What the Marine Bill means for UK marine life
The UK has more than 20,000 km of coast line, which cover a spectacular range of coastal habitats from rolling pebbly beaches of Lyme Bay in Dorset to dramatic sandstone sea-stacks of the Isle of Hoy, Scotland. Each of these habitats is home to a diverse community of plants and animals, but we often forget that much more wildlife is found beneath the waves; 25% of the animals that live in the UK are found in our seas.
What are marine protected areas and why do we need them?
The warm, nutrient rich waters of the gulf stream supply the western coast of the UK with the perfect environment for a blooming marine community. If you are lucky enough to venture below the tide line the world that awaits is full of spectacular animals including cuttlefish, tom pot blennies, velvet swimming crabs and cuckoo wrasse.
The marine protected areas (MPAs) in the UK were designated to protect specific birds, marine species or habitats under the EU birds and habitats directive; not to protect marine biodiversity as a whole. Creating isolated areas of conservation like this for a small number of priority species and habitats, does not tackle marine biodiversity on a landscape, or rather seascape, scale.
Lamlash Bay swans © Dr Sally Campbell - COAST
- 73 Special Protections Areas (SPAs) with marine habitats for birds
- 81 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect marine habitats and species, and
- 3 statutory Marine Nature Reserves(MNRs): Lundy MNR,Skomer MNR and Strangford Lough MNR.
Last year the Marine Bill was passed through parliament and the UK took an exciting step closer to protecting its biodiversity below the shoreline. The government plans to create a series of new marine protected area called a marine conservation zone (MCZ) by 2012. In English waters, there are four regional projects whose job it is to help consultation groups decide on areas to designate as new marine protected areas or MCZs: The South West, Irish Sea, North Sea and Eastern Channel
UK Marine Act 2009
These regional groups are involving all sea users; commercial, recreational and scientific. There is no limit to the number of areas that can be recommended but everyone must work together to meet the objectives outlined by the new Marine Act and work towards ecological targets. In January 2010, Lundy MNR was the first site to be established as MCZ.
For various reasons our seas are not thriving and many species are in serious decline
Dr Sally Campbell (COAST)
Surprisingly though, only two sites in the UK are truly protected. Lamlash Bay on the Isle of Arran (Scotland) and a small corner of Lundy Island MNR are designated No Take Zones (NTZ).
Scottish waters are protected by the Scottish Parliament through the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010; whilst the waters around Wales are governed by the Welsh Assembly and the Countryside Council of Wales.
Scotland in Miniature
Lamlash Bay © Dr Sally Campbell - COAST
Dr Sally Campbell, from the Community of Arran Seabed Trust, explains why she is smitten with Lamlash Bay: "The beautiful Island of Arran is located in the Firth of Clyde. Golden sands, fascinating geological features, sheltered bays, wave-battered cliffs and stunning scenery," she says. "The sea and coastline - all 57 miles of it - are part of the magical appeal."
"But designating it an NTZ is about protecting far more than the scenery. 'The seabed in Lamlash Bay includes rare and fragile maerl beds,"
She says: "Maerl is an ecologically important, calcified, pink coral-like seaweed that grows slowly on the seabed. It forms interlocking pieces that provide nooks and crannies, ideal habitat where eggs and juvenile species can develop away from predators. Maerl is an important nursery area for many species including commercially important ones such as queen scallops, cod, saithe and pollack. Once maerl has been destroyed it is lost forever, so it is vital that any healthy area of maerl must be protected, urgently."
Maerl seaweed © Howard Wood - COAST
"The NTZ will provide complete protection from any fishing by anybody, whether commercial or recreational. Nothing will be removed. This will give all marine life in the area a chance to breed and live without disturbance. In time, as numbers increase, they will naturally spill out into the surrounding sea, so commercially important species such as scallops and hopefully fish stocks like cod and saithe will increase."
Your seas your voice
The Marine Conservation Society's Your Seas Your Voiceproject gives everyone the chance to nominate their favourite coastal area as a place they want to protect. Vote for your favourite area for spotting crabs, paddling with fish or watching seabirds in flight, to ensure it is protected for years to come
Rip will leave Macduff Marine Aquarium in Moray to swim to the Atlantic.
