Lisa Bachelor

‘Hope and relief’ as seaside town’s last youth centre saved Charity praises effort to stop Ramsgate’s Pie Factory Music closing but calls for more youth services in coastal towns

I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to report on a good news story. And this one is right at the heart of what we are exploring in Seascape's ongoing Against the Tide series. Congrats to all at Pie Factory Music!

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university? When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...

One thing we have learnt as part of Seascape’s year long Against the tide series is that, in places of coastal deprivation, opportunities for young people on their doorstep make a huge difference to their well being. So what message does this send?

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Blind, slow and 500 years old – or are they? How scientists are unravelling the secrets of Greenland sharks Described by one researcher as looking ‘already dead’, the enigmatic creatures are one of the least understood species on the planet

How much do we really know about Greenland sharks? (The answer in my case was nothing at all, so I found this piece fascinating). @leylandcecco.bsky.social dug into some new research that questions a few of the things scientists thought they knew...

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Living on the edge: what young people in England told us about life on the coast As part of the Guardian’s Against the tide series, readers aged 18 to 30 share what they love about living in their coastal town, the challenges and why they often choose to leave

Thanks to all the young people (and one older person) that shared their stories here - and thanks to Guardian Community for setting up this call out

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How do you move a village? Residents of France’s last outpost in North America try to outrun the sea As rising tides eat away at the Saint-Pierre and Miquelon archipelago off Canada, plans to move the historic village to higher ground have divided residents

In my first for @theguardian.com, I reported on an unprecedented climate relocation project happening in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France's last remaining foothold in North America.

Inside the illegal eel trade: is there a way to stop Europe’s biggest wildlife crime before it’s too late? Interviews with experts and key players across four countries reveal why efforts to stop the multibillion-euro trafficking industry have failed – and how to save the endangered fish

A deep dive into a really knotty (no pun intended) problem that has global reach. How do we control the trafficking of endangered eels between Europe and Asia? Great reporting by Alexandra Talty

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Beasts of the Sea: the tragic story of how the ‘gentle, lovable’ sea cow became the perfect victim Iida Turpeinen’s novel has been a sensation in her native Finland. On the eve of its UK publication, she talks about her compulsion to tell of the sociable giant’s plight

I love this interview by @donnalferguson.bsky.social about the sad story of the fate of the sea cow and why what happened resonates today. I’m looking forward to reading the book

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Dogs and drones: how scientists are saving Washington’s endangered orcas Experts are finding new and more humane ways to protect the last 74 southern resident killer whales

How can sniffer dogs help save orcas? Maya Yang hung out with the gorgeous Eba for the day (as well some scientists) and wrote this lovely dispatch about the new non-invasive conservation methods being used to try and save these wonderful creatures

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘It’s not just our houses’: can a Scottish village save Queen Elizabeth’s coastal path from the waves? The people of Johnshaven have watched the sea edge closer and closer. Preserving the path is key to protecting their community

I really loved this piece by @rachelkeenan.bsky.social about a small community trying to complete the Scotland coastal path even as it crumbles before them. It’s a story of many places around coastal Britain as sea levels rise

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘I say where I’m from and they tell me they’re sorry’: growing up in the most deprived place in England The faded resorts and coastal towns of Tendring in Essex offer few job opportunities but many of its 20-somethings are set on finding their way in an area with one of England’s oldest populations

For the latest in our Against The Tide series about the lives of young people in coastal communities in England I travelled to Tendring in Essex with the project’s co-collaborator and photographer Polly Braden. Here is what we found

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Just a pole and line, like they fished as boys: how a Maldives tradition is ensuring tuna stocks thrive The country’s fisheries and the health of its seas still rely on a method practised for nearly 1,000 years – catching skipjack tuna one fish at a time

A beautiful and inspiring picture essay with words by Maya Yang and images by Ibrahim Bassam

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I’m obsessed with deep sea sharks: their bioluminescent spots are just visible in the pitch black environment they live in Most of these little-known but already endangered fish have never been seen alive in their natural habitat, but are under threat from bottom trawling and deep-sea mining

The last in Seascape’s ‘I’m obsessed with’ series. We bring you - deep sea sharks. I’ve loved running this series but after more than a year it’s time to wind it up. @donnalferguson.bsky.social has done an amazing job in researching and writing the whole series

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Toothless sharks? Ocean acidification could erode predator’s vital weapon, study finds Sharks could struggle to feed themselves efficiently in future, affecting marine ecosystem stability, researchers say

Another effect of an acidifying ocean, which is a subject we have been running a mini series on. This time, poor old sharks…

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Sun, sea and struggle: growing up in England’s coastal towns – podcast Helen Pidd grew up in Morecambe, and life in seaside towns has only got harder since she was a teenager. She went back to find out why

I’m so thrilled that the Guardian’s @helenpidd.bsky.social made an excellent Today in Focus podcast about the seaside town of Morecambe for Seascape’s Against The Tide series. Please do take a listen, it’s extremely thorough and full of inspiring young people

www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

Dramatic rise in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland Research shows steep increases over past 30 years, after summer of strandings across Europe

What’s behind the dramatic rise in the number of whale strandings in Europe in the last few years? Philip Hoare reports www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘It has echoes of happiness’: life for gen Z in the seaside town I once called home The Guardian’s former north of England editor returned to Morecambe after 25 years to discover the place where she grew up has even fewer amenities for young people – and the feeling of being ‘left be...

Helen Pidd, the Guardian’s former northern editor, headed back to her home town of Morecambe to see how life has changed for young people on the coast since she left. Can the Eden Project help turn the fortunes of a town in decline? www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Experts baffled as rarely seen beaked whales involved in series of strandings Incidents across northern Europe on 26 and 27 July have left scientists trying to understand why so many of the deep-diving whales have appeared

This one has left experts scratching their heads. Why did so many rarely seen whales wash up in one weekend? Reported by the excellent Philip Hoare

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How flood-ravaged Boston took on the climate deniers – and won As the Trump administration dismisses global heating, the coastal city is getting on with becoming one of the most climate resilient in the world. Here’s how

There is optimism in Boston despite the Trump cuts. Steve Rose reporting for Seascape

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe? With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceans

Me on Jeju island. An exploration of the idea of giving ‘personhood’ to animals, this time a special and threatened population of dolphins..

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Guardian view on young people in coastal towns: time to invest in their future | Editorial Editorial: Communities by the sea have been hit by economic decline and related social problems. Empowering a new generation can help turn the tide

Today’s Guardian leader, which focuses on our Against the tide series. It’s a reflection of how important the newspaper thinks the issue is. I can’t wait to get back out there and spend the year ahead talking to young people on our coast

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

‘If you hear your town is scum all the time that sinks in’: the young people in Blackpool refusing to be written off The seaside resort has become a byword for coastal deprivation but its youth say there’s a world of creativity bubbling under

More from our Against The Tide series. Today it’s Blackpool. More stunning pics by Polly Braden with thoughtful and attentive reporting by Annie Kelly

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Best done on Lisa.bachelor@theguardian.com if you have lengthy (!) feedback or suggestions.

We’re hoping to do some reporting comparing somewhere in Europe twinned with an English seaside town. If we pick the right places it could be interesting to look at just what you’re suggesting

If anyone is working with young people in coastal communities either as an academic, practitioner, youth worker etc and has been involved in something they really think has made a difference please get in touch. Or if there is somewhere you think we should visit please drop me a line and say why

‘We’re told we won’t amount to anything’: is it possible to change the fortunes of young people living in England’s coastal towns? Young people living by the sea are often in some of the most deprived areas of the country, but they say they want the chance to thrive. The Guardian is embarking on a year-long series to tell their s...

And here is a wider feature on the issue. We begun reporting months back and will spend the next year continuing this work. I would like to mention the wonderful Polly Braden whose documentary photography helped inspire the series and who we will be working with

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

We also plan to report from Wales, and hopefully Scotland and perhaps the whole island of Ireland for the rest of the series if resources allow but I’ve mentioned England only here because that is there the research in deprivation/mental health applies to and I don’t want to generalise

Young people in England’s coastal towns three times more likely to have a mental health condition They are suffering disproportionately and without help, say researchers, and unless they are given a voice, problems will continue to mount up

Today, the Guardian’s Seascape launches a year long series on young people in England’s coastal towns. What is it about living by the sea that results in poorer outcomes for many? Our news story to launch it. More in an hour…

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘They are a species on the brink’: can trees save the salmon in Scotland’s River Dee? Last year, a single female was recorded returning to one tributary of a river usually celebrated for its fish. Now a plan is in place to change things – but it’s proving controversial

The Dee is one of Scotland’s healthier rivers…but a single salmon returning to spawn in one of its tributaries last year has rung alarm bells. Now there is a plan - not not everyone supports it

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I’m obsessed with brittle stars: fish often nip off bits of their arms but they regenerate These starfish relatives have lots of remarkable features and are a keystone species. My hope is that we will recognise how vital these charismatic creatures are

The latest in our I’m obsessed with…series. This month it’s brittlestars

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Shipping is one of the world’s dirtiest industries – could this invention finally clean up cargo fleets? Freighters emit more greenhouse gases than jets, but a tech startup believes a simple and effective technique can help the industry change course

Want a positive story with some inspiring young women successfully pioneering green technology? Here you go…

www.theguardian.com/environment/...