From fishermen to waterskiers, sailors to surfers, anglers to birdwatchers – the UK West Country’s sea users are being urged to have their say about the future of south-west seas before its too late.
Finding Sanctuary is the first ever project that gives people a real opportunity to be involved in plans to protect the marine environment in the south-west, and those behind the scheme say that this is a once in a generation chance for interested parties to make their views known.
There are now just six months left for sea users to come forward and share their information and observations about the areas of sea they use in the south-west, so that commercial and leisure interests can be taken into account in the planning of new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
No MCZs have yet been proposed for the south-west, with the exception of Lundy Island whose protected east coast had designation changed from a Marine Nature Reserve to a Marine Conservation Zone this week, making it the south-west’s first MCZ. Central to the process is a regional Steering Group incorporating a wide range of water users that will make its recommendations for new MCZs to Government in June 2011. Local MCZ Groups will work alongside the Steering Group so that local information and views can also be considered.
According to Joana Smith from Finding Sanctuary; “By the end of our research work we aim to have a definitive map showing how south-west waters are currently used. This information is vital for ensuring that commercial and leisure interests can be taken into account in deciding where Marine Conservation Zones should be placed and what activities need to be restricted in them.”
While discussions with the fishing community are well advanced, Finding Sanctuary is still looking for input from a wide range of leisure sea users who could find their activities affected by the creation of new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). Possible restrictions could include no anchoring areas, new speed limits or even no take zones.
