Mr Sarkozy has made a personal statement which commits France to setting up a network of Highly Protected Marine Reserves on the lines of the MARINET recommendations to our own government. In addition, he has also recognised his duty to act beyond the limits of European waters and include those parts of the sea in the control of French overseas territories. If this same principle were to be adopted in the UK, over three million square kilometres would be included in the scope of protection, in addition to the 0.75m square kilometres of the UK Exclusive Economic Zone in the scope of the Marine Bill.
(more…)

The Big Issue in the North published in its edition at the end of July an article about the troubled state of UK seas and the need for the UK Marine Bill to seriously address these matters. This article can be found on the Marinet website.
(more…)

Review of progress

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill has completed its Committee Stage in the House of Commons. The final steps, the Report Stage and Third Reading will be in October. It will then become law. (more…)

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill has completed its Committee Stage in the House of Commons. The Report Stage and Third Reading will be in October.  It will then become law.

In our view, Government has frustrated the very reasonable and responsible ambitions of those moving the amendments

Government has refused including ‘on the face of the Bill’

• highly protected marine reserves
• scientific criteria as the primary means for identifying and designating marine conservation zones (MCZs)
• establishing conservation zones covering a sufficiently extensive area of the sea to enable economic and social uses of the seas to be environmentally sustainable

However, we can offer two cheers as they have accepted that the network of MCZs should

• be set up in an initial form by 2012, and
• be ecologically coherent

We are looking for support for an amendment at the Report stage.  This is intended to remedy some of the problems caused by the omissions.