Blog: Oceans

It’s Shark Week. You’re allowed to be excited. If you already like sharks you will doubtless be enjoying that the internet is awash with sharp-finned fun. But if you don’t know much about sharks, or are a bit wary because they’re scary, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about.

When I was little, I can vaguely remember a trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park for my birthday. This was back in the days when the world was black and white, Starburst was called Opal Fruits, and they still had dolphins in captivity in the UK. I don’t remember much, but I know we watched a dolphin ‘show’ with balls and hoops and clapping and ‘ooh-ing’.

You can’t see a dolphin in the UK doing that today. That is progress.

This morning I was at the High Court in central London where a historic ruling was handed down on who controls the UK's right to fish.

An attempt by big fishing firms to protect their decades-long stranglehold on Britain’s fish was resoundingly defeated in court. The judgement gives back control of our seas to the public and the UK government, rather than big industry.

Sorry these pictures are grim, but it's important we get the message out.

This morning, one of our undercover photographers sent pictures showing a magnificent fin whale being harpooned and diced up by an Icelandic ship.