Developing a participatory approach to the management of
fishing activity in UK offshore Marine Protected Areas
26 March 2018
The seas around the UK are home to some of the
most biologically diverse habitats and species in Europe. They are
a rich source of natural capital, providing us with food, a
valuable income, raw materials, and opportunities for leisure and
recreation. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one of the ways in
which this natural capital can be conserved for future generations,
while seeking to enable the sustainable use of resources.
JNCC and partners the Marine Management
Organisation, Natural England, the National Federation of
Fishermen’s Organisations and Bangor University are launching a
two-year project exploring participatory processes for
establishing, evaluating and adapting fisheries management measures
in MPAs that include sedimentary habitats as protected
features.
The project will bring together the fishing
sector, regulators, scientific advisors and academic researchers to
explore the challenges of managing sedimentary habitats in MPAs.
Case studies will be used to aid the development of a management
toolkit which can be applied to other MPAs. Crucially, the project
will focus on mechanisms for enabling the fishing sector to engage
positively with the management process and bring their perspectives
and knowledge to the table. Opportunities for improving
communications and raising societal awareness of the value of
protecting marine biodiversity will also be explored.
Dale Rodmell from the NFFO said: "This is an
exciting project that aims to marry together an evidence-based
approach to MPA management with a more in-depth involvement of
those affected by decision-making. Ultimately, we want to produce
management outcomes that are enduring, sustainable and widely
supported."
Declan Tobin from JNCC said: “This project
gives us a fantastic opportunity to work with all marine interest
groups to develop a truly novel approach to sustainable management
of our seas while allowing managers to make decisions based on the
very best information available.”
The project partners are delighted to have
been awarded funding for this work through the European Maritime
and Fisheries fund (EMFF) and look forward to working with the
fishing sector to achieve a common goal of conserving marine
biological resources whilst enabling a sustainable future for our
fisheries.
*ENDS*
For further information or if you
would like to be involved, please contact:
Declan Tobin, JNCC
Declan.Tobin@jncc.gov.uk
Notes for editors
o
Joint Nature Conservation
Committee (JNCC) is a non-departmental public body that advises
the UK Government and Devolved Administrations on UK and
international nature conservation. JNCC provides evidence,
information, and advice to governments, public bodies and
stakeholders to support policy development, regulation and
management of human activities to protect natural resources and
systems. JNCC’s remit includes nature conservation issues affecting
UK offshore waters, including raising public awareness of the value
of offshore biodiversity.
o
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is a non-departmental
public body created in 2009 by the Marine and Coastal Access Act.
MMO licence, regulate and plan marine activities in the seas around
England and Wales so that they are carried out in a sustainable
way. MMO responsibilities include marine planning, marine
licensing, managing fishing fleet capacity/ quotas, responding to
marine emergencies, creation of marine conservation byelaws and
enforcement for protected areas, species and habitats.
o
Natural
England is a non-departmental public body that advises the
Government on the natural environment, providing practical advice,
grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural
wealth for the benefit of everyone. Natural England’s remit is to
ensure sustainable stewardship of the land and sea so that people
and nature can thrive. It is their responsibility to see that
England’s rich natural environment can adapt and survive intact for
future generations to enjoy.
o
The National Federation of Fishermen’s
Organisations (NFFO) is a representative body for fishermen in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. All sizes and classes of
fishing vessel are represented, from under-10 metre beach launched
vessels, to 110 metre pelagic freezer trawlers.
o
Bangor University is a medium sized
University with approximately 10 000 undergraduate and postgraduate
students. It ranked in the top 25 (out of 134) Universities in the
UK for research excellence in the 2014 Research Excellence
Framework. The University is extensively involved in EU projects
and the School of Ocean Sciences has had a particularly prominent
role in many high profile marine science research programmes. The
Fisheries and Conservation Group within SOS (Kaiser and Hiddink)
has most recently co-led an international programme to quantify and
model the effects of fishing on seabed ecosystems (funded by the
Walton & Packard Foundations, the FAO and fishing industry
bodies).