» Campaigns » Marine Reserves

 
See below the contents for a brief synopsis of each item on this page
 



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.

Highly Protected Marine Reserves and the Marine Act

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 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.

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 (pdf file) 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 proposed amendments.  

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

A short Marinet Briefing Paper which explains the sovereign powers which the UK Parliament retains which enable it to create Highly Protected Marine Reserves (also known as highly protected Marine Conservation Zones or MCZsMCZ Marine Conservation Zone) in UK seas out to 200 nautical miles in order to protect and rebuild UK commercial fish stocks.

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

A short Marinet Briefing Paper on why Highly Protected Marine Reserves (also known as highly protected Marine Conservation Zones or MCZsMCZ Marine Conservation Zone) should be entered 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 […]

Legal Powers possessed by UK Parliament to create Highly Protected Marine Reserves in UK seas out to 200 nautical miles

A short Marinet Briefing Paper explaining the powers of the UK Parliament to create Highly Protected Marine Reserves.

MARINET Briefing on the need for Highly Protected Marine Reserves to cover 30% of UK seas

A short Briefing Paper on why Highly Protected Marine Reserves should be entered into the text of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, and should cover at least 30% of UK seas.

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.

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 […]

Damage by Fishing in the UK’s Lyme Bay – A Problem of Regulation or Ownership?

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 […]

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.

A Guideline as to the Principles of Marine Reserves and the Eco-system Approach for their Management

A guide to the principles of the eco-system approach to marine management and how to select and manage marine reserves.

A Layman’s Guide to Marine Reserves

An explanation as to why we need marine reserves and how we establish them.

References and Further Reading

Web sites Food and Agriculture Organisation of UN (FAO). Status of world fisheries and aquaculture 2002. Available at: www.fao.org/docrep/005/y7300e/y7300e00.htm MPA News. Available at http://depts.washington.edu/mpanews/issues.html Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution reports available at www.rcep.org.uk/index.htm Academic Articles Cox, C., and Hunt, J.H. (2005) Change in size and abundance of Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus in a marine […]