Marine Protected Areas Management Lyme Bay and Torbay cSAC Neil - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Marine Protected Areas Management Lyme Bay and Torbay cSAC Neil Wellum MAIA workshop 13 June 2012 A Coruña , Spain

Briefing overview • How MMO became involved in trialling the inshore VMS - MMO responsibilities - determining MPA management measures • Lyme Bay and Torbay cSAC – management actions • VMS trial • Next steps • Developing a strategic approach to MPA management

MMO responsibilities for MPAs • New nature conservation duties since 1 April 2010 • Able to draw on our management and enforcement experience of CFP and national sea fisheries regulations • EC Habitats and Wild Birds Directives for European protected habitats and species, including wildlife licensing ‐ Conservation of Species and Habitats Regulations 2010 ‐ Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 2007 • Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and MMO byelaws ‐ Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009, Part 5 (Enforcement Part 8)

Determining MPA management measures • Conservation Objectives • Vulnerability assessments ‐ maintain ‐ restore • Management action ‐ do nothing ‐ non ‐ statutory measures ‐ statutory measures • Publish management action on ‐ line http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/lyme_bay.htm

MPA management tools • Non ‐ statutory ‐ voluntary agreements ‐ codes of conduct • Statutory ‐ MMO byelaws ‐ marine licence conditions ‐ fishing licence conditions ‐ IFCA fisheries byelaws ‐ national & EC fisheries regulations

Lyme Bay background • Sept. 2010 Natural England advice • MMO holds series of meetings with key parties - fishermen SWIFA/SWFPO - Southern IFCA - Devon and Severn IFCA - Natural England • Fishing licence condition • MMO/SWIFA agreement - differential management inshore VMS trial

Characteristics for inshore VMS • High frequency position reporting (1/min) – access by internet • Mobile phone technology to reduce cost • Robust simple compact construction for small vessels • Tamper proofing • Geofence boundaries around sensitive habitat areas • Email alerts to enforcement officers if Geofence boundaries crossed • Explore remote sensing technology (‘gear in’ ‘gear out’)

Lyme Bay VMS trial Statutory VMS requirement cSAC sensitive area chartlets

Complex exercise in mapping co-ordinates

VMS trial position monitoring – phase 1

Lyme Bay sensitive reef area d Vessel crosses geofence and sends email alert to marine officer

Skipper’s eye view

Getting used to interpreting the system

VMS trials – phase 2 – fishing patterns

Scallop dredging

Shellfish potting

Demersal (bottom) trawling

Recommendations • Use ‘shape’ files to transfer co-ordinates throughout the process from selecting a site to operating a management system and giving information to fishermen • Develop software to interpret very high volumes of data • Adjustable reporting frequencies that increase as a vessel approaches a sensitive area • Use inshore VMS in combination with remote sensing technology that confirms fishing or not fishing to strengthen evidence • Make screen images more user friendly for monitoring by enforcement officers (eg marine chart background)

Next steps for inshore VMS? • Final report just being completed and will be put on website www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/lyme_bay.htm • Continue managing site using system, until the two local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities are ready to take charge from the MMO • Meet Government, nature conservation advisers, fishing industry, environmental organisations and other interested parties to discuss future prospects for zoned management with VMS

MMO strategic MPA management table • 75 European Marine Sites in English waters are included in the MMO strategic management table • Provides a summary picture for each site, including features of importance, risk assessment and management actions and priorities • Enables targeted and prioritised approach to MPA management • In use already now and will be published via website summer 2012 • MMO supports inclusive engagement with interested parties to help find management solutions – a challenging but worthwhile process, if there is going to be good compliance with management provisions

draft MPA strategic management table

Any questions? More information about what the MMO is doing can be found at: http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/index.htm Thank you