Since the initiative began, MMO has already provided a variety of management measures in four offshore locations, including Dogger Bank SAC, the biggest MPA in England safeguarding seabed habitat at 12,331 square kilometres.
In order to determine the most suitable long-term site protection, we also recently launched a call for evidence and sought opinions on MMO’s draught assessments of the consequences of bottom-towed fishing gear on an additional 13 marine protected areas (MPAs).
MMO will keep conducting comprehensive evidence-based analyses in collaboration with all stakeholders in order to ensure strong legal protections for our valuable marine environments.
These will be supported by a comprehensive examination of how such actions would impact fishing activity and will be based on the greatest available scientific data.
We are carrying out this work in a staged, risk-based manner to make sure that the MPAs most susceptible to harm from fishing activities are first evaluated and managed.
Additionally, we’ll interact with all users and stakeholders, including interested environmental NGOs with whom we’ve set up a platform for discussion and progress updates. Among them is Greenpeace.
Because we don’t think Greenpeace’s decision to drop boulders to create a barrier is appropriate or will assist safeguard our maritime environment, we as England’s marine regulator are extremely dissatisfied.
Any building that is deposited below high water must also comply with the Marine and Coastal Access Act’s requirement that it obtain a marine licence.
Since Greenpeace neither holds a licence nor has sought for one, their actions may be against the law.
In line with its regulatory role in maritime licencing enforcement and in light of the unauthorised conduct that has taken place as of today (Thursday, September 1), MMO has opened a formal investigation and is collecting information before deciding on its next course of action.
A substantial marine conservation zone (MCZ) offshore, South West Deeps (East) spans 4,676 km2.
It is situated in the Western Channel and Celtic Sea, with Cornwall being 190 kilometres to the southwest of where it is closest to land.
A range of significant species, including flatfish like sole and plaice on the seabed surface, types of clam, cockles, and marine worms, live in the region where the water depth may exceed 750 metres.
Additionally, a variety of commercial fish species, marine animals and birds, and their prey species may all be found at the location.
The area is a part of the MMO’s third round of managing fishing in its offshore MPAs, and the MMO is actively collecting and analysing data to guide its management choices for this site.
All essential fisheries management measures for all English offshore MPAs will be in place by the end of 2024, and any proposed management for this location will be the subject of public input.
There are just two UK static netters, which are fishing boats that deploy a static wall of netting (either a trammel or gill net) in a fixed location.
The majority of fishing boats operating in these seas are French and Spanish.
According to the data that are accessible, a variety of fishing techniques are used, including fly seining, bottom trawling, long line, and pelagic trawling.
Therefore, we believe that placing boulders here will have a negligible effect.
To guarantee that we can accomplish our shared objective of marine nature recovery, the MMO is still open to talking with Greenpeace.
In order to address our efforts to control fishing in MPAs, MMO actually just last week met with a variety of MPA stakeholders, including Greenpeace.