North Sea

In 2023, DNA analysis found the houting to be genetically indistinguishable from Coregonus lavaretus, the common European Whitefish,and therefore not extinct.
In 2023, DNA analysis found the houting to be genetically indistinguishable from Coregonus lavaretus, and therefore not extinct.

The Houting's Remarkable Return: Not Extinct After All

The Houting fish, believed to have vanished from our waters, has made an unexpected return. Previously listed as 'extinct' on the IUCN Red List of Species, recent research has unveiled that this fish is not only thriving but is also not a distinct species as once thought.

The initial classification of its extinction was centred on morphological differences, especially the number of gill rakers. However, a detailed study published on bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com contradicts this.

The V-1302 John Mahn started out as a German fishing trawler before being converted into a patrol boat during the war. It was sunk close to the Belgian coast in 1942 by the British Royal Air Force, as part of the Channel Dash operation.
The V-1302 John Mahn started out as a German fishing trawler before being converted into a patrol boat during the war. It was sunk close to the Belgian coast in 1942 by the British Royal Air Force, as part of the Channel Dash operation.

Abandoned WW2 wrecks leak toxic chemicals in the North Sea

The V-1302 John Mahn was a fishing trawler requisitioned by the German navy during the Second World War and sunk by UK bombers in 1942. It has rested at 30 metres below sea level in the Belgian North Sea ever since.

Together with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, bio-engineer Josefien Van Landuyt examined samples of sediment in the area around the sunken John Mahn. In doing so, she aimed to discover whether old shipwrecks in the Belgian section of the North Sea continue to affect microbial marine life.

Karlsruhe was a light cruiser which participated in Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway in 1940.

German WWII cruiser found between Norway and Denmark

Statnett, the Norwegian state-owned power grid operator, made the astounding discovery of the lost Karlsruhe cruiser around 488 meters (1,600 feet) below sea level off the Southern coast of Norway, some 13 nautical miles from the port of Kristiansand. Signs of wreckage were first detected three years ago during inspection work when sonar detected a shipwreck only 15 meters from an undersea power cable between Norway and Denmark.

The comeback kid? Schools of plaice in the North Sea and Skagerrak are the largest ever recorded.

Resurgence of North Sea fish stocks

Many years of restraint and restrictive fishing quotas seem to finally have paid off. Within a decade the stocks of spawning cod have almost doubled

Though levels of cod in the North Sea are not yet what they were pre-crisis, a remarkable recovery is well under way and advancing. Along with cod and plaice stocks of herring, haddock, hake, Norway lobster, common dab and witch (Torbay sole) are also improving .

Diving with Seals of the Farne Islands

Aerial view (right) of the Farne islands

The Farne Islands are a small group of some 33 rocks and islets (depending on the state of the tide which has a rise and fall of over 6m or 20ft) located off the north Northumberland coast of England. At full tide, only 23 larger rocks and islands are visible, but all of those are eye catching. The entire group are a National Trust protected area and have numerous wildlife preserves, notably for their seabirds and seals.