Restricted Fishing in 10,000km² of UK Waters
Nearly 10,000 square kilometres - 4,000 square miles - of sea around Britain could receive special protection, depending on the outcome of a consultation, which closes in March.
The NFFO will be meeting with representatives from the JNCC (Joint Nature Conservancy Committee - the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation) and the Marine and Fisheries Agency to discuss the impact on the fishing industry and develop the Federation’s response.
For all the details on the consultation, please see http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4040 but if you require copies of documents relating to this issue, or would like to contribute to the NFFO’s response, please email nffo@nffo.org.uk by 10th March 2008.
7 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), all beyond the UK’s 12-mile territorial waters limit, have been earmarked in the consultation by the JNCC, using the selection criteria contained within the EC Habitats Directive Annex III and EC Guidance on implementation of the Natura 2000 network in the marine environment:
- Braemar Pockmarks - 240 km east of the Orkney Islands.
- Darwin Mounds - 160 km north west of Cape Wrath, off north west coast of Scotland.
- Haig Fras – 95 km north west of the Isles of Scilly.
- North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef - off the north-east coast of Norfolk.
- Scanner Pockmark - 185 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
- Stanton Banks - south of the Outer Hebrides.
- Wyville Thomson Ridge - west of Scotland, in the Atlantic Ocean.
For a map showing these locations, see: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4164
The consultation aims to gather views from all interested parties on:
- Whether the scientific case for the identification of each of the 7 SACs is justifiable;
- Whether the likely economic impact of each site is justifiable.
The NFFO’s initial response to the consulatation is as follows:
1. Against the background of the Marine Bill (the draft is anticipated in spring 2008), which will include legislation for Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), the UK Government is committed to a global network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2012 and a network of SACs are being considered as part of this. Consequently, Defra will be required to pilot SACs.
2. The ability of MPAs to contribute effectively to the management of mobile fish stocks is very uncertain, so the NFFO has developed a number of minimum requirements for the designation and management of MPAs:
- Defined policy and management purpose;
- Prior technical evaluation of the area;
- Identified success criteria;
- Socio-eco impact assessment;
- Procedure for review/exit;
Although the final decision will be made at the European level, once SACs are suggested to the EU, they would become Candidate SACs and consequently receive the same level of protection as formally designated sites.
4. The identification and designation of SACs not take into account socio-economic factors. However it should be noted that these are subsequently considered within a site management plan. |
