West of Walney MPA

Summary

Last updated: October 2017

Site overview
West of Walney MCZ is situated approximately 8km west of Walney Island on the Cumbrian coast of northwest England. The site has an area of approximately 388km² and includes part of an area known as the eastern Irish Sea mud belt that is geographically isolated from the deep water mud habitat in the western Irish Sea.

The seabed in the MCZ contains two broad-scale habitats (BSH); subtidal mud and subtidal sand. A particular type of mud habitat known as Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities occurs here, characterised by the presence of sea-pens (feather-like soft corals) and burrowing animals such as mud shrimp and the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus. The burrowing activity of these animals provides an important ecological function in the bioturbation (mixing) of the sediments, this allows oxygen to penetrate deeper and increases the structural complexity of the habitat. Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities are a habitat Feature of Conservation Importance (FOCI) and an OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining habitat in the north east Atlantic and specifically in the Irish Sea.

This mud habitat is of high commercial fishing interest as it is the supporting habitat of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus. The Nephrops population in the eastern Irish Sea is smaller (in number) than the western Irish Sea, and the two populations are not thought to be connected by larval dispersal. Historical survey data, conducted off Sellafield, Cumbria, found the slender sea-pen Virgularia mirabilis associated with particular sediment types. Fewer V. mirabilis have been recorded in more recent surveys, conducted further south, in the vicinity of the West of Walney site; though similar sediment habitats occur here. Further detail on the evidence for this MCZ can be found on the Evidence tab.

Site location:  Coordinates for this MCZ can be found in the Designation Order listed in the Relevant Documentation.

Site area:  388km² – a similar size to the Isle of Wight (384km²) off the south coast of England.

Site depth range:  West of Walney MCZ ranges in depth from 15-33m.

Charting Progress 2 biogeographic region - Irish Sea.

Site boundary description
The southern boundary of West of Walney MCZ follows the border of two wind farm licence areas and also includes a smaller windfarm area within the boundary. The boundary of West of Walney MCZ was developed by the Irish Seas Conservation Zones Regional MCZ Project and has not changed since it was recommended by the Regional MCZ Project in 2011. The final boundary for this site aims to balance the impact on the commercial fishing industry, whilst contributing to the MCZ Project Ecological Network Guidance targets.

Evidence

Last updated: October 2017

The full overview of the data used to support site identification, along with information on confidence in feature presence and extent is available in Natural England's Tranche Two pre- and post-consultation advice to Defra. JNCC will be adding relevant survey data for this MPA to our MPA interactive map in due course. Data for this MCZ has been gathered from existing data sources such as research surveys and survey undertaken as part of licence conditions for the development of windfarms. Data from these surveys provide direct evidence confirming the presence of the protected features within the site.

Survey and data gathering

• Hilmar Hinz (2003-2004) - To investigate chronic effects of trawl disturbance, a number of survey stations were sampled off the West Cumbrian coast (Hinz et al. 2009, funded by EU project ‘Response’ QLRT-2001-00787). Three survey stations from the November 2004 survey were located within West of Walney MCZ and provide supporting information on the presence and extent of the broad-scale habitat Subtidal mud.
• Jan Hiddock, (School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University) (2007-2009) - R.V. Prince Madog was used to collect Day grab samples twenty six stations across the northern Irish Sea in June 2007. The purpose of this survey was to investigate relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In 2009 the R.V. Prince Madog collected Day grab samples off the Cumbrian coast, the purpose of the survey was to investigate indirect negative effects of bottom trawl fisheries on fish condition. Two survey stations from the 2007 survey and three stations from the 2009 survey provide supporting information on the presence and extent of the broad-scale habitat Subtidal mud within West of Walney MCZ.
• Walney and Ormonde Offshore Windfarm Benthic survey (2009) - These data were collected on behalf of Vattenfall and DONG Energy, for pre-development baseline survey work carried out on the benthic environment for the Ormonde and Walney Offshore Wind Farm developments. The surveys collected still images, Day grabs, and 2m beam trawls. Twenty one survey stations sampled using Day grab samples and camera stills support the presence of the broadscale habitat subtidal mud.
• Walney Extension (2011) - Pre construction monitoring surveys commissioned by Dong Energy were undertaken as part of licence conditions for the development of the consented Walney windfarm. Twenty sample stations support the presence of Subtidal mud, and 15 stations support the presence of the habitat feature of conservation importance Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities within the West of Walney site.
• Irish Sea Offshore Windfarm benthic Survey Reports, Dong Energy (2011) - Data were collected on behalf of Dong energy, as a part of the windfarm licence process to monitor their effects on benthic habitats. Twenty sample stations support the presence of Subtidal mud within the West of Walney site.
• Walney Wind Farms (2012) - Data were collected on behalf of Dong energy, as a part of the windfarm licence process to monitor their effects on benthic habitats. Twenty five stations support the presence of subtidal mud. Nineteen stations support the presence of Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna.
• Walney Wind Farms (2013) - Data were collected on behalf of Dong energy, as a part of the windfarm licence conditions to monitor the projects effect on benthic habitats. Twenty five stations support the presence of subtidal mud, one station supports the presence of subtidal sand, and seventeen stations support the presence of Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna.
• West Duddon Sands Pre-Consultation Benthic Survey Data (2012) - The Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CMACS), collected benthic survey data on behalf of Dong Energy as part of licence conditions for the West of Duddon Sands windfarm development. Particle Size Analysis (PSA) from Day grabs at seven stations support the presence of subtidal mud within the West of Walney site.
• Eastern Irish Sea Nephrops survey (2010/2013) - CEFAS and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) collected survey data at stations within West of Walney site, as part of a Nephrops stock assessment survey of the Eastern Irish Sea, ICES assessment area (Functional Unit 14). Data verifying the presence of the mud habitat ‘Sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities’ were recorded.

Data analysis reports

• Walney and Ormonde Offshore Windfarm Benthic survey (2009) - This report presents analysis of data collected for pre-development baseline survey work carried out on the benthic environment for the Ormonde and Walney Offshore Wind Farm developments. The surveys collected still images, Day grabs, and 2m beam trawls. These data support the presence of the broadscale habitat subtidal mud within West of Walney MCZ.
• EUSeaMap (2016) - Provides supporting information on the presence and extent of subtidal sand and subtidal mud from a predictive seabed habitat map of European waters.

Additional relevant literature

References for further supporting scientific literature consulted during the identification of this site can be found in Natural England's 2015 pre- and post-consultation scientific advice to Defra. Please be aware that although these sources contain information in relation to this MPA, they do not necessarily represent the views of JNCC.

Knowledge gaps
If you are aware of any additional data or relevant scientific papers for this site not listed in the relevant documentation, please contact JNCC.

Conservation Advice

Last updated: March 2018

The draft advice reflects the most up-to-date evidence held by both Natural England and JNCC. The draft conservation advice jointly prepared between JNCC and Natural England should also be taken into consideration in assessment of the effects which a planned activity can have on the site’s integrity and when making decisions regarding management and consenting of marine activities in or near the site.

Following a period to comment the draft advice will be reviewed and once signed off will become the formal conservation advice for this site, replacing any previous conservation advice. For more information on JNCC’s approach to conservation advice please see the offshore MPA conservation advice webpage. Information can also be found on Natural England’s website.

Activities and Management

Last updated: October 2017

This site forms part of the UKs contribution to the OSPAR commission’s network of MPAs and the Emerald network established under the Bern Convention. As the UK is a member of the OSPAR commission, JNCC are committed to ensuring that the OSPAR MPA network is ‘well-managed’ by 2020.

JNCC consider ‘well-managed’ to mean the timely progress of an MPA around the ‘MPA management cycle’. This involves:

1) The documentation of appropriate management information - conservation objectives, advice on activities capable of affecting the protected features of a site, and spatial information on the presence and extent of the protected features of a site.

2) The implementation of management measures - management actions considered necessary to achieve the conservation objectives of a site.

3) Site condition monitoring programmes – collecting the information necessary to determine progress towards a sites conservation objectives.

4) Assessment of progress towards conservation objectives – using available information to infer whether or not a site is moving towards or has achieved its conservation objectives.

The sub-sections that follow provide an account of the progress of West of Walney MCZ around each of these four stages in the MPA management cycle:

The documentation of appropriate management information

• The conservation objectives and advice on activities capable of affecting the conservation status of the protected feature of this site are available under the conservation advice tab.
• JNCC are in the process of improving our MPA conservation advice packages. Further information is available on our conservation advice pages.
• Spatial information on the presence and extent of the protected feature of this MPA is available viathe JNCCs MPA mapper.
• JNCC are in the process of developing downloadable MPA data packages where appropriate permissions to share datasets are in place.

The implementation of management measures

This section details progress towards the implementation of management measures for activities considered capable of affecting the conservation status of the protected features of the site. The protected features of the site are considered to be sensitive to pressures associated with fishing and ‘licensable’ activities.

Fisheries

• There is evidence of mobile demersal effort by both UK and non-UK registered vessels, and pelagic trawl activity by non-UK registered vessels within the West of Walney MCZ. Demersal otter trawling, mainly targeting Nephrops, and activity from beam trawls occurs within the site.
• Inshore fisheries in the area between 0-6nautical miles are managed through the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, and between 6-12nm by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). Additional information on wider management measures which overlap the site are available on the Natural England Designated Sites System for this site.
• Fisheries are managed through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in all areas beyond 12nm. In accordance with Article 18 of the revised CFP, requests for management will be developed jointly between the UK Government and any Member States with a direct management interest in the area affected. Defra and the MMO are leading discussions with stakeholders regarding the development of management for sites on a regional basis.

Licensable activities

• Most oil and gas activity in this area is located to the south of the MPA, however a small number of wells occur within the site and five pipelines cross the site. Licensed oil and gas blocks overlap the MPA and so may be subject to development applications in the future.
• Four operational windfarms (Ormonde, West of Duddon sands, Walney 1 & 2) and one windfarm under construction (Walney extension) overlap with the West of Walney MCZ.
• Licensable activities such as renewable energy developments or oil and gas exploration and production taking place or that may take place within this MPA are managed in accordance with the clauses set out under section 127of The Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009). Under this clause, JNCC (where applicable in offshore waters) and NE have a statutory responsibility to advise the regulator on developments that are capable of affecting (other than insignificantly) the protected features of the MPA and that may hinder the achievement of the sites conservation objectives. JNCC consider the existing marine licensing process is sufficient to ensure the management of licensable activities taking place, or that could take place in the future, on the protected features of this MPA.
• For further information, please see the MMO’s guidance on marine conservation zones and marine licensing.
• Further information on JNCCs role in the provision of advice for licensed activities in the UK offshore area is available on JNCCs offshore industries advice webpage. 

Telecommunications cables

• One telecommunications cable currently crosses through the MPA, and a network of energy cables associated with wind renewable energy developments are located within the site.
• Cables are largely an unregulated activity in offshore waters depending upon the type of cable being laid (or maintained), where it is being laid between and whether the cable is part of a larger development (which may be regulated). Any cable not directly associated with an energy installation does not require a marine license beyond 12 nautical miles.
• JNCC encourage early discussion from operators regarding any plans related to new or existing cables, and encourages the undertaking of non-statutory environmental impact assessments for new or existing cable projects to assess their effect on the protected features of the MPA.

Site condition monitoring

Site condition monitoring surveys are yet to take place within this MPA. Further information will be made available under the Monitoring tab.

Progression towards conservation objectives

No long-term condition monitoring data is available to determine whether the MPA is moving towards or has reached its conservation objectives. The site has a ‘restore’ conservation objective based on the findings of a vulnerability assessment which suggests the site is unlikely to be moving towards its conservation objectives. Further information will be provided under the Assessment tab.

Monitoring

Last updated: October 2017

JNCC is currently leading on the development of a strategy for biodiversity monitoring across all UK waters, to include MPA monitoring. For MPAs, data and evidence collected from monitoring activities will aim to:

• Enable assessment of condition of the features within sites;
• Enable assessment of the degree to which management measures are effective in achieving the conservation objectives for the protected features;
• Support the identification of priorities for future protection and/or management; and,
• Enable Government to fulfil its national and international assessment and reporting commitments in relation to MPAs and help identify where further action may be required.

Information on monitoring of this MPA will be provided when it becomes available.

Assessment

Last updated: October 2017

Assessments of the condition of designated features in offshore MPAs are required to report against our legal obligations. Ideally these assessments should be based on observed data, and then measured against targets for predefined indicators. However, for MPAs in offshore waters we do not always have the appropriate information to be able to do so. This is particularly true for seabed habitats, which are the main type of feature designated for protection in offshore MPAs. 

To address these challenges, JNCC has been an active partner in the development of new approaches and tools for the assessment of habitats and species for a variety of national and international status reports. They include the second cycle of the Conservation Status Assessment reports under the EU Habitats Directive, Charting Progress 2 and the OSPAR Quality Status Report. JNCC continues to develop and pilot tools for the assessment of marine habitats and species in offshore waters to improve the quality and transparency of our offshore MPA assessments, and contribute to the monitoring of marine biodiversity in UK waters. These tools cover methods for producing interim assessments of site features and their responses to pressures, as well as developing more robust indicators for determining condition of the features.

Under the UK Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009), JNCC is required to report to Ministers on the degree to which the conservation objectives of the protected features of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) have been achieved.  Every 6 years from 2012, the Marine Act requires a report setting out how MCZs have performed against their conservation objectives, as well as the effectiveness of the network as a whole. The assessments of features within MPAs will also feed into six yearly reports on the state of the marine environment under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which aims to achieve Good Environmental Status by 2020.