The UK’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has brought in new byelaws to protect reef habitats in four European marine sites (EMS) from bottom towed fishing in England.
These byelaws have been put in place with immediate effect to protect these areas from fishing activities as a result of a project led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Their purpose is to protect four reef sites of Community importance (SCI) - the Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Site of Community Importance (SCI), Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SCI, bedrock reefs in the Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone Site of Community Importance (SCI) and the Land's End and Cape Bank SCI.
For Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone SCI, an MMO byelaw will apply between six and 12 nautical miles from the coast and Cornwall IFCA and Devon and Severn IFCA byelaws will apply between zero and six nautical miles.
Land’s End and Cape Bank SCI will have an MMO byelaw applied to the Cape Bank portion of the site which lies between zero and 12 nautical miles and a Cornwall IFCA byelaw will apply to the Land’s End portion which lies entirely within six nautical miles.
For the remaining sites, MMO byelaws will apply to features throughout the whole site between zero and 12 nautical miles.
A full consultation by MMO and the IFCA on the proposed new measures, including draft byelaws and impact assessments, ran from September to October 2013.
European Marine Sites (EMS) are protected under the EU Habitats Directive.
