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2025-03-31-accounts

REPORT & CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

(a company limited by guarantee)

Company number: 07176743 Charity number: 1137209

CONTENTS

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02

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

4

Charity Reference and Administrative Details

Trustees’ Annual Report

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)

Consolidated and Charity Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

6

66

67 68

69

03

CHARITY

Charity reference & administrative details

Year ended 31 March 2025

Senior Executive Team

Charity registration number 1137209

L M Smith FCCA

D Crockett

Company registration number

07176743

Directors and Trustees

G L Duffield

J Coumbe

J Brown

D Tudor (Departed July 2024)

C M J Gorell Barnes

Dr A K O Brady Lord J S Deben (Departed March 2025)

A S Blount (Departed March 2025) Dr C Herweijer C D Nelson

E Palanza J V S Siriwardena

F Z R Goldsmith (Appointed June 2024)

Registered office

Third Floor South Building Somerset House Strand London WC2R 1LA

Auditor

Sayer Vincent LLP 110 Golden Lane London EC1Y 0TG

Chief Executive Officer

C Brook

Bankers

Coutts & Co 440 Strand London WC2R 0QS

04

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

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WELCOME

wi T R U S T E E S ’

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Blue Marine Foundation is a charitable company limited by guarantee and became a registered charity on 30 July 2010.
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06

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Mh. About Blue Marine Foundation - Blue Marine Foundation is a conservation wf charity founded in 2010 that seeks to protect and restore life in the ocean. :

The challenge

that supports people and climate.

Blue Marine’s mission

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Blue Marine aims to make a major contribution to Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, to protect at least 30 per cent of the marine areas by 2030. Our focus is to work with governments around the world to help them \ deliver their 30x30 targets, while also working to secure marine protected areas (MPAs) on the high seas.

We are ambitious, aiming to be highly effective in our work around the world, but with a relatively small, focused team. We leverage our impact by working in partnership with governments, communities, local partners and international NGOs to deliver protection and restoration strategies. We deliver systems change through political engagement,

economic analysis, targeted science, media campaigns, legal interventions, investigations and education. We work collaboratively and strategically but without geographic restriction, in areas where there is a need for our intervention and a clear set of solutions.

Blue Marine has three strategic goals, which we believe are the most effective way to achieve our mission:

Securing effective protection of the ocean

We secure effectively managed marine protected areas that are closed to destructive fishing and other damaging activities.

Tackling overfishing and supporting sustainable, equitable use of the sea

We tackle overfishing and other damaging activities. We support lowimpact fishing and encourage a transition to fishing which benefits local economies and coastal communities without destroying the ocean.

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Francesa Page
Photo
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Restoring vital ecosystems

We restore marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Notable achievements

in the year ended 31 March 2025

In Greece, where we support multiple campaigns and projects, the prime minister committed to expanding the country’s MPA network from 20 per cent to 32 per cent, and banning bottom-trawling in all MPAs from 2026. The Greek government also announced Fisheries Restricted Areas to be designated in the island of Amorgos, and the creation of an MPA in the Ionian Sea to include the islet of Formicula. P14

Blue Marine and partners submitted an official proposal to the Greek environment ministry

In the House of Commons, Blue Climate hosted an event to launch ‘High-Integrity Marine Natural Capital Markets: A Roadmap for Action’. The event was attended by several MPs, and opened by Emma Hardy, Minister for Water and Flooding, and Conservative MP George Eustice. P48

Data from 15 years of monitoring showed that Blue Marine’s pilot project, the protection of the Lyme Bay Reserve on the South Coast, has led to a 95 per cent increase in reef species. It has also enhanced the abundance of fishes – in terms of overall numbers and diversity – by almost 400 per cent, and made the seabed more resilient to extreme storms. P33

Off the west coast of Africa, Blue Marine undertook a successful scoping trip to São Tomé and Principe to connect with local partners, meet government representatives, and understand the country’s conservation challenges. P30

In Uruguay, where we work with local partners, the 40 sq km Isla de Lobos MPA was designated. P24

Following public pressure generated by Blue Media’s #AgainstLonglining campaign, the government of the Maldives reversed its plans to permit fishing with the destructive longline technique. P42

The government of Curaçao invited Blue Marine to join a working group to designate 30 per cent offshore MPAs in the Dutch Caribbean nation in 2025. P22

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Following public pressure generated by Blue Media’s #AgainstLonglining campaign, the government of the Maldives reversed its plans to permit fishing with the destructive longline technique al a ————— ~— - c= fx SS

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

P 3 aw é ia pe sf a ff , a fr N A T I O N A L

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Blue Marine works in locations all over the world where there is an urgent conservation need, and where our expertise and experience can deliver tangible change. Where possible, we work with local partners and build capacity of local NGOs rather than inserting ; ae ag : our own team members for any length of time.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is one of the fastest-degrading and least-protected seas in the world. Blue Marine works throughout the region to create MPAs, protect carbon-storing seagrass, encourage more sustainable tourism, support small-scale, low-impact fishing and increase support for marine conservation.

term aim is to designate 10 per cent of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as no-take ‘ ji ~ : : for fishing, and have 30 per cent effectively protected. Working alongside the government, actions taken by Blue Marine, dedicated local community members and our NGO partners have helped to : secure significant decisions for protection, and positioned Greece as a leading EU nation for 30x30. | ea as hy Ses ‘ iat For years, the small-scale fishers of Amorgos have been trying to protect the island’s waters from the overfishing and pollution that reduce their catch and income. Their ‘Amorgorama’ initiative Dh eh 3 : Ni t. % . to promote sustainable fishing has been consistently supported by Blue Marine. At the Our Ocean Conference in Athens, the Greek y government committed to expanding the country’s MPA network Expenditure in the financial year to cover 32 per cent of its EEZ, and singled out Amorgorama as an exemplary model for sustainable fisheries: ‘It is the best example to £511,522 us – those in power – of citizens acting ahead of the government.’ Expenditure over life of the project This was accompanied by a formal commitment on restrictions in Amorgos to ensure a long-lasting, sustainable fishery. After years of £1,354,584 campaigning by our partners for restricted fishing areas in Greece, we are significantly closer to their formal designation.

Expenditure in the financial year £511,522

Expenditure over life of the project £1,354,584

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Designation of Formicula as an MPA

Restoring the Amvrakikos Gulf

The Amvrakikos restoration project was also launched this year, centred on this ecologically important gulf of the Ionian Sea and funded by Arcadia’s Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes programme. Run by the Amvrakikos Alliance, a consortium that includes Blue Marine, the project will focus on the active restoration of seabird sites and Pinna nobilis (the noble pen shell, or fan mussel), and the reduction of threats such as abandoned fishing nets, agricultural runoff and unregulated tourism.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Italy

the first in the Aeolian Islands. We have been highly involved in community outreach on Salina to push for ie ah the MPA, running a project with small-scale fishers and er

£324,953

£1,509,521

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Türkiye

Blue Marine collaborates with Turkish organisation AKD to protect the largest highly protected marine reserve in the Mediterranean, the Gökova Bay, from overfishing, invasive species, coastal development and tourism. We work with the local fishing sector to combat these threats through effective management, market development, monitoring and enforcement. In the past year we have strengthened the marine ranger system, with 1,388 patrols conducted in 2024, detecting 727 illegal fishing incidents. Establishing a patrol station in Orhaniye has allowed the team to enforce new areas of the MPA.

Expenditure in the financial year £230,468

Expenditure over life of the project £883,048

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

AKD also conducted bird surveys in Gökova Bay, sighting Near Threatened and Vulnerable species such as the redfooted falcon and European turtle dove. And five tonnes of invasive fish were purchased from small-scale fishers, with two tonnes integrated into local restaurants as part of the ‘Yeni Balıklar’ (New Fish) initiative to help develop a market for invasive species.

017

Cyprus

Blue Marine continues to work with partners Marine and Environmental Research Laboratory (MER) to improve marine protection and management around UK Sovereign Base Akrotiri. Our scientific evidence has enabled the development of proposed gear restrictions and seasonal closures, and a complete governance package has been created, currently under review by a Cypriot lawyer. Designation of the MPA is in its final stages and MER is committed to seeing it through.

Expenditure in the financial year £41,714

Expenditure over life of the project £133,274 - See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

,

a a Protecting sharks in the Mediterranean

At least 24 species of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean . . a ra ; ’ Expenditure in the financial year are classified as Exceptionally Vulnerable. There is a ao ~~=~~ a ban on fishing these species, but little evidence of its #i implementation. To prevent their extinction and ensure their - a £114,715 * Ch “ge << e o . a recovery, Blue Marine supports shark projects in Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Greece and Tunisia. For a unified approach . Expenditure over life of the project ke ale& —pei ONhy ~~a~~ to shark conservation, we are building collaborations £114,715 with scientists, fishers, policymakers and NGOs from all 22 Mediterranean nations. We have also partnered with - See note 18a - Movement in Funds_ Virginia Tech University to establish a scientific monitoring programme across North Africa and begun assessments of shark landing sites in Tunisia and Libya to collect useful data. Photo Jenny Stock

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Asia

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Indonesia & The Philippines

Indonesia

Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago is home to manta rays, sea turtles, 1,600 species of reef fish and more than 550 species of coral. We have partnered with local NGO Raja Ampat SEA Centre to protect one of the world’s most biodiverse seascapes here – the Northern Bird’s Head Seascape MPA. The project aims to replicate the successful community patrolling, monitoring and enforcement initiative at Gökova Bay MPA in Turkey. In the past year, Raja Ampat SEA Centre has developed a code of conduct and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) confirming our partnership with the ranger programme for the next five years. We are also discussing mobile apps for local rangers, as used in Turkey, to ensure illegal fishing is effectively monitored.

Elsewhere, Blue Marine is working with local partners Better Together Indonesia and Blue Forests on a project to restore blue carbon habitats, with a focus on the community-based restoration of mangrove. Surveying an area restored last year after six months, we found strong evidence of natural regeneration. Our partners, along with volunteers from University of Mataram, carried out baseline surveys in a further 15 hectares of potential rehabilitation area, and signed an MoU with the landowner.

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Below Oceanus Conservation,
co-founder Camille Rivera,
using a drone for mangrove
restoration monitoring
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Philippines

Through unsustainable aquaculture and coastal development, the Philippines has lost more than half its mangrove cover. Blue Marine works with Oceanus Conservation to restore the precious blue carbon habitat, using the community-based ecological mangrove restoration approach. We have completed Year 1 by planting more than 25,000 saplings to restore 10.39 hectares of mangrove. Monitoring revealed a survival rate of more than 75 per cent (the target range is 60 to 70 per cent). Our partners have provided livelihoods to six community members to carry on mangrove-monitoring (four of them women) and engaged a further 68 in restoration activities and nursery work at the sites. With the goal of providing meaningful and dignified livelihoods, Oceanus conducted workshops with them on leadership, governance and financial management.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

The Caribbean & Latin America

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds ~~a~~

by Blue Economics and Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance reached 29 staff members, primarily marine park managers from across the Caribbean. Blue Education also launched ee _ the Dutch Caribbean Ocean Observatory, connecting a S~: =.a™:¥ —— 2 a.= audiences with marine education resources. ra att -~ a _

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Barbados

Blue Marine is working with the government of Barbados to deliver an ambitious marine spatial plan that aims to designate 30 per cent of the country’s EEZ as protected, with 15 per cent fully protected against destructive use. We have signed an MoU with the government; Blue Economics is producing a natural capital assessment report; Blue Science, Impact and Innovation (SII) will support on research expeditions. We also engaged consultants this year, to support on marine spatial plans and an economic valuation report.

Expenditure in the financial year

£56,760

Expenditure over life of the project £56,760

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

Mexico

We are working with partners Beta Diversidad and Orgcas to designate the largest MPA in Mexico – the Dos Mares, in the state of Baja California Sur. This would cover 192,000 sq km of one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, home to mobula rays, orcas and nine species of whales. We are formalising a consortium of local and national NGOs – the Ocean Justice Alliance – to push political advocacy for the MPA designation and counter its opponents. The small-scale fishers' association DEPESCA supports the MPA; the governor of Baja California Sur, previously opposed, has now agreed to support it too. Orgcas is the scientific and operational coordinator of the MPA, and has signed a document with Mexico’s National Commission for Protected Areas, formalising their agreement.

Expenditure in the financial year £153,299

Expenditure over life of the project £339,431

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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Above Sea of Cortez Photo George Duffield.
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Dominican Republic

Following a significant victory last year, when the government of Dominican Republic announced its intention to protect 30.8 per cent of its waters, this year saw another big win for Blue Marine: the formal designation of two MPAs that we supported by gathering scientific evidence. Across the Beata Ridge MPA and Silver Bank MPA, a total of 119,000 sq km in the region has been protected. In 2025, we have been working to implement effective protection measures in these areas. Our partner, Caribbean Cetacean Society, conducted a scientific expedition in March on whale density, habitat use and behaviour. Data analysis is underway.

Expenditure in the financial year

£129,938

Expenditure over life of the project £365,982

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Uruguay

In partnership with the Uruguayan government and local NGO Mar Azul, we are aiming to protect 10 per cent of the country’s EEZ, to drive the region towards 30x30. This year saw the designation of Uruguay’s first MPA, at Isla de Lobos, protecting an area of 40 sq km. For monitoring and enforcement, we have secured a formal collaboration between the navy, local conservation NGOs and the government to increase surveillance at sea.

Expenditure in the financial year £162,641

Expenditure over life of the project £179,095

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

Brazil

Belém will host the next Climate COP in November 2025, and there is a significant opportunity to drive 30x30 goals in Brazil. Blue Marine is setting up SOS Oceano, an alliance of nonprofits and key stakeholders to push for new MPAs in the country and improvement of existing ones. This is a vital action that will enable Brazil to achieve 30x30 and safeguard marine biodiversity for decades to come. SOS Oceano has 16 members and aims to advance the creation of ten MPAs over the next six years, supported by a partnership signed with local NGO Sea Sheperd Brazil. The MPAs will prioritise no-take zones and migratory corridors.

Expenditure in the financial year

£64,481

Expenditure over life of the project

£64,481

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Chile & Chilean Patagonia

The kelp forests of Patagonia spread from the Pacific fjords of Chile, around Cape Horn and up the Atlantic coast of Argentina. The world’s largest schools of squid migrate northward here, followed by predators — including industrial fishers, who are collapsing the populations. Humpback, Blue, Sei and Right Whales also travel up the coastlines.

Expenditure in the financial year £374,827

Expenditure over life of the project £1,839,910

STR ATEGIC REPORT

AFRICA

Namibia

Africa’s second largest MPA – the Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area (NIMPA) – needs a management plan to protect it from threats such as diamond mining, overfishing, port development and marine mammal harvesting. With partners including Namibia Nature Foundation, we have produced an Operational Management Plan, in which we are training government personnel. Blue Economics is working on sustainable financing for NIMPA, and Blue Education on an ocean literacy toolkit to connect Namibians with their exceptional marine resources. We are also working with the government to protect 10 per cent of the country’s EEZ from destructive use.

Expenditure in the financial year

£25,477

Expenditure over life of the project

£205,921

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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Eastern Atlantic Ocean Corridor

Already listed as Critically Endangered, in the next ten years the African Penguin is at risk of extinction in the wild. At six of its last major breeding colonies in South Africa, home to 76 per cent of the remaining population, commercial fisheries have been forcing Expenditure in the financial year penguins to compete with purse seine vessels for food. With our partners SANCCOB and Birdlife South Africa, Blue Marine ran a £131,147 public campaign to urge the South African Expenditure over life of the project government to establish no-take zones here. More than 33,000 people signed a £131,147 petition – and the government agreed to close commercial fishing around the colonies, - See note 18a - Movement in Funds creating 4,027 sq km of effective protection.

Below Once one of South Africa's most ubiquitous seabirds, the African Penguins have lost 97% of their population Photo IStock

STR ATEGIC REPORT

Other International Projects

Antarctica

Blue Brussels

Blue Marine’s work in Brussels continued to expand in the past financial year. We supported the EU Permagov project in its review of EU marine environmental law and collaborated on projects to ban bottom-trawling in MPAs. We are part of a joint legal effort Expenditure in the financial year across multiple EU member states to make the Habitats Directive – the key 1992 law creating MPAs in Europe – finally apply to fisheries. We £30,787 recruited a new EU Policy Manager, Elisabeth Expenditure over life of the project Druel, to lead our strategy and coordinate activities in the Blue Brussels office.

Expenditure in the financial year £30,787

Expenditure over life of the project £221,743 - See note 18a - Movement in Funds

The Caspian Sea

Our goal is to protect 30 per cent of the Caspian Sea, improve fisheries management and save six species of Caspian sturgeon, rare salmon and seal from extinction. Following our MoU with the government of Turkmenistan last year, we made a scoping visit to advise on how the country can effectively designate 30 per cent of its EEZ as protected. We also conducted meetings to discuss Expenditure in the financial year protecting key habitats of the Caspian seal. We have been invited to submit a £11,362 full project proposal to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Expenditure over life of the project £78,446

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

Rituals – 30x30 Protection and MPA Scoping

With only five years left to achieve Blue Marine’s mission – the Global Biodiversity Framework target of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 – we recognise the urgency of creating MPAs, and have recruited a new senior consultant, Max Bello, as our Global MPA Specialist. Since January 2025, our International Projects team have collectively spent 113 days scoping out new projects and providing technical expertise, in locations that include Chile, Antarctica, St Vincent and Panama.

Expenditure in the financial year £193,555

Expenditure over life of the project £193,555

----- Start of picture text -----
- See note 18a - Movement in Funds
- Calculated as - Rituals 30x30 +
Rituals Scoping
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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Developing International Projects

Sâo Tomé and Principe

Situated off the western coast of Africa, island nation São Tomé and Principe (STP) is home to migrating populations of whale sharks that are under threat. Blue Marine has teamed up with Over the Swell, a group focused on whale shark conservation and engagement with fishers in STP. With our support, Over the Swell has recorded more than 70 official whale shark observations. This data

has been presented to the STP government, resulting in whale sharks being included as a protected species in two new government decrees that now await ministerial approval. In July 2024, Blue Marine undertook a successful scoping trip to connect with local partners, meet government representatives, and see the challenges facing fishing communities.

Expenditure in the financial year £16,722 ~~SS~~ Expenditure over life of the project £16,722 - See note 18a - Movement in Funds ~~ee ———————~~

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

After previous research and input from Blue Marine, the Caribbean nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) declared a ban on conch fishing during the three-month spawning season. In 2024, using local conch divers as part of the team, we searched for potential conch nursery grounds around the islands of Bequia and Isle à Quatre. On a visit to SVG in March 2025, Blue Marine Projects Director Jude Brown and CEO Clare Brook secured a commitment from the Fisheries Minister on the conch closed-nursery areas and on other management measures.

Expenditure in the financial year

£18,256

Expenditure over life of the project

£18,256

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

British Isles

Blue Marine is delivering ambitious conservation initiatives in a range of projects around the UK and Channel Islands. They include a call to ban bottom-trawling and destructive use of the sea, restoration of threatened habitats and species, and the establishment of low-impact, sustainable fisheries that benefit both marine life and local communities. These local projects also inform our policy and legal interventions to urge the UK government to better protect and manage its waters.

Future of UK Seas

Under the banner ‘Future of UK Seas’ we are working to ensure effective protection of all inshore MPAs, effective \ management of inshore fisheries to allow stock recovery, ~~. ) . and policy changes that deliver equitable use of marine resources and support small-scale fishing communities. >

Expenditure in the financial year

£293,851

7 = Expenditure over life of the project £4,910,919

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

- Calculated as Future of UK Seas +Bottom Towed Trawling & Dredging + General Restoration + Shell to Shore + Lyme Bay + Scotland

in English inshore MPAs

. F Banning bottom-towed fishing

Safeguarding small-scale fisheries

Inshore small-scale fisheries are an important component of the UK’s heritage and local economies. But they face competition from larger vessels, declines in fish stocks, and rising costs. To better understand these challenges, in autumn 2024 Blue Marine co-hosted two national three-day residential workshops, in Poole and Whitby. These attracted 120 participants – 55 of whom were active commercial fishermen – and identified priorities for change that we will take forward with partners in 2025.

Shell to Shore

In 2024, the Shell to Shore initiative was launched, to recycle oyster shells from five London restaurants for marine restoration projects. In a three-month trial, almost two tonnes of shell were collected, reducing waste and providing vital material to create new oyster reefs. The trial acted as a proof-ofconcept for larger-scale collections across London, and we are currently exploring options for continuation.

Lyme Bay

One of the largest MPAs in the UK, the Lyme Bay Reserve has kept more than 230 sq km safe from dredging and trawling since 2008, helping to preserve the largest colony of pink sea fans in the British Isles. A recent paper in the ICES Journal of Marine Science drew on 15 years of research in the MPA to highlight the remarkable recovery of the seabed from bottom-trawling, citing the vital contribution of collaborative management.

Scotland

In 2024, the government published a consultation to improve management of fishing activities in Scotland’s offshore MPAs that could protect 67,000 sq km of seabed from bottom-trawling. In 2025, we responded to

the government’s call for evidence regarding the programme. To assess the impacts of moving from bottom-towed to lower-impact fishing, in 2024 Blue Marine developed the Just Transition Analysis Framework, which we presented at a number of conferences.

We also partnered with the Our Seas coalition for the launch of Coastal Testimonies, an exhibition of images and quotes that has now visited numerous locations, reflecting the hopes of local people for Scotland’s seas. As part of an Our Seas Coastal Testimony event, we engaged with more than 50 Members of the Scottish Parliament, calling for better management of Scotland's inshore waters.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

UK Restoration

Solent Restoration

Once the largest in Europe, the Solent’s native oyster fishery collapsed in 2013. Blue Marine has been working to restore native oyster beds and demonstrate the benefits to people and nature. In partnership with nine other organisations, we lead the Solent Seascape Project (SSP), driving the concept of ecosystem-wide recovery through the protection and restoration of more than 3,700 hectares of seagrass, saltmarsh, oysters and bird habitat.

This year a further 5,000 native oysters have been deployed to a reef on the River Hamble in Hampshire. A new website and increased social media activity have widened our online presence; locally we worked with more than 540 volunteers. Team members presented at conferences including ReMeMaRe, and the UN Ocean Decade: the SSP was endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Action, making it part of a worldwide network for marine biodiversity. We also hosted knowledge exchange visits, for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Defra among others. A new film about our work to protect some of Britain’s rarest seabirds was also released.

Blue Climate published two reports to support the SSP, highlighting the importance of blue carbon ecosystems in the British Isles. Blue Economics is working to develop marine biodiversity certificates that have the potential to finance the project sustainably in the future. In 2025, we launched the Solent State of Nature Report, which found that vital habitats could be lost without intervention. We also initiated several stakeholder engagement workshops and have begun assessments for a new native oyster reef in Chichester Harbour.

Below Completed sediment retention barriers in place as the first tide begins to flood the creeks. Photo Luke Helmer

Expenditure in the financial year

£1,311,325

Expenditure over life of the project

£4,584,535

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds - Includes - Solent Oyster Restoration and the Solent Seascape Project

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Sussex Kelp Forests

Following the 2021 ban on inshore-bottom trawling off the Sussex coast, Blue Marine surveys in 2024 indicated the recovery of biodiversity. A further ban to cover 143 sq km off Beachy Head is proposed, and we supported this through the consultation process. To show the benefits of protection, we also launched a film on our crab and lobster research with fishermen in Selsey, near Chichester. A kelp recovery report was published in March 2025 ahead of a UK Kelp Summit in April – the UK’s first, bringing together researchers, conservationists and policy makers to explore the next steps in rewilding our seas.

Expenditure in the financial year £41,056

Expenditure over life of the project

£394,320

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

Saving At-Risk Fisheries

Ideas from Safeguarding At-Risk Fisheries – Blue Marine’s forum for everyone in small-scale inshore fishing – are used to lobby government to protect non-quota species like cuttlefish and crab. This year we responded to Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) on cockles, queen scallop, sprat, skates and rays, and others. We gave our input to FMP implementation and working groups, hosted an NGO workshop, and met with senior Defra officials about concerns over lack of management measures and the slow timeframe for FMP implementation.

Expenditure in the financial year £71,152

Expenditure over life of the project

£248,431

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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UK Channel Islands

Jersey

This year the island’s States Assembly approved the Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) that we have advocated since 2018. Its MPAs will cover 23 per cent of Jersey’s waters and be closed to dredging and trawling. Demonstrating the benefits of MPAs to the next generation, our snorkelling programme has now reached 840 children – more than 80 per cent of the island’s 31 primary schools. We delivered a classroom lesson to a further 300 pupils during the year, with an art project to help explain the MSP. Blue Education also launched Jersey Ocean Observatory, an online resource for teachers and parents.

Expenditure in the financial year ‘ (if — — = <n 2 —— i hg £182,430 — = vbr ~~be = — wy~~ Expenditure over life of the project & f eehay a fr hk" Niel . sy £855,171 ~~~ = a" '- * ~— ba - See note 18a - Movement in Funds_

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Other Channel Islands

On neighbouring Guernsey, Blue Marine co-founder Charles Clover spoke at the literary festival. The island is exploring developing an MSP like Jersey’s, which we are actively discussing. Relationships developed with Alderney and Sark have confirmed their MPA ambitions.

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UK Overseas Territories

More than four million sq km of ocean are protected around the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). Blue Marine, individually and as part of the Great Blue Oceans Coalition, works to ensure that the UK government upholds its commitment to the Blue Belt; that increasing numbers of territories are included in the programme; and that the protected areas bring benefits to the UKOTs themselves.

Ascension Island

In 2019, the remote and isolated island Ascension declared one of the largest no-take MPAs in the world: 445,000 sq km of mid-Atlantic Ocean is now entirely free from industrial fishing. A recent scientific publication showed that spillover from the MPA has increased catches of tuna in nearby fishing areas, while the highest number of green turtles on record were recorded to be nesting on the island.

Blue Marine established the Ascension Island Marine Protected Area Community Trust fund (AIMPACT) in 2021 which brings in a regular income to support community, education, environment and heritage projects on island. We have been working with Ascension for over a decade, ensuring that in return for hosting one of the largest and most effective no-take zones in the world, the community receives a regular income. The fund delivers an annual return, in perpetuity, to support community, heritage, education and environmental projects on this remote and beautiful island. In 2025, AIMPACT approved funding for 14 community, environmental, education and heritage projects.

Expenditure in the financial year aay A na ¥ ae, OS heath eS =e ee Aye. ®t ‘ Se SS ORS £268,173 Expenditure over life of the project £1,538,620 See Oe Lay inte

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St. Helena

With our local partners on the island of St Helena National Trust and alongside the St Helena government marine team, we have been working to ensure better protection of the 444,916 sq km of its MPA, and demonstrate how a local, small-scale fishery can work with marine protection to improve livelihoods and conservation outcomes. The marine environment of St Helena protects a wide diversity of species, from whale sharks to endemic fish, humpback whales to hammerhead sharks and delicate corals. Our project here is aimed to feed into the Government consultation process to deliver new, stronger marine policies and fisheries legislation to manage the MPA. Low-impact pole-and-line tuna fishing and accredited marine tourism within the MPA support local livelihoods, while destructive activities are now £51,778 legally prohibited.

Expenditure in the financial year £51,778

Expenditure over life of the project

To boost support for this MPA and increase on island capacity for conservation, Blue Education relaunched a dive scholarship programme aimed at introducing diving skills to young people taking Marine Science GCSE or seeking experience in the marine sector. Blue Media produced a mini documentary that followed the journey one of the dive scholars.

£913,767

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

a oe In addition to our project locations across the world, Blue Marine has developed eight specialist units. These act as global strategies for change, to unlock ocean conservation through t the following approaches:

Raising awareness using Blue Media and Blue Education. 1 Revealing the truth of the state of the oceans with Blue Investigations and Blue 2 Science.

Pressing for change in the way the ocean is managed through Blue Legal and Blue 3 Policy.

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Changing the way the ocean is valued via Blue Economics and Blue 4 Climate.

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Blue Media

Blue Media connects and informs audiences, showcasing the stories of the ocean through national and global press editorial, by innovative visual media, and through media campaigns. This year the unit increased in size, with the recruitment of Communications Manager Georgina Aldana. Our key campaigns included:

OCEAN with David Attenborough

As the financial year ended, we were organising the world premiere of ‘OCEAN with David Attenborough’, a feature-length documentary highlighting the effects of destructive fishing. To capitalise on its release, we planned to launch a nationwide campaign for a ban on bottom-trawling in UK MPAs.

Expenditure in the financial year £662,461

Expenditure over life of the unit £2,118,402

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

#AgainstLongLining

Early in August 2024, the government of the Maldives announced it would issue licences to fish for tuna in its waters using the destructive longlining technique. Longlining jeopardises the livelihoods of local fishing communities, and snares bycatch, such as turtles and sharks. In response to this, and the concerns of the communities, the #AgainstLonglining campaign was launched by Blue Marine and local partners. In less than three weeks an online petition collected more than 30,000 signatures, the social media campaign generated 8.2 million impressions, and more than 170 scientists expressed their concern in an open letter. At the end of August, the government reversed its plans.

#SaveAfricanPenguins

In October 2024, the African Penguin was designated as Critically Endangered. At the six last major breeding colonies in South Africa, comprising 76 per cent of the global population, the birds were forced to compete for food with industrial fishing vessels. Working with South African partners we created a storytelling campaign that gained an editorial reach of 2.2 billion and mobilised 33,571 people to respond to our call for action. In response, the government of South Africa agreed to ban commercial fishing near the colonies, protecting 4,027 sq km of ocean.

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Blue Legal

Blue Marine’s legal unit challenges unsustainable fishing and uses the legal system to support Blue Marine’s strategic interventions, pressing for the proper creation and enforcement of the law at sea. Some key examples of our work from the past year:

Legal action against the UK government

In 2024 we brought a legal challenge against the UK government for setting fishing quotas beyond scientific advice, and without socioeconomic justification. The case went to trial on 5 March 2025 at the Royal Court of Justice in London, in front of which the Blue Marine team assembled, demanding that our oceans are fished sustainably. The case attracted major press attention, reaching an estimated 105 million people across 27 publications. On 28 March, we were informed that we had lost the case. The court’s judgment separated government decision-making across so many bodies that it was difficult to hold any one entity accountable. But the process revealed much about how these decisions are made, opening the door to further political pressure and transparency.

Sand-eel fishing in the North Sea

In October 2024, the EU took the UK to international arbitration following the UK’s decision to prohibit sand-eel fishing in its part of the North Sea. Sand-eels are the base of the food chain and essential for seabirds, larger fish and marine mammals. The EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement gave us just ten days from the establishment of the arbitration tribunal to file an amicus curiae brief – in which expert outsiders proffer an opinion on a technical matter. The case could set international precedent on the relationship between conservation and fisheries law.

Protecting the Dutch sector of the Dogger Bank

In the Netherlands, we have been working with a coalition of environment groups to protect the Dutch sector of the Dogger Bank MPA in the North Sea from harmful fishing. This follows Blue Marine’s successful case in 2022 against the UK government in the Dogger. It is likely to be a drawn-out case, with implications across the EU.

Expenditure in the financial year £423,251

Expenditure over life of the unit £1,284,469

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

- Calculated as – Blue Legal Unit + Offshore Marine Reserves

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Blue Education

Blue Education develops engaging materials and hands-on programmes to connect people to the sea and inspire all ages to become ocean advocates. This year we recruited a new Education Lead, Victoria Turner, who brings decades of experience in formal education and conservation. Below are two examples of educational resources we have created:

The Sea We Breathe: Virtual Reality experience

The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink, but very few people understand the processes behind this, or the importance of protecting the life it supports. Following the launch of our immersive education platform The Sea We Breathe in 2021, the Blue Education and Blue Media collaborated to offer it as a Virtual Reality experience. The VR has had more than 7,000 views – reaching children and adults alike across Blue Marine events, conferences and even an opera production. The Sea We Breathe platform is now available in seven languages and has been viewed more than 1.9 million times.

Expenditure in the financial year £165,997

Expenditure over life of the unit £749,456

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

Blue Ocean Literacy Toolkit: BOLT

A Blue Ocean Literacy Toolkit is a way to create education programmes specific to our conservation projects. A BOLT is designed to be used in areas where our partners report a weak connection between communities and the ocean, and where there are gaps related to marine topics in schools. The aim is to use BOLTs to shift perceptions in favour of marine conservation. Blue Education is currently developing BOLTs with our partners in Namibia and the Maldives.

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Blue Investigations

Blue Investigations researches and exposes overfishing and other methods of over-extraction, collaborating closely with Blue Media and Blue Legal to shine a light on harmful marine activities. Below are examples of our work this year:

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Investigating inequity in the UK fishing sector

With nearly 5,000 vessels licensed to fish in the UK, why is most of the landed catch value accounted for by just a fraction of them? Blue Investigations began with a survey of mackerel, which since 2020 has been fished hundreds of thousands of tonnes beyond scientific advice, benefitting a handful of very profitable companies. We have now broadened our analysis, and commissioned investigation firm Kroll to review the accounts and corporate structures of the companies involved.

Fighting the use of harmful drifting FADs in the Indian Ocean

We have been working to improve management of harmful drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) since 2023.

With French charity BLOOM Association we challenged the European Commission at the European Court of Justice over its decision to block crucial fisheries management measures for the Indian Ocean. We are also submitting an paper to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission highlighting noncompliance with existing FAD regulations by EU-owned fleets.

Expenditure in the financial year £209,902 ~~eS~~ Expenditure over life of the unit £996,461 - See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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Blue Science Innovation & Impact (SII)

Blue Science publishes scientific evidence, position papers and academic Le, publications to strengthen the case for increased marine protection and identify innovative approaches to marine conservation.

Measuring impact with Maerl

Expenditure in the financial year In 2024 we launched Maerl, our bespoke software for =, £50,454 measuring conservation impact. Maerl maps our project frameworks across our impact indicators, allowing project ~~ee~~ Expenditure over life of the unit managers to update impact data regularly, and ensuring ee . new projects align with Blue Marine strategy. What we learn P wee =) £254,167 from Maerl allows us to make decisions based on evidence F P eo « ye and data. - See note 18a - Movement 3 in Funds Supporting international projects VL ~~ge~~ The SII team supports Blue Marine’s projects through . ont — yy VAISD Ee fedat management, technical research and scientific support, “s : 7 4x Slime Pe , Sue7 7 ’AAci Caves}=F and unlocking useful tech. Members of the SII team participated in international expeditions and site visits to a£4 ~~MAME$idOlKRa e- ad?,i5ae Bahrain and Maldives and represented Blue Marine at CBD COP16 in Colombia. ‘ vg4 Je LLye SofBLS,ie

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Blue Policy

Blue Policy engages with decision-makers to implement and change policy in pursuit of sustainable fishing and marine protection. Some highlights of our work this year:

Bottom-trawling ban: an invitation to 10 Downing Street

Alongside our Media team, Blue Policy is working behind the scenes to ensure that we combine public pressure with sound political campaigning to ban bottom trawling in UK MPAs. Blue Policy hosted a parliamentary event, for which the team produced a pamphlet explaining how much of UK waters are still open to bottom-towed fishing. We showed clips of trawling visuals from OCEAN with David Attenborough to the Secretary of State for the Environment and held an exclusive meeting with Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s Special Advisers on environment, where we warned of the ensuing public outcry on the issue of bottom trawling. We were therefore delighted when, on 8 June 2025, the government announced its intention to ban bottom trawling in the majority of English MPAs, subject to a consultation period.

The high seas

The high seas encompass almost half the planet and two thirds of the ocean. If we are to safeguard 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030, it is essential to include them in protected area proposals. The High Seas Treaty, or BBNJ Agreement, was adopted in 2023. So far 107 countries have committed to ratification and 15 have ratified. Once 60 have ratified, the process to designate areas for protection can begin.

Blue Marine is working with Namibia Nature Foundation to protect the Walvis Ridge, a 3,000km chain of seamounts rich in marine life. We commissioned an assessment of the Ridge, which gathered knowledge of the area, including usage. The report outlined key scientific considerations, as well as who to engage with for presenting a proposal. A plan for the Ridge will involve huge collaboration. So far, we have led initial stakeholder engagement events at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Cape Town and CBD COP16 in Cali.

Blue Belt

As part of the Great Blue Oceans coalition (GBO), Blue Marine has worked closely with the UK government since 2015 to establish the Blue Belt of ten UK Overseas Territories, whose protected areas span 4.4 million sq km. In 2024 the campaign has focussed on advocating for continued and increased government funding to support these globally significant conservation efforts. In March 2025 the GBO hosted a parliamentary event with Under-Secretary of State for Nature Mary Creagh and more than 15 MPs. GBO has also submitted a response to the Spending Review and coordinated a letter from Labour MPs to the Chancellor urging continued funding.

Expenditure in the financial year £217,206

Expenditure over life of the unit

£1,472,291

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Blue Climate

Blue Climate aims to prove the value of the ocean as a solution to climate change. Our vision is for the ocean’s blue carbon sinks and flows to be valued and protected for their many benefits.

The role of climate-smart MPAs in achieving 30x30

Influencing international ocean climate policy

The Convex Seascape Survey

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Blue Economics Blue Marine aims to use economic models and innovative finance to unlock a quantum increase in ocean conservation finance, prove the economic viability of sustainable fishing, and examine the perverse economics of subsidised overfishing. International project support In addition to thought leadership, Blue Economics is involved in our projects in the — . Dutch Caribbean, Namibia and the Maldives, developing sustainable finance mechanisms to support MPAs and ecosystem service valuations.

Driving a market for biodiversity credits

We are involved in developing the first biodiversity credit in the UK, for the Solent Seascape Project, which is now the first marine project in Europe to develop biodiversity credits under Plan Vivo’s PV Nature. We also pushed the market forward through the publication of a report: ‘Credit where credit’s due: Identifying the core principles of a high-integrity biodiversity credit market’. N Following its launch, we hosted a workshop with = key private-sector GE stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing (Bi y the emerging nature market.

Expenditure in the financial year

£102,726 ~~SSS~~ Expenditure over life of the unit £435,176

- See note 18a - Movement in Funds

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

ONGOING DEVELOPMENT

Blue Marine continues to grow in ambition, impact, income and projects. We now have 75 active projects and workstreams across 27 countries. So far, our work has helped to protect over 4.8m square kilometres of ocean, an area equivalent half the size of America.

As ever, we are keen to keep our team relatively small and focused (although we do now have 64 employees), aiming instead to leverage our impact. Key to this is by working with trusted partners. We now have 217 partners around the world and a pre-requisite of deciding where to work is that we have trusted local partners, with shared ambitions.

We further leverage impact through our eight divisions, or units, which aim not only to provide vital expertise to our on-the-ground projects, but also deliver systems change in the way the ocean is managed. Our growing and respected units (Blue Investigations, Blue Economics, Blue Legal, Blue Policy, Blue Science, Blue Media, Blue Climate and Blue Education) uncover and challenge the way the ocean (and people) are currently being exploited through overfishing and offer governments ways a path to protection through sustainable finance, scientific solutions and community engagement.

Above all, we seek to employ and work with the most brilliant minds in our sector. Increasingly, some of the most experienced and respected people in ocean conservation are joining the already wonderful Blue Marine team. The result is an organisation that radiates energy, ambition and inspiration. In a challenging political environment, we are delivering positive change at an impressive pace.

CORE VALUES

Blue Marine’s mission is our inspiration and unites us as an organisation. Beyond this strong sense of united purpose, we have core values that guide how we achieve our goals, how we interact with each other and how we work with other organisations:

We are brave, innovative and pioneering. We work tirelessly and with determination, helping each other through a mutually supportive culture where all ideas are welcome. We ensure that Blue Marine is a warm, welcoming and friendly place to work, where everyone is treated with kindness and compassion.

We work with integrity, accountability and transparency, and without bias. Through our work we seek to achieve

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STRATEGY FOR THE COMING YEAR

We are midway through the most important decade for the environment in human history: either humanity can reset its relationship with nature and climate or it can continue on its exploitative path with cataclysmic consequences.

In the ocean, there is a clear route to this reset provided by the Global Biodiversity Framework, signed by 196 countries in December 2022. Included in its targets is the goal of protecting 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030.

Blue Marine’s strategy is clear: to impress upon as many countries as possible the urgency of fulfilling their 30x30 commitments and, where countries are keen to fulfil those commitments but unclear as to how to go about it, to provide our knowledge and expertise to help them. We think of the range of measures we can offer as being like a Swiss Army knife, so that, depending on the need, governments and partner organisations can select different tools. Examples of the blades available include: Scientific evidence gathering, MPA design and management, sustainable finance advice, education tools for stakeholder awareness and community support, film and other media, and legal assistance. Using any

combination of these tools, we work to catalyse largescale conservation as rapidly as possible.

All the while, we can demonstrate through our projects that marine protection and better marine management, far from being an imposition or sacrifice, is a win for everyone: for fishers, for tourism, for coastal communities, for young scientists and filmmakers, for anyone who loves the sea.

Our strategy remains steadfast: We will continue to work to persuade as many countries as possible to protect 30 per cent of their waters and help them, where we can, to achieve that goal. We also continue to investigate and tackle destructive overfishing, highlighting the toll on biodiversity, fish stocks, livelihoods and the climate of mass extraction of life. Finally, in key areas of the sea, where marine life is degraded beyond its capacity to bounce back, we will conduct ambitious restoration work.

balance between people and nature. We never discriminate on account of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, religion or age, but seek to nurture and empathise.

We collaborate with other organisations at both international and local level. We seek to empower the organisations we work with on the ground, providing

our expertise where and when it is needed and invited, and helping to build capacity so our legacy includes thriving local partners.

We unite with other NGOs around the world to tackle overfishing and its accompanying inequity and devastation that it causes to local communities. Where we can, we seek to expose and rectify those wrongs..

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

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saree Sr ee eee eee en —LegravenES ayeascae:eea CePeaeeeeSee Rigs ef apoSe saehoe ie es cc SidC4 e waeeaEe eee= aae Siempe ai i = ae:ee ipa saat one Vegeae Car pone. ofgeaePy et I[ai] =P ae ; et” oe Spe ee : ea. ue = eh PtpaigeEas,aga Se ee meaeee Eeeeky z egoeer es oeee giggt ireeeeee BeeGomepeBka SO a oe oe Pen al Ssseeoe eepee ee Ses aoe oe gee eee eee ee Passos Bae oe . The past financial year was another period of growth for Blue Marine as we achieved record levels of income at £12.98m (FY24: £12.26m, +6%). ie eeee With the additional funds available, we have continued to grow our team size strategically, to enable us to deliver on our global targets and react 2 aeeeSe ee oepiensa!er Sg nena eager a Fe eee.eeoe aeee quickly to conservation opportunities. As a result, the impact of our work : : continues to be felt in more locations around the world: this year saw us ey eae SOE eee ee develop and roll out multiple new projects, including Antarctica, Brazil aaoeCe and Barbados. Our diverse and robust donor matrix provides stability and apeer aserase Sie are Ente Bees:[no][ aes][Seren][peng][ a] ee certainty in an increasingly challenging global economic climate. pe— a . c Bh a aoo eae:eesaoe aei.ae Eanesieee aso Say Ong ei ensare se eer sages tae eae ee aere e eis Poe--.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

Charitable expenditure in the year declined 16 per cent to £7.74m (FY24: £9.21m), this was as a result of deferring a significant onward subgrant payment of £1.44m following a reforecasting exercise with Exeter University. The deferred grant amount will be paid to Exeter across the remaining project lifetime. factoring out this deferral, charitable expenditure would have been £9.18m, in line with last year.

Both donated income and trading activities income increased in the year. Donated income grew by 4 per cent in the year to £11.61m, whilst trading income grew by 24 per cent to £1.27m. The growth in income comes as a result of a diversified donor matrix and a reputation for delivering high impact conservation, factors that help to provide resilience against an uncertain external economic environment.

Blue Marine enters the 2026 financial year full of hope and expectation. The 2025 financial year presented a multitude of challenges, but through extensive planning and preparation the organisation continues to thrive. We are confident that we will continue to progress in line with our current growth trajectory, and are forecasting our first year of +£15m income and expenditure.

Going Concern

The Trustees of Blue Marine Foundation, having reviewed the forecast for income and expenditure budgets, remain confident that both the organisational operations and the planned charitable activities remain a going concern. Blue Marine places significant importance on planning, to ensure that the charity is adequately funded and resourced to be resilient and effective in adapting to change. There are no material uncertainties that challenge the going concern assumption.

Reserves Policy

‘Free reserves’ held at 31 March 2025 (consisting of amounts which could be spent excluding restricted funds and fixed assets and without disposing of investments) amounted to £2,784,074 (2024 - £3,496,542).

These reserves held represent eight months of free reserves, falling just below Blue Marine’s Reserves Policy of between nine and 18 months’ forecast operational expenditure (lower limit £3,265,329 and upper limit £6,530,658).

As an organisation, we recognise the urgency of our work and the need for immediate action. Holding on to unnecessarily large financial reserves would contradict that outlook, and the Trustees agreed to deploy our financial reserves to further support our charitable activities. Unrestricted expenditure on those activities grew by 45 per cent in the year to £3.29m from £2.27m. The deployment of unrestricted funds and the increased costs of operating a larger organisation resulted in the reduction of our free reserves from 11 months to eight months. Eight months of free reserves, while not imprudent, falls outside the free reserves policy of between nine and 18 months. (The policy had been changed during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that the charity to reflect global uncertainty.) In the June 2025 board meeting it was agreed by the Trustees to return the policy to between six and 12 months. ~~£~~ 054 BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Fundraising Policy

Blue Marine Foundation Trustees are committed to ensuring that fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical manner and Blue Marine adheres to the Code of Fundraising Practice as set out by the Fundraising Regulator. Blue Marine complies with the four values supporting the standards in the Code:

1. Legal. All fundraising must meet the requirements of the law.

2. Open. Blue Marine will be open with the public about its processes and will be willing to explain (where appropriate) if asked for more information.

3. Honest. Blue Marine will act with integrity and must not mislead the public about the cause it is fundraising for or the way a donation will be used.

4. Respectful. Blue Marine will demonstrate respect whenever it has contact with any member of the public.

Blue Marine has an in-house fundraising team whose efforts are focused on raising funds from established trusts and foundations, corporate partners and high-networth individuals.

Blue Marine’s fundraising team will not exploit a vulnerable circumstance, the lack of knowledge or apparent need for care and support of any donor at any point in time. Blue Marine does not solicit donations from the general public, either in person or by digital campaigns.

Blue Marine carries out due diligence and has agreements in place with all corporate partners, commercial participators and third-party fundraisers to ensure they comply with the same fundraising values and the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Blue Marine has received no complaints about its fundraising in the year ended 31 March 2025.

TRUSTEES AGREED TO INVEST OUR FINANCIAL RESERVES TO FURTHER SUPPORT OUR CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES. UNRESTRICTED EXPENDITURE ON THOSE ACTIVITIES GREW BY 46 PER CENT IN THE YEAR TO

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

Remuneration Policy

Blue Marine Foundation aims to maximise its impact by paying fair salaries to reward talented people. Blue Marine is committed to ensuring that we pay our people fairly to attract and retain the right skills to have the greatest impact in delivering our charitable objectives. In determining the remuneration of Blue Marine staff, the Remuneration Committee considers all relevant factors, including benchmarking against the charity sector, the complexity of the role, the experience of the member of staff, and ensuring the pay is responsible in line with our charitable objectives. The objective of the Remuneration Committee is to ensure that the senior management and staff team are provided with appropriate incentives to encourage enhanced performance and are, in a fair and responsible manner, rewarded for their individual contributions to the success of the Charity.

The appropriateness and relevance of the remuneration policy is reviewed annually, including benchmarking with other charities to ensure that Blue Marine remains sensitive to the broader issues of executive pay and the gender pay gap.

Investment Policy

Blue Marine Foundation’s governing documents permit investment of funds where the purpose of the investment falls within Blue Marine’s charitable purpose, including the creation and management of Endowment Funds. All of Blue Marine’s investments will be invested with a qualified professional asset manager or managers, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The AIMPACT Endowment Fund is managed by a dedicated AIMPACT Committee made up of at least three members, at least one of which will also be a Trustee of Blue Marine. The Trustees of Blue Marine authorise the committee members to make investments and expenditures within the purpose of the fund. The AIMPACT Committee provides thrice-yearly reports to the Blue Marine Trustees covering, 1) disbursements made to the beneficiary, 2) the status of projects financed by the fund, and 3) annual investment performance reports. Investment objectives are followed as per the agreed Statement of Investment Principles.

Because Blue Marine’s investments are made for the benefit of the global environment, the investment committee members seek, where possible, to invest the fund with managers who adopt an environmentally sustainable approach to investment. In particular, the committee seeks to avoid investment in companies which contribute disproportionally to climate change, are involved in mining, particularly deep-sea mining, and which are involved in or support overfishing. Companies with poor governance, poor human rights records and poor treatment of employees are also avoided where possible. Blue Marine requires that investee companies report on the environmental, social and governance performance of their investments as well as the financial performance.

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Risk Management

Blue Marine Foundation takes a pro-active and agile approach to risk management and considers the following three elements to be essential in ensuring the risks are properly understood, mitigated and prepared for. This risk management policy has been reconceptualised as a result of the global pandemic, following a review of the adaptability and strengths of Blue Marine in its response to the rapidly evolving challenges and identifying weaknesses in the face of unpredictable circumstances.

Element 1: Risk Register

Blue Marine maintains a traditional risk register, updated and approved by the Board of Trustees on an annual basis. The risk register is presented as part of the annual independent audit of accounts. The purpose of the risk register is to:

Blue Marine recognises that a risk register is only a small part of a resilient organisation’s risk management approach, and understands that the risk register is limited to dealing only with foreseeable, predictable risks.

Element 2: Risk Culture

Blue Marine considers organisational culture to be a key factor in its resilience and recognises the following aspects as critical to maintaining a strong risk-aware culture throughout the organisation:

Element 3: Risk Response Plans

The aim of a response plan is to facilitate the organisation and empower the right staff members to be more agile and reactive in combatting serious risks when they occur. Blue Marine has created six risk response plans to enable staff to react quickly and decisively should there be a risky situation requiring urgent attention.

The risk response plans cover scenarios that could occur relating to financial risks, legal/libel risks, HR risks, PR risks, data security risks and health and safety risks.

Each response plan involves a small committee of senior staff, plus one trustee representative from the board. Each response plan contains: the triggers, i.e. situations or events that would trigger the response plan being actioned; the staff members who are responsible for managing the situation; the steps that the decision-makers and committee are expected to follow in their response, including additional factors to be considered; and prompts regarding appropriate communications and follow-up. The risk response plans are communicated to all new starters and shared annually with all staff.

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STR ATEGIC REPORT

Following the 2025 financial year, the Trustees consider the key risks to the organisation to be:

Risk 1: Overextension/lack of financial stability:

Blue Marine has grown 12-fold in the last decade and is now a medium-sized entity. We are now operating in 27 countries around the world, engaged in over 50 different projects. Global inflation means that costs continue to increase, while increasing numbers of employees based overseas makes for a challenging operating environment. Therefore, a key risk is to ensure we continue to deliver against our mission while not over-extending ourselves, either on a project-byproject basis or in terms of our core reserves.

Key mitigations:

  1. Organisational growth has been accompanied by investment in the necessary systems, processes and controls to scale up while maintaining a lean and cost-effective internal structure.

  2. Blue Marine’s fundraising strategy has always been to deliver a stable and diversified income streams to ensure the organisation is financially resilient in uncertain times. No one donor exceeds 20% of overall income and the sources of funding are spread between corporates, trusts and foundations and high-net-worth individuals to ensure to excessive reliance on any one donor sector.

  3. The Board of Trustees regularly reviews the financial sustainability of the organisation, including the free reserves held, to ensure the organisation can be nimble and responsive to global opportunities while not over-extending our cost base.

Risk 2: Increasing volume of cyber-attack attempts

Blue Marine has seen a sharp increase in attempted financially motivated cyber-attacks and scams, typically through phishing or attempts to impersonate key members of staff. The Trustees recognise the severity of these attacks and as such continue to invest in IT systems that can identify, intercept and block these attempts.

On occasion emails do get through the initial systems barrier.

Mitigations:

  1. Blue Marine has developed a range of processes and policies that give employees the confidence to self-identify and report attempts such as training on writing styles, a quick and easy escalation process and annual cyber-aware training.

  2. Blue Marine also operates rigid financial authorisation and bank payments policies that require at least six eyes on every payment made, among other verification and authentication tests. The organisation regularly reviews, with the help of external IT specialists, its systems, policies and processes to ensure it is adequately protected against the threat of cybercrime.

Risk 3: Reputational risk by association

During this financial year Blue Marine developed projects in areas from Antarctica to Barbados, Brazil to Sao Tome and multiple other locations. As the organisation continues to grow and work with more partners around the world, the Trustees recognise that through this operational model there is an increasing reputational risk of connection by association.

Mitigations:

  1. Blue Marine deploys a thorough, transparent and fair due-diligence process that is designed to ensure the organisation is only working with partners that embody the same strong moral and ethical values that Blue Marine holds itself to and expects of those it works with.

  2. Prospective project partners will also be asked to provide written agreement to adhere to Blue Marine’s communications and publicity guidelines. These guidelines include the requirement to seek Blue Marine’s sign off on any promotional materials carrying its trademarks.

  3. Blue Marine prides itself on working with only the best project partners around the world and recognises the vital role they play in project delivery. The organisation has a rich history of always treating partners fairly and with dignity, championing their achievements and helping them to build capacity.

Risk 4: Growing exposure to complex tax scenarios

In line with the increasingly global remit of its work, Blue Marine has been on a transformation journey from a predominantly UK based organisation into one with global operations. This move brings with it significant benefits and opportunities, it brings the organisation closer to its work on the ground and provides real-time global support to project partners. It increases the talent pool for growing the team, including hiring key team members with local connections and strong networks and it opens doors to new funding opportunities.

While there are opportunities to becoming an organisation with international operations with just a UK and Belgian office it also carries increased complexity and risk, particularly in relation to tax. During the year Blue Marine was made aware of its requirement to register for VAT in the UK as a result of international services purchases made, having to account for and report on VAT despite having no recoverability greatly increases the complexity of day-to-day accounting and in how Blue Marine can work with project partners.

Resourcing is a further consideration, the organisation is now required to hire all full-time international team members as opposed to consultancy, this comes with significant complexity and cost – an international team member may now cost as much as double what they previously cost at the same take-home pay rate.

In the context of Blue Marine the work in each location isn’t significant enough to warrant a new office base in each location, accepting these additional considerations is still the most cost effective and efficient route to on the ground success, Blue Marine is confident that the benefits of working internationally far outweigh the risks and wouldn’t reduce its conservation objectives to avoid additional operational complexities. To ensure the organisation is always compliant with the relevant local laws Blue Marine works with trusted international hiring partners, seeks local tax advice on new developments and is well supported by a host of pro-bono experts in the UK.

059

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Other Policies

Blue Marine Foundation strives to be a transparent, accountable and trustworthy organisation. In line with these objectives, many policies are publicly available on Blue Marine’s website, including the Sustainability policy, Business Engagement policy, Antibribery and Corruption policy, Anti-fraud policy and Reserves policy.

Structure, Governance and Management

The names of the directors who served throughout the year, unless otherwise stated, are noted on page 2. The directors of the charitable company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law.

The liability of each guarantor in the event of a winding up is limited to £10. At 31 March 2025 there were 8 guarantors.

New Trustees are nominated by simple majority of votes at any meeting of the Trustees. New Trustees are provided with guidance as to their responsibilities from existing Trustees, from the Senior Executives and from Blue Marine’s Terms of Reference. The duration of a Trustee’s term will be three years, with annual reviews by both parties. Any Trustees approaching the end of their three-year term may stand for re-appointment for a further three-year term.

The charitable company is governed by Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 12 February 2010. Application of income of the charitable company is limited to the promotion of its objects. Decisions are made by simple majority of votes cast at a meeting of the Trustees.

The Trustees continually assess the risks to which the charitable company might be exposed and adjust the charitable company’s strategies and implementation of objects accordingly.

The Trustees are taking steps to incorporate the Charity Governance Code into the structure and culture of Blue Marine. Following a review of the Board constitution, one new Trustee was appointed in the financial year ended 31 March 2025, with two Trustees departing. The governance committee continues to meet on a regular basis to ensure ongoing progress towards best practice governance.

Blue Marine’s charitable objectives

The objects of the charitable company under the terms of the Memorandum of Association for this period and the future are:

The Trustees, having regard to the Public Benefit Guidance published by the Charity Commission, consider that the purpose and activities of Blue Marine Foundation satisfy the requirements of the public benefit test.

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The Trustees (who are also directors of Blue Marine Foundation – ‘the charitable company’ – for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and group, and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

charitable company and group, and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and group, and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditors are unaware.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the

Each Trustee has taken all reasonable steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make himself or herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditors are aware of that information. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at year end date was 7 (2024: 9). The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Auditors

Sayer Vincent LLP remains the charitable company's auditor and has expressed its willingness to continue in that capacity.

The Trustees’ annual report and strategic report were approved by the trustees on date and signed on their behalf by

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Date : 24 November 2025

Arlo Brady Chairman, Board of Trustees

061

STR ATEGIC REPORT

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Blue Marine Foundation

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Blue Marine Foundation (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiary (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the consolidated statement of financial activities, the group and parent charitable company balance sheets, the consolidated statement of cash flows and the notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the group financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in

the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on Blue Marine Foundation's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other Information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, including the strategic report, other than the group financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the group financial statements does not cover the other information, and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the group financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or

062

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the group financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ annual report, including the strategic report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, the trustees (who are also the directors of the parent charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed auditor under the Companies Act 2006 and section 151 of the Charites Act 2011 and report in accordance with those Acts.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are set out below.

063

STR ATEGIC REPORT

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Jonathan Orchard (Senior statutory auditor)

3 December 2025

for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor

110 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TG

Sayer Vincent LLP is eligible to act as auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

064

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

065

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 March 2025

**Note ** Unrestricted Restricted Endowment 2025 total
Unrestricted
Restricted
Endowment
2024 total
£ £ £ £
£
£
£
£
Income from:
Donations and
legacies
2 3,158,080 8,455,251 - 11,613,331
2,788,303
8,336,778
-
11,125,081
Other trading
activities
1,265,260 - - 1,265,260
1,023,130
-
-
1,023,130
Investments 65,722 - 32,908 98,630
83,634
-
31,225
114,859
Total income 4,489,062 8,455,251 32,908 12,977,221
3,895,067
8,336,778
31,225
12,263,070
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 3 1,066,170 - 482 1,066,652
980,041
-
481
980,522
Charitable
activities
3 3,287,602 7,740,142 - 11,027,744
2,267,538
9,207,722
-
11,475,260
Total expenditure 4,353,772 7,740,142 482 12,094,396
3,247,579
9,207,722
481
12,455,782
Net (expenditure)
/ income before
net gains / 135,290 715,109 32,426 882,825
647,488
(870,944)
30,744
(192,712)
(losses) on
investments
Net gains /
(losses) on 11 - - (58,226) (58,226)
-
-
188,515
188,515
investments
Transfers
between funds
18 (775,060) (775,060) - -
(492,360)
492,360
-
-
Net income/
(expenditure) for (639,770) 1,490,169 (25,800) 824,599
155,128
(378,584)
219,259
(4,197)
the year
Net movement in
funds
(639,770) 1,490,169 (25,800) 824,599
155,128
(378,584)
219,259
(4,197)
Reconciliation of
funds:
Total funds
brought forward
3,597,528 4,083,344 2,026,013 9,706,885
3,442,400
4,461,928
1,806,754
9,711,082
Total funds
carried forward
18 2,957,758 5,573,513 2,000,213 10,531,484
3,597,528
4,083,344
2,026,013
9,706,885

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 18 to the financial statements.

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2025

The group The charity
Note 2025 £ 2024 £ 2025 £ 2024 £
Fixed assets:
Intangible assets 9 97,136 18,914 97,136 18,914
Tangible assets 10 76,548 82,072 76,548 82,072
Investments 11, 17a 2,000,213 2,026,013 2,000,413 2,026,213
2,173,897 2,126,999 2,174,097 2,127,199
Current assets:
Debtors 14 1,512,436 1,257,854 1,272,619 1,253,966
Cash at bank and in hand 17a 7,844,774 6,638,807 7,839,774 6,633,807
9,357,210 7,896,661 9,112,393 7,887,773
Liabilities:
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year
15 (999,623) (316,775) (755,005) (308,087)
Net current assets 8,357,587 7,579,886 8,357,388 7,579,686
Total net assets 10,531,484 9,706,885 10,531,485 9,706,885
Funds: 18
Endowment funds 2,000,213 2,026,013 2,000,213 2,026,013
Restricted income funds 5,573,513 4,083,344 5,573,513 4,083,344
Total unrestricted funds 2,957,758 3,597,528 2,957,759 3,597,528
Total funds 10,531,484 9,706,885 10,531,485 9,706,885

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Arlo Brady

Chairman, Board of Trustees

Date: 24 November 2025

Company number: 07176743 Charity number: 1137209

067

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Cash fows from
operating activities
Net (expenditure) / income for
the reporting period
(as per the statement of
824,599 (4,197)
fnancial activities)
Depreciation and
amortisation charges
75,890 69,155
Dividends, interest and rent
from investments
(98,630) (114,859)
Losses on disposal on fxed
assets
- 637
(Increase) / decrease in
debtors
(254,582) (470,458)
(Decrease)/Increase in
creditors
682,848 (106,319)
Net cash (used in) / provided
by operating activities
1,230,125 (626,041)
Cash fow from investing
activities
Dividends, interest and rents
from investments
98,630 114,859
Purchase of fxed assets (148,588) (76,860)
(Gains) / losses on fair value of
investments
58,226 (188,515)
Net (additions) /disposals (32,426) (30,744)
Net cash used in investing
activities
(24,158) (181,260)
Change in cash and cash
equivalents in the year
1,205,967 (807,300)
Cash and cash equivalents at
the beginning of the year
6,638,807 7,446,107
Cash and cash equivalents at
the end of the year
7,844,774 6,638,807

068

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Notes to the financial statements

for the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

Blue Marine Foundation is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in the United Kingdom.

The registered office address is 3rd Floor, South Building, Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2R 1LA.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006..

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly-owned subsidiary BMF Trading Limited on a line by line basis. Transactions and balances between the charity and its subsidiary have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements. Balances between the two entities are disclosed in the notes of the charity's balance sheet. A separate statement of financial activities, or income and expenditure account, for the charity itself is not presented because the charity has taken advantage of the exemptions afforded by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

c) Public benefit entity

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

d) Going concern

The Financial Statements are prepared on the going concern basis which assumes that Blue Marine Foundation will continue as a going concern for a minimum of 12 months following the date of signing of this report. The organisation has sufficient reserves to continue to deliver its strategic objectives by the end of that period, and will still maintain an adequate level of unrestricted reserves by the end of it. The free reserves of the organisation are held in cash and liquid investments in order that these may be accessed quickly in the event that they are required.

e) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised so refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

069

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the financial statements

for the year ended 31 March 2024

1. Accounting policies (continued)

g) Interest receivable

h) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.

i) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

j) Grants payable

accounted for when either the recipient has a reasonable expectation that they will receive a grant and the trustees have agreed to pay the grant without condition, or the recipient has a reasonable expectation that they will receive a grant and that any condition attaching to the grant is outside of the control of the charity.

l) Operating leases

m) Tangible fixed assets

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

1. Accounting policies (continued)

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

n) Intangible assets

Intangible assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, intangible assets are measured at cost less any accumulated amortisation any any accumulated impairment losses.

All intangible assets are considered to have a finite useful life. If a reliable estimate of the useful life cannot be made, the useful life shall not exceed ten years.

o) Endowment Fund

p) Investments in subsidiaries

q) Debtors

r) Cash at bank and in hand

s) Creditors and provisions

t) Financial instruments

u) Pensions

v) Foreign Currency

071

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

2. Income from donations and legacies

2025 2024
Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
£ £ £ £
£
£
Donation and legacies
Corporate donations 346,769 2,818,210 3,164,979 748,232
4,008,122
4,756,354
Donations received from individuals 485,497 672,946 1,158,443 597,195
411,242
1,008,437
Donations received from Private Foundations* 837,414 4,361,330 5,198,744 436,053
3,463,449
3,899,502
Auction and events income 972,705 225,983 1,198,688 388,622
119,795
508,417
BMYC Membership donations 82,422 - 82,422 70,000
251,200
321,200
Donations in kind 385,094 211,282 596,376 496,393
63,995
560,389
Gift Aid 48,179 33,500 81,679 51,808
18,975
70,783
Government funding - 132,000 132,000 -
-
-
3,158,080 8,455,251 11,613,331 2,788,303
8,336,778
11,125,081

*Donations received from Private Foundations include:

*Donations received from Private Foundations include:

Association of IFCAs | Avilan Ocean Foundation | Belvedere Trust | Bentley Environmental Foundation | Blue Nature Alliance | Cambridge Conservation Initiative | Campaign National Park - Scotland | Chapman Charitable Trust | Clore Duffield Foundation | Cobb Charity | Don Quixote Foundation | East Head Impact | EQ Foundation | Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust | Esmee Fairbairn Foundation | Eurofins Foundation | Flotilla Foundation | Fondation Babel | Fondation Philanthropia | Foundation Scotland | Foundation Socindec | GD Charitable Trust | Greenpeace Ltd | Hampshire Foundation | JBM 2023 CLAT | John Ellerman Foundation | Karuna Foundation | Maldives Resilient Reefs | Marine Conservation Society | Martin Wills Wildlife Trust | Miami Country Day School | Miel De Botton Charitable Trust | Minderoo Foundation Limited | Namibia Nature Foundation | Newcastle University | People's Postcode Lottery | Portrack Charitable Trust | RE:WILD | Resources Legacy Fund | Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | Ruth Smart Foundation | Simon Gibson Charitable Trust | The Addo Trust | The Brewers Foundation | The Ciner Family Foundation | The Constance Travis Charitable Trust | The David and Kathleen Harvey Trust | The Fishmongers' Company | The Frozen Foundation | The Green Horizon Trust Charity | The James Gibson Charitable Trust | The Kelly Foundation | The Oakdale Trust | The Waterloo Foundation | The Windfall Foundation | Turing Foundation | UBS Optimus | Zoological Society of London

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BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

2. Income from donations and legacies (continued)

The trustees would like to thank the following companies that provided pro-bono support to Blue Marine Foundation:

2025 2024
£ £
Donated services
Freud Communications PR Support 20,000 100,000
Steve Edge Design Support 123,000 181,000
Rawlinson & Hunter LLP Accounting Support 50,561 74,127
The Prophets PR Support 63,100 22,416
Liontrust Investment Fee Rebate 14,224 13,050
Ocean Outdoor Marketing Support - 100,000
University of Portsmouth Research Support 67,196 63,996
Hutch Design Support 9,860 5,800
Wightlink Travel costs support 2,754 -
Ivy Street HR Support 250 -
The Like Minded Design Support 9,480 -
Joe Billings Website Support 1,350 -
SignUp Media Marketing Support 154 -
Duncan Nicholls Photography Support 720 -
Victoria Nomikos Event Support 2,344 -
Marie-Athena Event Support 2,800 -
Christie's Auction Support 31,388 -
Adnams Event Support 1,415 -
Climpson and Sons Event Support 10,000 -
Microsoft Event Support 1,080 -
De Bandt Legal Support 11,228 -
Cooley LLP Legal Support 173,473 -
596,376 560,389

073

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

3a. Analysis of expenditure (current year)

Raising funds Charitable activities Governance costs Support costs 2025 Total
£ £ £ £ £
Staff costs (Note 5) 555,047 1,989,382 815,187 - 3,359,616
Direct costs 197,969 2,587,562 - - 2,785,531
Grant making activities - 3,166,953 - 3,166,953
Marketing and
branding*
42 287,946 - 147,596 435,584
Programme related
events
24,838 332,284 - 46,858 403,980
Consultancy 46,140 4,482 - 264,561 315,183
Travel and subsistence 37,467 328,143 - 116,204 481,814
Offce costs 222 8,576 - 31,249 40,047
Premises costs - - - 148,852 148,852
IT costs 89 10,952 - 63,187 74,228
Other costs** 360 89,210 - 128,052 217,622
Foreign currency
revaluation loss
- 58 - 131,283 131,341
Depreciation and
amortisation
- - - 75,890 75,890
Bank charges 482 - - 4,293 4,775
Interest payable - - 68,737 68,737
Auditor fees - - 26,035 - 26,035
Legal and professional
fees****
- 199,175 148,605 - 347,780
Bad Debts - - - 7,917 7,917
Prior year corporation
tax
- - 2,510 2,510
862,656 9,004,723 989,827 1,237,189 12,094,395
Support costs 203,996 732,881 300,313 (1,237,189) -
Governance costs - 1,290,140 1,290,140 - -
Total expenditure 2025 1,066,652 11,027,744 - - 12,094,395
* Includes pro-bono services provided of £227,664.
** Includes pro-bono services provided of £49,027.
*** Includes pro-bono services provided of £69,949.
Total pro-bono services provided of £596,376.
Expenditure split 9% 81% 11%

074

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

3b. Analysis of expenditure (prior year)

Raising funds Charitable activities Governance costs Support costs 2024 Total
£ £ £ £ £
Staff costs (Note 5) 493,295 1,983,140 544,924 - 3,021,359
Direct costs 198,898 5,057,969 - - 5,256,867
Grant making activities - 2,099,730 - - 2,099,730
Marketing and
branding*
8 459,541 - 107,470 567,019
Programme related
events
89,292 20,742 - 63,872 173,906
Consultancy 33,203 32,940 - 203,363 269,506
Travel and subsistence 23,512 279,524 - 106,978 410,014
Offce costs 524 2,606 - 25,845 28,975
Premises costs - 1,425 - 132,271 133,696
IT costs - 3,924 - 41,821 45,745
Other costs** 29 94,860 - 69,705 164,594
Foreign currency
revaluation loss
- - - 40,839 40,839
Depreciation and
amortisation
- 459 - 68,696 69,155
Bank charges 481 - - 6,932 7,413
Legal and professional
fees***
- 13,050 131,864 - 144,914
Auditor fees - - 22,050 - 22,050
839,242 10,049,910 698,838 867,792 12,455,782
Support costs 141,280 569,912 156,600 (867,792) -
Governance costs - 855,438 (855,438) - -
Total expenditure 2023 980,522 11475260 - - 12,455,782

** Includes pro-bono services provided of £63,996.

Expenditure split 8% 85% 7%

075

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4. Net income for the year

This is stated after charging/ (crediting):

2025 2024
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fxed assets 52,966 56,615
Gain on disposal of tangible fxed assets - (22)
Amortisation of intangible fxed assets 22,924 12,540
Interest payable 68,737 -
Operating lease rentals:
Property 140,683 126,367
Auditor's remuneration (excluding VAT):
Audit - current year 26,035 22,050
Foreign exchange loss 131,341 40,839

5. Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel

Staff costs were as follows:

2025 2024
£ £
Salaries and wages 2,706,325 2,311,909
Employer’s contribution to defned
contribution pension schemes
198,682 281,934
Employers national insurance contributions 297,322 261,930
Other staff costs 157,287 165,586
3,359,616 3,021,359

076

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

5. Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel (continued) The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs and employer's national insurance) during the year between:

The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs and employer's national insurance) during the year between:

2025 2024
No. No.
£60,000 - £69,999 3 3
£70,000 - £79,999 3 3
£80,000 - £89,999 - 2
£90,000 - £99,999 4 2
£100,000 - £109,999 1 1

The total employee benefits (including pension contributions and employer's national insurance) of the key management personnel (including director-level employees) amounted to £649,191 (2024: £680,480).

There were payments made to trustees in the year with respect to the reimbursement of expenses incurred during business related travel. G Duffield £8,162 (FY24: £0) and C Nelson £438 (FY24: £0)

6. Staff numbers

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was 54 (2024: 49).

077

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

7. Related party transactions

There are donations totalling £125,172 (2024: £179,127) from related parties. There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business.

Included within the total donations are restricted funds from Portrack Charitable Trust who C Gorell-Barnes is also a trustee of, their £25,000 donation is restricted between the Scotland and Legal project.

Freud Communications, a public relations company of which A K O Brady is a director, provided pro bono PR services of £20,000 (2024: £100,000).

Clore Duffield Foundation, a foundation of which Dame Vivien Duffield DBE is a trustee and chairman, whom is a family member of G L Duffield, made donations of £5,000 (2024: £5,000).

Ocean 14 Capital - A company owned by trustees C Gorrell-Barnes and G L Duffield. Blue Marine executive staff provided consultancy services to Ocean 14. The consultancy provided was valued at £9,000 (2024: £6,750). Ocean 14 Capital also paid an annual licensing fee to BMF Trading of £20,000 (2024: £20,000).

During the year G L Duffiled, a trustee, made a donation of £11,300 personally and of £10,000 through the G D Charitable Trust and purchased a £15,012 piece of artwork at a Blue Marine charity auction.

During the year, Blue Marine Foundation received £775,060 (2024: £626,621) of gift aid from BMF Trading Limited. At the year end the balanced owed by BMF Trading Limited to Blue Marine Foundation was £207,579 (2024: £126,843).

Hutch - A company co-founded by key management personnel J Coumbe's husband. Blue Marine commissioned media and design consultancy in 2024 for £56,390 including £9,860 of pro-bono support (2024: £55,271 including £5,800 of pro-bono support).

During the year, Blue Marine Foundation recharged management costs of £13,032 (2024 - £10,944) to BMF Trading Ltd.

Other creditors include £1,687 (2024: £1,687) due to two trustees in respect of the funds advanced upon incorporation of BMF Trading Limited. The balance is interest free and repayable on demand.

All the above related party transactions were entered into at arms' length rates, subjected to appropriate benchmarking and were approved by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the Charity's constitution.

078

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

8. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. The subsidiary's charge to corporation tax in the year was:

2025
£
2024
£
UK corporation tax at 25% - -
Prior year tax charge 2,510 -

9. Intangible fixed assets

The group and charity

Website Trademark Goodwill Total
development
£ £ £ £
Cost
At the start of the year 41,304 1,167 - 42,471
Additions in year 101,146 - - 101,146
Disposals in year - - - -
At the end of the year 142,450 1,167 - 143,617
Amortisation
At the start of the year 22,390 1,167 - 23,557
Charge for the year 22,924 - - 22,924
Disposals in year - - - -
At the end of the year 45,314 1,167 46,481
Net book value
At the end of the year 97,136 - - 97,136
At the start of the year 18,914 - - 18,914

079

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

10. Tangible fixed assets

The group and charity

Leasehold Improvements Offce Equipment Total
£ £ £
Cost
At the start of the year 3,749 171,068 174,817
Additions in year 47,442 47,442
Disposals in year - 47,442
At the end of the year 3,749 218,510 222,259
Depreciation
At the start of the year 3,749 88,996 92,745
Charge for the year - 52,966 52,966
Eliminated on disposal - - -
At the end of the year 3,749 141,962 145,711
Net book value
At the end of the year - 76,548 76,548
At the start of the year - 82,072 82,072

All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.

11. Investments

The group The charity
2025 £ 2024 £ 2025 £ 2024 £
Fair value at the start of the year 2,026,013 1,806,754 2,026,213 1,806,954
Additions at cost 32,908 31,225 32,908 31,225
Investment managers' fees (482) (481) (482) (481)
Net gain /(loss) on change in fair value (58,226) 188,515 (58,226) 188,515
Fair value at end of the year 2,000,213 2,026,013 2,000,413 2,026,213
Investments comprise: The group The charity
2025 £ 2024 £ 2025 £ 2024 £
UK Common investment funds 1,835,867 1,894,093 1,835,867 1,894,093
Unlisted shares in UK registered
companies
- - 200 200
Cash 164,346 131,919 164,346 131,919
2,000,213 2,026,013 2,000,413 2,026,213

080

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

11. Investments (continued)

The Charity

Subsidiary undertakings
2025 £ 2024 £
Cost and net book value 200 200
At 1 April and 31 March

Details of the subsidiary undertakings are set out below:

Country of incorporation % held Activity
BMF Trading Limited
200 Ordinary shares of £1 each
England 100 Providing support to activities of
Blue Marine Foundation

Application of total return to permanent endowment funds

The trustees decided to adopt a policy of total return accounting for the permanent endowed funds from 1 April 2021. This means that you recognise what the original capital gift was (the trust for investment) and this must be held indefinitely. The gains and losses and income that arise on this investment form the 'unapplied total return', which the trustees have the power to release and spend.

They agreed to spend 4% annually, to be funded first from the income and any required balance by way of withdrawals from capital. This target would be reviewed annually by way of a 'smoothing formula' over rolling 5 year periods to ensure that this withdrawal target remains sustainable.

The preserved value of the permanent endowment fund represents its fair value as at 31 March 2025.

Trust for Investment Unapplied Total Return Total Endowment
£ £ £
At beginning of reporting period 2,000,000 26,013 2,026,013
Gift component of Permanent Endowment - - -
Unapplied total return - - -
Total 2,000,000 26,013 2,026,013
Investment return dividend and interest - 32,908 32,908
Investment return realised and unrealised gains - (58,226) (58,226)
Less investment management costs - (482) (482)
Total 2,000,000 213 2,000,213
Unapplied total return applied as income in the - - -
reporting period
Net movement in the period to 31 March 2025 2,000,000 213 2,000,213
Net movement in the period to 31 March 2024 2,000,000 26,013 2,026,013

081

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

12. Subsidiary undertaking

The charity owns the whole of the issued ordinary share capital of BMF Trading Limited, a company registered in England. The company number is 07004094. The registered office address is Third Floor, South Building, Somerset House, The Strand, London, WC2R 1LA.

The subsidiary is used for non-primary purpose trading activities by providing marketing and branding services to commercial organisations. All activities have been consolidated on a line by line basis in the statement of financial activities. Available profits are distributed under Gift Aid to the parent charity.

Alexandrina Sofia Blount, who was a trustee, was also director of the subsidiary. Lynne Smith and Daniel Crockett, key management personal, are also directors of the subsidiary.

A summary of the results of the subsidiary is shown below:

Summary of subsidiary results

2025 2024
£ £
Turnover 1,278,638 1,035,016
Cost of sales and administration costs (486,114) (408,395)
Proft on ordinary activities before interest and taxation 792,524 626,621
Taxation on proft on ordinary activities - -
Proft for the fnancial year 792,524 626,621
Retained earnings:
Total retained earnings brought forward - -
Proft for the fnancial year 792,524 626,621
Distribution under Gift Aid to parent charity (792,524) (626,621)
Total retained earnings carried forward - -

The aggregate of the assets, liabilities and reserves was:

Assets 411,566 135,731
Liabilities (411,366) (135,531)
Net Assets 200 200
Allotted, called up and fully paid shares 200 200
Reserves - -
Total funds 200 200
Amounts owed to/from the parent undertaking are shown in notes 14 and 15.

In August 2024, the charity incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary Blue Marine Belgium (ASBL) “BMB”, a company registered in Belgium with enterprise number 1012.921.015. The registered office address is Rond Point Schuman 6, 1040, Brussels, Belgium. The purpose of the subsidiary is to increase the presence of Blue Marine within the European Union. The subsidiary was not operational during the year and had no financial activity.

082

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

13. Parent charity

The financial activities shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements includes those of the Charity's wholly owned subsidiary BMF Trading Limited.

Summary of financial activities undertaken by the Charity

2025 2024
£ £
Total donations and legacies income 11,613,331 11,125,081
Distribution under gift aid from BMF Trading 792,524 626,621
Subsidiaries management charge 13,032 10,944
Total expenditure (11,634,691) (12,070,218)
Interest receivable 98,630 114,859
Net (outgoing/incoming resources) 882,827 (192,713)
Other gains and losses (58,226) 188,515
Net movement in funds 824,601 (4,197)

14. Debtors

14. Debtors
The group The charity
2025 2024 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Trade debtors 1,343,377 386,996 904,082 269,329
Other debtors 6,212 4,435 6,212 4,435
Prepayments 162,847 108,621 162,847 108,621
Other taxation and social security - 47,873 - 34,809
Amounts due from group undertakings - - 199,478 126,843
Accrued income - 709,930 - 709,930
1,512,436 1,257,854 1,272,619 1,253,966

083

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

15. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

The group The charity
2025 2024 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Trade creditors - 3,102 - 3,102
Other creditors 1,688 1,688 - -
Pension scheme liability 33,942 36,312 33,942 36,312
Accruals 120,889 206,305 110,688 199,305
Other taxation and social security 643,104 69,368 610,375 69,368
Amounts due to group undertakings - - - -
Deferred income (note 16) 200,000 - - -
999,623 316,775 755,005 308,087

16. Deferred income

The group The charity
2025 2024 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Balance at the beginning of the year - 111,542 - -
Amount released to income in the year - (111,542) - -
Amount deferred in the year 200,000 - - -
Balance at the end of the year 200,000 - - -

084

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

17a. Analysis of group net assets between funds (current year) General Restricted Endowment

Intangible fxed assets General
unrestricted
£
97,136
Restricted
funds
£
-
Endowment
funds
£
-
Total
funds
£
97,136
Tangible fxed assets 76,548 - - 76,548
Investments (note 11) - - 2,000,213 2,000,213
Debtors 405,232 1,107,204 - 1,512,434
Cash at bank and in hand 3,378,465 4,466,310 - 7,844,776
Creditors (999,623) - - (999,623)
Net assets at 31 March 2025 2,957,758 5,573,514 2,000,213 10,531,485

17b. Analysis of group net assets between funds (prior year)

General Restricted Endowment Total
unrestricted funds funds funds
£ £ £ £
Intangible fxed assets 18,914 - - 18,914
Tangible fxed assets 82,072 - - 82,072
Investments - - 2,026,013 2,026,013
Debtors 790,866 466,988 - 1,257,854
Cash at bank and in hand 3,022,451 3,616,356 - 6,638,807
Creditors (316,775) - - (316,775)
Net assets at 31 March 2024 3,597,528 4,083,344 2,026,013 9,706,885

085

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

18a. Movement in funds (current year)

At 1 April Income Expenditure Transfers At 31 March
2024 & gains & losses 2025
£ £ £ £ £
Endowment funds
AIMPACT 2,026,013 32,908 (58,708) - 2,000,213
Restricted funds
Aeolians 410 - - - 410
Antarctica - 241,299 (154,215) - 87,084
Argentina - 122,188 (94,025) - 28,163
Ascension 150,830 83,348 (229,048) 21,624 26,754
Asia 25,465 196,819 (115,210) 25,302 132,376
Bahrain - 132,000 (116,658) - 15,342
Barbados - 141,927 (56,760) - 85,167
Blue Climate Unit 105,456 187,823 (522,485) 428,629 199,423
Blue Economics 87,612 112,320 (85,020) - 114,912
Blue Education 127,589 55,252.33 (87,566) 36,667 131,942
Blue Investigations Unit 70,274 76,228 (84,508) - 61,994
Blue Legal Unit 165,182 409,902 (407,135) - 167,949
Blue Media Unit 199,723 381,515 (414,445) - 166,793
Blue Policy Unit - 118,877 (53,107) - 65,770
Blue Science, Innovation and
Impact (SII)
41,982 - 2,477 (30,960) 13,499
Bottom Towed Trawling and
Dredging
98,615 200,000 (96,869) - 201,746
Brazil - 166,330 (64,481) - 101,849
Brussels 49,147 70,433 (30,787) - 88,793
BMYC - 14,595 (14,594) - 1
Caspian 27,217 - (11,362) - 15,855
Chile - 92,709 (35,823) - 56,886
Convex Seascape Survey 286,627 620,278 (603,634) - 303,271
CVC Carbon Credits 43,447 259,947 (150,671) - 152,723
Cyprus 42,724 - (41,714) - 1,010
Dominican Republic 58,131 80,592 (124,459) - 14,264
Dutch Carribean 101,721 309,522 (217,991) 26,683 219,935
Eastern Atlantic Ocean Corridor 14,198 125,475 (131,147) 51,437 59,963
Formentera 3,000 1 (29,722) 29,721 2,999

086

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Restricted funds (cont.)
Future of UK Seas
General restoration
Greece
High Seas
At 1 April
2024
£
135,487
-
320,640
20,519
Income
& gains
£
200,000
43,230
604,424
1,937
Expenditure
& losses
£
(114,239)
(5,062)
(475,116)
(22,455)
Transfers
£
-
-
5,625
-
At 31 March
2025
£
221,248
38,168
455,573
1
Israel 8,651 - (8,651) - -
Italian Rollout 369,694 121,760 (243,107) - 248,347
Jersey 93,882 45,000 (96,906) 85,000 126,976
Kenya - - (9,986) 10,000 14
Lyme Bay 6,030 190 (4,617) - 1,603
Maldives - 39,332 (33,701) 104,260 109,891
Mallorca 217 - - - 217
Mediterranean - 120,103 (110,241) - 9,862
Mexico 242,018 120,944 (152,631) - 210,331
Mozambique - 2,905 (1,000) - 1,905
Namibia 39,483 7,798 (21,977) (25,000) 304
Offshore Marine Reserves 50,515 - (103) - 50,412
Palau - 36,000 - - 36,000
Patagonia 25,559 324,561 (280,093) - 70,027
Rituals 30x30 - 94,850 (66,047) - 28,803
Rituals Scoping - 354,062 (127,508) - 226,554
RvR MPA Exploratory Fund 26,997 93,433 (69,573) - 50,857
Sao Tome - 29,055 (16,722) - 12,333
Scoping - 33,897 (17,565) - 16,332
Solent Restoration 428,344 1,435,362 (1,269,605) 6,073 600,174
Scotland 38,866 10,625 (31,039) - 18,452
Shell to Shore - 45,000 (20,212) - 24,788
Species at risk 15,336 71,350 (71,152) - 15,534
St Helena 54,740 - (50,852) - 3,888
St Vincent and Grenadines - 29,458 (13,256) - 16,202
Sturgeon 47,847 - (15,728) - 32,119
Sussex Kelp 31,756 20,600 (22,658) - 29,698
Turkey 337,524 267,933 (230,468) - 374,989
Uruguay 83,742 102,063 (162,641) - 23,164
Wild Oysters 6,147 - (4,272) - 1,875
Total restricted funds 4,083,344 8,455,251 (7,740,142) 775,060 5,573,514

087

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

18a. Movement in funds (current year). Continued.

At 1 April Income Expenditure Transfers At 31 March
2024 & gains & losses 2025
£ £ £ £ £
Designated funds:
Ascension - (39,125) 39,125 -
Blue Climate Unit 7,914 - (49,119) 46,593 5,388
Blue Economics Unit 17,314 - (17,706) 8,500 8,108
Blue Education Unit 102,177 - (78,431) 9,996 33,742
Blue Investigations Unit 63,307 - (125,543) 46,942 (15,294)
Blue Legal Unit 1,500 - (16,013) 14,513 -
Blue Policy Unit 42,096 - (121,794) 79,852 154
Blue Media Unit - - (247,986) 247,986 -
Blue Science, Innovation and Impact (SII) 97,669 - (52,931) 6,238 50,976
Dominican Republic - - (5,479) 5,479 -
Dutch Carribean - - (3,046) 3,046 -
General Restoration - - (1,481) 1,481 -
Greece - - (36,406) 36,406 -
High Seas - - (19,850) 19,850 -
Italy - - (81,846) 81,846 -
Jersey - - (85,524) 85,524 -
Lyme Bay - - (20,000) 30,000 10,000
Maldives - - (39,688) 39,688 -
Mediterranean - - (4,474) 4,474 -
Mozambique 16,353 - (8,043) - 8,310
Mexico - - (668) 668 -
Organisational Development - - (38,245) 38,245 -
Patagonia - - (58,911) 72,137 13,226
Namibia 3,500 - (3,500) - -
Scotland 336 - (332) - 4
Scoping - - (37,849) 37,849 -
Solent Oysters - - (41,720) 41,720 -
St Helena - - (926) 926 -
St Vincent and Grenadines 5,000 - (5,000) - -
Sussex Kelp 17,198 - (18,398) 10,000 8,800
Total designated funds 374,364 - (1,260,034) 1,009,084 123,415
General funds 3,223,164 4,489,062 (3,093,738) (1,784,145) 2,834,343
Total unrestricted funds 3,597,528 4,489,062 (4,353,772) (775,060) 2,957,758
Total funds 9,706,885 12,977,221 (12,152,623) - 10,531,485

088

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

Purposes of endowment funds

The Ascension Island MPA Conservation Trust (AIMPACT) fund is supporting a marine protected area for the benefit of the global environment, managed as per an agreed Statement of Investment Principles.

Purposes of restricted funds

Restricted funds are held for expenditure in the 2025/26 financial year. The balances are held for the following purposes:

[A] Securing effective protection of the Ocean - We secure effectively managed marine protected areas that are closed to destructive fishing and other damaging activities. Example Projects of this work include: Ascension, Barbados, Chile, Jersey and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

[B] Tackling overfishing and supporting sustainable, equitable use of the sea - We tackle overfishing and other damaging activities. We support low-impact fishing and encourage a transition to fishing which benefits local economies and coastal communities without destroying the ocean. Example Projects include: Future of UK Seas, Brussels, Greece, Scotland and Shell to Shore.

[C] Restoring vital ecosystems - We restore marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species. Example Projects include: Asia, Bahrain, Solent Restoration and Sturgeon.

[D] Blue Marine's Strategic Units (Science Innovation and Impact, Policy, Investigations, Climate, Education, Economics, Legal and Media). Funds held to continue the expansion and impact of these units across all of Blue Marine's strategic goals.

The £775,060 of transfers into the restricted funds arises from BMF Trading, the charity's trading subsidiary. Consequently, these funds are recognised as unrestricted, as they originate from the sale of contracts for services. However, the charity has allocated the gift aid profits from the trading subsidiary to restricted charity projects based on discussions with funders.

Purposes of designated funds

Designated funds have been created by the board of trustees for the following purposes:

[A] The Trustees designated unrestricted funds to Projects that had opportunities to contribute towards our organisational mission. Funding was designated towards those activities in lieu of external funding being sourced. This is representative of Blue Marine's agile funding approach, to ensure critical conservation opportunities are not missed.

[B] Blue Marine's Strategic Units (Science, Innovation and Impact, Policy, Investigations, Climate, Education, Economics, Legal and Media) all receive designated funding towards activities that benefit a range of Blue Marine's projects.

089

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

18b. Movements in funds (prior year)

At 1 April Income Expenditure Transfers At 31 March
2023 & gains & losses 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Endowment funds
AIMPACT 1,806,754 219,740 (481) - 2,026,013
Restricted funds
Aeolians 10,932 - (10,522) - 410
Ascension 146,912 - (120,880) 16,500 150,830
Asia 47,020 108,298 (21,555) - 25,465
Barclays Carbon 58,185 - (58,185) - -
Barclays Exploratory Fund 6,916 - (6,916) - -
Barclays Rapid Action fund 20,495 (13,935) (6,560) - -
Blue Climate Unit 261,125 198,229 (551,749) 197,851 105,456
Blue Economics 92,479 82,177 (107,044) 20,000 87,612
Blue Education 39,736 254,657 (175,204) 8,400 127,589
Blue Investigations Unit 156,355 69,645 (155,726) - 70,274
Blue Legal Unit 47,630 375,901 (258,349) - 165,182
Blue Media Unit 286,801 286,106 (373,184) - 199,723
Blue Policy Unit - 6,077 (6,077) - -
Blue Science 56,177 - (14,195) - 41,982
Bottom Towed Trawling and
Dredging
100,000 100,000 (101,385) - 98,615
Brussels 91,485 11,744 (54,082) - 49,147
Caspian 32,877 8,299 (13,959) - 27,217
Convex Seascape Survey 317,192 2,972,651 (3,158,884) 155,668 286,627
CVC Carbon Credits 62,301 290,048 (308,902) - 43,447
Cyprus 74,571 49,713 (81,560) - 42,724
Dominican Republic - 294,175 (236,044) - 58,131
Dutch Carribean 93,124 163,489 (180,392) 25,500 101,721
Eastern Atlantic Ocean Corridor - 35,000 (20,802) - 14,198
Formentera - 3,000 - - 3,000
Future of UK Seas 36,782 175,000 (89,236) 12,941 135,487
Greece 310,156 467,781 (457,297) - 320,640

090

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

18b. Movements in funds (prior year) continued

Restricted funds (cont.) At 1 April
2023
£
Income
& gains
£
Expenditure
& losses
£
Transfers
£
At 31 March
2024
£
High Seas 31,931 - (11,412) - 20,519
Israel 49,554 - (40,903) - 8,651
Italian Rollout 228,079 233,086 (91,471) - 369,694
Jersey 152,212 60,000 (158,830) 40,500 93,882
Lyme Bay 40,091 - (34,061) - 6,030
Maldives 31,043 134,367 (165,410) - -
Mallorca 22,316 (16,959) (5,140) - 217
Mexico - 295,175 (53,157) - 242,018
Namibia 68,195 6,017 (49,729) 15,000 39,483
National Marine Parks 36,421 4,000 (40,421) - -
Offshore Marine Reserves 53,075 - (2,560) - 50,515
Patagonia 29,997 149,099 (153,537) - 25,559
RFMOs 30,540 - (30,540) - -
RvR MPA Exploratory Fund 15,386 151,745 (140,134) - 26,997
Scoping - 56,523 (56,523) - -
Solent Restoration 693,898 831,515 (1,097,069) - 428,344
Scotland 77,384 13,500 (52,018) - 38,866
Species at risk 53,042 - (37,706) - 15,336
St Helena 50,018 56,715 (51,993) - 54,740
Sturgeon 69,395 15,578 (37,126) - 47,847
Sussex Kelp 39,676 67,943 (75,863) - 31,756
Turkey 288,172 206,745 (157,393) - 337,524
Uruguay - 100,196 (16,454) - 83,742
Wild Oysters 43,642 25,000 (62,495) - 6,147
Windfarms 8,610 8,478 (17,088) - -
Total restricted funds 4,461,928 8,336,778 (9,207,722) 492,360 4,083,344

091

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

18b. Movements in funds (prior year) continued

At 1 April Income Expenditure Transfers At 31 March
2023 & gains & losses 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Designated funds
Aeolians 75,000 - (75,000) - -
Blue Education Unit 100,531 - (39,584) 41,230 102,177
Blue Investigations Unit 82,350 - (37,780) 18,737 63,307
Blue Legal Unit 42,304 - (40,804) - 1,500
Blue Policy Unit 59,826 - (153,963) 136,233 42,096
Blue Climate Unit - - (27,433) 35,347 7,914
Blue Economics Unit - - - 17,314 17,314
Blue Media Unit - - (11,151) 11,151 -
Blue Science 152,521 - (82,166) 27,314 97,669
Vincent and Grenadines - - - 5,000 5,000
Mozambique - - (3,647) 20,000 16,353
Mexico 120,000 - (113,330) (6,670) -
Patagonia 31,490 - (38,466) 6,976 -
Namibia - - (1,500) 5,000 3,500
Argentina - - (50,000) 50,000 -
Scotland - - (664) 1,000 336
Jersey - - (35,000) 35,000 -
Sussex Kelp - - (2,600) 19,798 17,198
Total designated funds 664,022 - (713,088) 423,430 374,364
General funds 2,778,378 3,895,067 (2,534,491) (915,790) 3,223,164
Total unrestricted funds 3,442,400 3,895,067 (3,247,579) (492,360) 3,597,528
Total funds 9,711,082 12,451,585 (12,455,782) - 9,706,885

092

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION

19. Operating lease commitments payable as a lessee

The group's total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows for each of the following periods:

Property
2025
2024
£ £
Less than one year 160,684 114,973
Between one and fve years 150,760 230,529
311,444 345,502

20. Grant Making Activities

Blue Marine operates with a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model, collaborating with partners around the globe to deliver conservation impact. While Blue Marine does not serve as a grant-making organisation, some activities fall under the scope of a grant and are disclosed as such below. This may occur where Blue Marine is the lead partner on a project funded by a Trust or Foundation and funds are therefore re-granted to other partners in the coalition. In all cases, Blue Marine works closely alongside the project partner, extensively supporting the project with expertise from the project team and the specialised units.

2025 2024
£ £
Project grants 3,166,953 2,099,730
Project grants during the year were as follows:
2025 2024
£ £
Agricultural University Athens 33,226 34,663
Aruba Conservation Fund 47,402 -
Ascension Island Government 245,170 4,100
Association over the swell 15,064 21,210
Associazione Kurma 6,850 21,003
Beta Diversidad A.C 123,613 -
Better Together Indonesia Foundation 19,561 22,285
Blue Forest 26,981 10,742
Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area 17,585 -
Caribbean Cetacean Society 64,373 94,563
Centro Para La Conservacion Y Ecodesarrollo 19,846 -
Chichester Harbour Conservancy 37,911 110,541
Condotta Isole Slow Siciliane 7,259 13,815
Consorzio Di Gestione Di Torre Guaceto 42,806 -
Cyclades Preservation Fund 34,245 55,775
Deep Rising 80,000 -
Defendamos Chiloe 43,866 28,746
Doggerland 61,111 62,364
Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance 13,308 82,772

093

STR ATEGIC REPORT

Project grants during the year (continued).

Project grants during the year (continued).
2025 2024
£ £
Ente Parco Nazionale Dell’Asinara 26,934 -
Fundacion Oceanosfera 4,100 -
Fundacion Patagonia Azul 39,512 -
Fundacion Por El Mar 12,500 -
Fundacion Rewilding Argentina 72,500 113,330
Great Whale Conservancy 36,000 36,000
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust 190,142 147,127
Havant Borough Council 37,582 -
Human Rights At Sea - 30,000
International Pole and Line Foundation 14,611 -
Ionian Environment Foundation 14,944 22,561
ISea Greece 227,990 175,276
Isle of Wight Council 23,487 44,918
Kelp Forest Foundation - 10,000
Libero Middei - 5,145
Love The Oceans Conservation 5,125 -
Lyme Bay Fishermans CIC 20,000 9,242
Maldives Resilient Reefs 36,651 3,227
Mar Azul Uruguayo (CHE WIREPITA) 141,018 41,914
Marine Environmental Research Lab 28,350 47,139
Mediterranean Conservation Society 200,000 98,808
MigraMar 24,808 -
Namibia Nature Foundation 24,920 15,000
Nature Foundation St. Maarten 27,954 -
Ocean & Climate Platform 20,000 17,363
Oceanus Conservation 69,703 21,733
Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano 41,741 -
Polynesian Voyaging Society 19,719 -
Project Seagrass 132,801 20,000
SANCCOB NPC - 20,802
Sea Shepherd Brazil 40,503 -
Seamount Expeditions 156,930 113,579
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 9,562 9,844
St Eustatius National Parks Foundation 17,833 -
St Helena National Trust 46,600 47,800
St. Andrews University - 35,000
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn 10,663 -
Stichting Mangrove Maniacs Bonaire 4,756 1,000
Sustainable Ocean Alliance 11,572 -
Sustainable Surf 10,246 9,739
The Ocean Foundation - 80,007
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 78,380 98,394
The University of Haifa - 39,574
The University of Plymouth 40,000 -
The University of Portsmouth 141,085 181,599

094

Project grants during the year (continued).

Vellmari Foundation
Virginia Tech Foundation
WWF Greece
Yayasan Raja Ampat Sea Centre
2025
£
44,720
55,792
24,888
40,152
2024
£
15,000
-
26,030
-
3,166,953 2,099,730

21. Controlling party

The charity is controlled by its Trustees.

22. Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The Memorandum of Association provides that every member, as defined by Clause 8 of the Articles of Association, is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of the company being wound up while he or she is a member. At 31 March 2025 there were 8 (2024: 9) members.

3rd Floor South Building, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA

+44 0207 845 5850 info@bluemarinefoundation.com www.bluemarinefoundation.com