Newsletter - August'10

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Marine Reserves

European Scientists' Consensus Statement on Marine Reserves — The statement here, launched and led by Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at York University, has been drafted in an effort to bring together the European community of marine scientists in affirming the need for marine reserves and express our profound concern over the lack of progress in implementing marine reserve networks in European waters.

Response to Outer Thames (OT) Potential Special Protection Area (pSPA) Consultation — A well worded response to the Outer Thames pSPA consultation by Fisherman Chris Wightman acting on behalf of the Anglian Fishermen's Association.

New Marine SACs and SPAs announced by Natural England and JNCC — Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has announced a new suite of offshore marine SACs and two new marine SPAs to be adopted, following public consultation, in 2010. These new marine SACs will join the existing marine SACs and form part of the UK's commitment to contribute to OSPAR's network of Marine Protected Areas in the NE Atlantic.

HPMRs and the Marine Act — We provide here a report on the MARINET campaign to try to secure the inclusion of Highly Protected Marine Reserves (HPMRs) within the text of the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. HPMRs are regarded by marine experts and scientists worldwide as one of the most important features of the ecosystem-based approach to marine management. However the reality is that whilst the UK Government says that it believes in HPMRs, it has failed to incorporate them into the 2009 Act. Thus HPMRs currently have no legal force or standing within UK law. So the MARINET campaign to establish a legal basis for HPMRs continues.

Coastal access plan 'a waste of cash' — A country lobby group has said the government could save the public purse tens of millions of pounds by scrapping “unnecessary and unwarranted” proposals for a statutory right of access to the English coast.

Scallop dredging in Cardigan Bay to be banned — It is reported (George Monbiot, The Guardian, 9th October 2009) that scallop fishing in Cardigan Bay is to be banned. Most of Cardigan Bay is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under EU law but, until now, this conservation designation has not prevented scallop dredging which, many argue, inflicts damage upon the marine ecosystem out of all proportion to the value of the scallop fishery.
MARINET's view is that all this underlines the necessity for a strong Marine and Coastal Access Act, which is shortly to complete its final stages in Parliament. At present the legislation is weak, and does not contain highly protected marine reserves which could protect fisheries. Nor does it seek to establish a management regime for our marine ecosystem where fisheries and marine conservation are seen as equal partners with common, indivisible goals.
Without a Marine Act that unites fisherman and conservationists, and enables conservation and economic uses of the sea to work in partnership, the problem exemplified by Lyme Bay and Cardigan Bay will remain unresolved, will continue to be replicated, and a huge opportunity to bring our fish stocks and marine ecosystem back into health will have been lost.

Troubled Waters — The Big Issue in the North has published in its 27th July 2009 edition (No. 783) an article about the serious condition of UK Seas and the need for the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill to address these issues.

MARINET amendments to the UK Marine Bill at Report Stage in the House of Lords, April 2009 — We provide here the full list of amendments proposed by MARINET to the Government and Opposition Parties in respect of the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill at the Report Stage in the House of Lords, May 2009. This includes both the suggested amended text, and the reasoning for these proposd amendments.

MARINET Briefing to the UK Government and Parliament, dated February 2009, on the need for Highly Protected Marine Reserves to cover 30% of UK seas — We provide here a short Briefing Paper on why Highly Protected Marine Rserves (also known as highly protected Marine Conservation Zones or MCZs) should be enetered into the text of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, and why a network of such marine reserves should cover at least 30% of UK seas out 200 nautical miles.

MARINET Briefing to the UK Government and Parliament, dated February 2009, on the Legal Powers possessed by to UK Parliament to create Highly Protected Marine Reserves in UK seas out to 200 nautical miles — We provide here a short Briefing Paper which explains the soverign powers which the UK Parliament retains which enable it to create Highly Protected Marine Reserves (also known as highly protected Marine Conservation Zones or MCZs) in UK seas out to 200 nautical miles in order to protect and rebuild UK commercial fish stocks.

MARINET submits written evidence to Parliament's Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill — MARINET has presented written evidence in June 2008 to the Joint Committee of The Houses of Parliament which was convened to consider the legislative and policy proposals contained with the UK Government's Draft Marine Bill, published April 2008.
For the details, see www.marinet.org.uk/marinebill.html#mswe

MARINET says Draft Marine Bill needs to be fundamentally changed — MARINET has outlined proposals to the UK Government for the creation of an ecologically coherent network of highly protected marine reserves which cover at least 30% of UK seas out to 200 nautical miles by 2015. Powers to bring this effect should be contained within the UK Marine Bill.
For the text of MARINET's evidence to the UK Government (Defra), see www.marinet.org.uk/marinebill.html#msdm

Draft Marine Bill — MARINET's Submission — MARINET has outlined proposals to the UK Government for the creation of an ecologically coherent network of highly protected marine reserves which cover at least 30% of UK seas out to 200 nautical miles by 2015. Powers to bring this effect should be contained within the UK Marine Bill.

The EU Marine Framework Directive is establishing the framework, based on "good environmental status", for the proper management of our seas. Marine Reserves will play a very important part in delivering this good environmental status and proper management of UK seas. See the EU and UK Legislation page for the text of the EU Marine Framework Directive.

MARINET's Briefing for Members of Parliament on the changes required to the draft Marine Bill, April 2008 — MARINET is running a national campaign to require the Government to create an extensive network of ecologically coherent "no-take" Highly Protected Marine Reserves in the forthcoming Marine Bill, covering at least 30% of UK seas out to 200 nautical miles. This Briefing explains the need for this extensive network of "no-take" Marine Reserves, and explains how this extensive network can deliver both the protection and restoration of biodiversity in our seas.

Tom Appleby, School of Law at The University of Bristol, has written an article published in the Journal of Water Law which examines the question of whether The Crown Estate, the owner of the seabed in Lyme Bay, Dorset, has a duty and a right in law to prevent the damage that has been caused to the rocky reefs in Lyme Bay and their marine biodiversity by scallop dredging. With the permission of Tom Appleby this article, titled  Damage By Fishing in the UK's Lyme Bay — A Problem of Regulation or Ownership?  is reproduced here.

Marine Reserves in New Zealand — The story of how the global Marine Reserves movement was born in New Zealand, its progress in that country in the protection of fisheries and biodiversity, and the current aspiration to set aside 30% of New Zealand's seas as marine reserves within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

An Illustrated Guide: — An in-depth illustrated guide to the various types of marine animals to be found in British seas.

A Layman's Guide: — An explanation as to why we need marine reserves and how we establish them.

The Eco-system Approach: — A guide to the principles of the eco-system approach to marine management and how to select and manage marine reserves.

References and Further Reading