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Hugo Tagholm

@hugotagholm.bsky.social

4.8K followers 1.9K following 81 posts

Ocean Activist, Surfer, Campaigner Executive Director, Oceana, UK Columnist, Oceanographic Magazine Chair, Save The Waves Fellow - Edinburgh University #OceanLeaders Former CEO, Surfers Against Sewage

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Hugo Tagholm @hugotagholm.bsky.social · Mar 26

🚨 TODAY, we take the UK government to court.

They handed out 31 reckless oil & gas licences - some inside marine protected areas - without proper checks. ❌

This is a fight for our ocean, marine life & climate. Who’s with us? ✊

Follow @OceanaUK.bsky.social for updates. #OceanVsOil 🌊⚖️

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · 14d

“Our warnings [...] were ignored, & since then we've had to watch helplessly as the UK Govt sold out our seas & communities, allowing fishing pressure to build relentlessly as [...] industrial vessels squeezed out the small local boats" @hugotagholm.bsky.social
www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

Warnings over collapsing fish stocks as experts advise ‘zero catch’ for cod

Conservationists call for action to follow scientific advice and end overfishing in the North Sea and west of Scotland.

www.independent.co.uk

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Leana Hosea @leanahosea.bsky.social · Jul 29

The scale of underreporting is described as "mind-bending" by @OceanaUK's @hugotagholm.bsky.social who added "Tankers, carrying oil and gas across the world, make up a third or more of all shipping. If we ended our addiction to fossil fuels...we would also halt...these spills"

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Aug 2

NEXT WEEK! 🌊

Saltwater Stories with @hugotagholm.bsky.social, Lizzie Daly & Madeline St Clair is landing at #Boardmasters 🎤

Join us for a behind-the-scenes chat with these inspiring ocean adventurers! 🐬

🗓️ Thurs 7 Aug | ⏰ 17:15
📍 FREE @ Fistral Beach Talk Stage

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jul 22

🚨The UK Govt is asking the public to give their thoughts on whether they should extend bottom trawling bans in 41 English protected areas. 🌊 This is our chance! Use your voice to help kick this wasteful, destructive practice out of ocean havens! 👇
only.one/act/uk-mpa-c...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jul 13

🌊ORCA SIGHTING! 2 female orca have been spotted off Cornwall. They're "possibly the last of their [...] very, very small family"

Orca sightings are rare here. Although exciting, their presence is also cause for concern, likely due to the #ClimateCrisis
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Orcas from Iberia seen for first time off Cornwall

Two orcas spotted south west of St Agnes are thought to be "the last of their very, very tiny family".

www.bbc.co.uk

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Wild Summit UK @wildsummituk.bsky.social · Jul 3

@stephspyro.bsky.social, @tonyjuniper.bsky.social, @hugotagholm.bsky.social & more - the programme for #WildSummitUK features leading voices from environmental groups, media, politics & more🌱

Dive into the agenda to find out more & grab your tickets now👇

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wild-summi...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 30

Destructive bottom trawling is STILL legal in most UK marine protected areas. It's obscene 😡❌

The govt has proposed bans in 41 sites, but it's not final. They want to hear from the public first. 🗣️ That means we have a chance to END this.

👉 WE NEED YOUR VOICE: only.one/act/uk-mpa-c...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 17

“There's been a watertight scientific & economic case on the need to stop bottom trawling in marine protected areas”

Only 38 of 377 MPAs are fully protected from bottom trawling. It's shocking.

@hugotagholm.bsky.social in Wildlife Mag on the proposed bans 🔽
www.discoverwildlife.com/environment/...

UK government proposes ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas | Discover Wildlife

Government proposals to ban bottom trawling in more vulnerable marine habitats aim to protect important and rare underwater life.

www.discoverwildlife.com

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 10

🎉 MAJOR OCEAN WIN! 📢 UK Government commits to ratifying the High Seas Treaty (aka the BBNJ) by the end of the year, as confirmed by Ocean Minister @emmahardymp.bsky.social at the UN Ocean Conference just now 🎉

#OceanProtection #UNOC3 #UNOC2025 #OceanWin

@oceana.bsky.social @hugotagholm.bsky.social

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 12

🌊 "It's still recovering, year on year"

17 years after bottom trawling was banned in Lyme Bay, marine life is bouncing back. Scallops, conger eels & sea bream are thriving! 🐟

Now, govt is proposing to extend the bans. Stay tuned & learn how you can help!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bottom trawling: Lyme Bay 'still recovering'

Lyme Bay is still recovering from the effects of bottom trawling despite a ban, researchers say.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 16

“This is going to be good for nature, good for people, good for coastal communities [...] We've had thousands & thousands of emails going directly to Steve Reed calling for this”

@hugotagholm.bsky.social in BBC Countryfile on the proposed bottom trawling bans 🔽
www.countryfile.com/environment/...

What would the extended bottom-trawling ban mean for UK wildlife and fishers? | Countryfile.com

The proposed ban, which aims to protect important marine life, has been welcomed by environmentalists, but some fishers are concerned.

www.countryfile.com

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 9

🌊 Marine protected areas are "the generators of life" & must be safeguarded - our director @hugotagholm.bsky.social in @apnews.com

The UN Ocean Conference kicks off today & we're there with @oceana.bsky.social to make sure world leaders turn promises into protection. ✊🌍 apnews.com/article/un-o...

As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection

The third U.N. Ocean Conference has opened as pressure mounts for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea.

apnews.com

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 9

🌊 "This is a golden opportunity for the UK be true to its heritage as an ocean nation. We now need [...] whole-site bans used across Scottish, Welsh & Northern Irish seas, & for the govt to stay true to its word for England." Our director @hugotagholm.bsky.social 🔽
www.express.co.uk/comment/expr...

Brutal bottom trawling which bulldozes ocean floor could be banned in major win

Destructive bottom trawling fishing, which involves dragging large nets along the seafloor, could be banned across more vulnerable areas of English seas under new Government proposals.

www.express.co.uk

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 5

BREAKING 📢 The Government's own MPs and many others across parties call for a BAN on destructive bottom-trawl fishing in offshore marine protected areas🪸

This intervention from the Environmental Audit Committee shows that pressure is building 💥💥💥
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK MPs call for ban on bottom trawling in protected marine areas

Environment committee also wants to outlaw dredging and mining due to destructive effects on seabed and marine life

www.theguardian.com

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 31

Bottom trawling isn't just hugely destructive – it’s also unsustainably expensive. 💸

A ban in the UK’s offshore marine protected areas could deliver up to £3.5 billion in benefits over 20 years, while being 3X cheaper to enforce!

It's time for a ban 👉 act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 29

🌊 Alexandra Cousteau, ocean advocate & granddaughter of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau, calls for a bottom trawling ban in our marine protected areas ahead of the UN Ocean Conference. #SaveOurOcean 🪸

📧 Add your voice to protect our ocean! act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Jun 3

🚨 HIRING! We're looking for a passionate Marine Scientist to join our team.

🌊 This is the perfect role for someone in the early stages of their career who wants to use their science to protect UK seas.

📍 Cornwall/London

📷: 5 mins walk from our Newquay office 😄
workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

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Oceana @oceana.bsky.social · May 28

#BREAKING: New Oceana analysis reveals over 17,000 hours of destructive fishing took place last year in France’s "protected" Marine Nature Parks.

With the UN Ocean Conference approaching, France must ban bottom trawling in these areas — now. oceana.ly/3Heral6

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 22

🎉 HUGE NEWS: The EU Court has confirmed marine protected areas must be PROPERLY protected from bottom trawling! Countries must act to fulfil their legal duty to safeguard these areas from destruction. This is an absolute WIN for our ocean. 🙌 1/2
www.clientearth.org/latest/press...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 22

Now the UK must follow suit! ✊

There is no question: destructive fishing has no place in protected waters, in the UK or in Europe.

We are calling on the government to BAN destructive bottom trawling in all UK protected areas, once & for all. Join us here: act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...

Tell the UK Government to End the Destruction of Our Marine Havens

Bottom trawling is one of the world’s most destructive fishing practices. By dragging weighted nets along the ocean floor — some up to 240 meters wide — bottom trawling devastates coastal habitats, ki...

act.for-the-ocean.org

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 22

❌"As the iron teeth of the dredger bit into the sea floor & the weighted nets bore down [...] there was an audible reaction from the audience [...] the sheer brutality of bottom-trawl fishing had hit home."

Our director @hugotagholm.bsky.social in The National 🔽
www.thenational.scot/politics/251...

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Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · May 20

🚨 BREAKING: 20,000+ HOURS of suspected bottom trawling WRECKED the UK’s offshore marine “protected” areas last year, our research shows! 🌊 That would score tracks on the seabed that would stretch EIGHT TIMES around the UK. All with the government's permission! 1/4 🔽
www.express.co.uk/news/politic...

UK's marine protected areas face over 20,000 hours of bottom trawling

Bottom trawling is a fishing method where large, weighted nets are dragged across the seafloor by one or two boats to catch fish and other marine life that live on or near the bottom.

www.express.co.uk

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Alyx Elliott @alyxcampaigns.bsky.social · May 13

Tick tock, it's almost UNOC 👀

www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

@oceanauk.bsky.social @hugotagholm.bsky.social

Attenborough film shows seabed ‘devastation’ says MP in bottom trawling ban call

Climate leaders are set to meet in Nice, France, next month.

www.independent.co.uk

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Hugo Tagholm @hugotagholm.bsky.social · May 9

Bottom trawling is DESTROYING marine protected areas. ❌

But YOU can help take action against this hypocrisy. Email Secretary of State Steve Reed to demand an end to bottom trawling in ocean havens 👇

act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...

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Leana Hosea @leanahosea.bsky.social · May 12

When we interviewed @hugotagholm.bsky.social, he explained, destructive fishing practices are driven by huge corporate entities, not small scale, local fishing. Here, Anna Turns explores where to buy fish if you want to support sustainable fishing:

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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