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A Ministerial Statement by Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding, has set out the Government’s plans to expand the UK’s MPA network, to make up for environmental damage caused by offshore wind farms.

New MPAs Will Compensate for Damage from Offshore Wind – and Fishing is in the Firing Line Again.

29 January 2025

A Ministerial Statement by Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding, has set out the Government’s plans to expand the UK’s MPA network, to make up for environmental damage caused by offshore wind farms.

Climate Smart Fisheries: Protected Areas or Sustainable Livelihoods?

9 September 2021

Adapting to climate change and reducing dependence on fossil fuels is something that the fishing industry, along with every other part of the economy is going to have to address. Some NGOs are making the argument that the solution lies with more marine protected areas. However, going all-out on MPAs as a “cure-all” for our seas risks perverse outcomes and real harm to coastal fishing communities. Dale Rodmell argues the case for a more cooperative approach that illuminates pathways to sustainable marine livelihoods that can deliver much more, and in the long run, be more adaptive to climate change.

HPMA Selection Process Rigged to Harm Fishing Communities

19 July 2021

The government’s process to select Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) needs a rethink. It is deliberately relegating human use issues to a second tier to be considered only once sites have been identified exclusively based on a set of ecological criteria. Instead, it should prioritise the search for sites that fulfil ecological criteria in areas where there are synergies with existing human uses of the marine environment.

Prepare for Displacement

18 May 2021

Lords appointment triggers NFFO change to MPA Policy. The appointment of Richard Benyon as Defra minister in the House of Lords has prompted a rethink within the NFFO on its approach to the management of marine protected areas.

Dogger Bank: Back to Remote Control

16 March 2021

“Closed” rather than co-management characterises the government’s first post-Brexit steps to defining its approach to fisheries management after the Common Fisheries Policy. Dale Rodmell examines the current proposals for this iconic site and what it signals for stakeholder participation in fisheries.