but carried out independently, puts paid to the notion that wetwipes can be flushed down the loo. The findings show that, despite many wipes on supermarket shelves being commonly labelled and sold as flushable, their claims of flushability are misleading the public. All wet wipes sold as “flushable” in the UK have so far failed the water industry’s disintegration tests.
An independent study has found that nearly six in 10 Brits believe single-use plastic will become socially unacceptable by 2021. It’s no surprise as ‘single-use’ is the Collins Word of the Year – but 64% of those questioned say they still buy or accept single-use plastics multiple times a week.
Medicines used at Scottish salmon farms are more widely spread around sites than had previously been found and are having a significant impact on marine environment. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency says tighter regulations to protect marine life are needed – something MCS has been calling for, for some time.
We’ve launched the Good Fish Finger Guide today and there are some surprising findings. Some brands are more sustainable than fresh fish, with 85% of fish in the fingers we investigated coming from green rated ‘Best Choice’ sources when matched with our Good Fish Guide ratings.
Our marine wildlife is under threat – whether it’s climate change, habitat damage, overfishing or pollution, there’s danger around every corner for the species and habitats of the ocean. It seems these threats are only getting worse, something must be done, and quickly, before the effects of our damaging activities are deemed irreversible.
The countdown to Christmas will soon begin and we are very excited to talk about the brand new Advent of Change charity advent calendar.
It’s almost that time to either don your vampire cape, or turn off all your lights and pretend you aren’t home! The 31st of October marks the annual Halloween celebration, loved by some and feared by many. But the scariest part is how much waste we produce
Recently, the Marine Conservation Society came together with environmental charity WWF UK for a massive beach clean in sunny Brighton. I was one of over 200 people who helped to clean up Brighton beach as part of WWF’s all-staff away day.
The party conference season is over for another year and MPs return to Parliament next week. Over the last month each of the major political parties headed to cities around the UK where they were joined by an eclectic mix of party members, corporate lobbyists, CEOs, policy & public affairs leads from charities, NGOs and other groups with an interest in influencing policy.
As paper straws begin to be manufactured in the UK for the first time in decades, MCS pollution experts say replacing one single-use item with another is not the answer. Unless you have very young children or there’s a medical need – it’s best to sip not suck.
A national survey has discovered that the flushing habits of the UK public are nothing short of astounding – and not in a good way. At least one in four people in the UK pour cooking oil down the drain, whilst, according to UKDN Waterflow, three percent questioned said they’d given their hamster a burial at sea by sending them round the u-bend.
You may have heard the term latte levy and wondered what it means- we explain what it’s all about and why it’s such a hot topic.
The UK’s leading marine charity, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Biosphere Expeditions, in partnership with Reef Check, is offering a free place on an expedition to dive and observe some of the most fabulous reefs in the world.
The UK’s leading marine charity, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), says the sustainability of the nation’s favourite entry level fish product – the fish finger – isn’t as bad as may be imagined. The majority of fish in 48 retail own-brand and branded fingers it investigated came from sustainable green rated ‘Best Choice’ sources when the charity’s Good Fish Guide ratings were applied to the fish ingredient*
The Marine Conservation Society publishes its latest seafood ratings today. MCS says the key to making the right seafood choices is understanding what it is, where it is from and how it is caught or farmed, and using the Good Fish Guide website, app and pocket guide.
Well over 1,000 people took part around Wales over the weekend at this year’s Great British Beach Clean, at 60 different beaches spread all around the coast.
Chart-topping country duo, Ward Thomas, will be putting down their guitars and grabbing a pair of litter pickers to help clean up two beaches on the south coast as part of Great British Beach Clean.
A clean-up is being run at Gwithian beach on Saturday 15th September 2018, at 12:30pm, and the Marine Conservation Society says volunteers are needed to help clean and take part.
New research, commissioned by the water industry but carried out independently, puts paid to the notion that wetwipes can be flushed down the loo. The findings show that, despite many wipes on supermarket shelves being commonly labelled and sold as flushable, their claims of flushability are misleading the public. All wet wipes sold as “flushable” in the UK have so far failed the water industry’s disintegration tests.
An independent study has found that nearly six in 10 Brits believe single-use plastic will become socially unacceptable by 2021. It’s no surprise as ‘single-use’ is the Collins Word of the Year – but 64% of those questioned say they still buy or accept single-use plastics multiple times a week.
Medicines used at Scottish salmon farms are more widely spread around sites than had previously been found and are having a significant impact on marine environment. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency says tighter regulations to protect marine life are needed – something MCS has been calling for, for some time.
We’ve launched the Good Fish Finger Guide today and there are some surprising findings. Some brands are more sustainable than fresh fish, with 85% of fish in the fingers we investigated coming from green rated ‘Best Choice’ sources when matched with our Good Fish Guide ratings.
Our marine wildlife is under threat – whether it’s climate change, habitat damage, overfishing or pollution, there’s danger around every corner for the species and habitats of the ocean. It seems these threats are only getting worse, something must be done, and quickly, before the effects of our damaging activities are deemed irreversible.
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