The UK’s ocean health report card is damning, and protected areas aren’t enough

Grey seal populations are relatively stable but a lot of marine wildlife is struggling in UK seas. Ellen Cuylaerts/Ocean Image Bank, CC BY-NC-ND

The UK now protects 38% of its seas by law. Yet the government’s own assessment shows that our oceans are not thriving.

In April, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its latest assessment of the health of our seas: the UK marine strategy report.