Campaigners Urge Spread of Marine Protected Areas

The future of sea life depends on the creation of marine nature reserves, according to a new report.

Natural England has warned that saving life beneath the surface of the water depends on “political will and leadership”.

The claim was made on the fifth anniversary of England’s only marine nature reserve and “no-take zone”, which lies off the coast of Lundy, North Devon.

The scheme, which prevents fishermen from operating off the South and West of the island, was devised to assess the impact of fishing on the marine environment.

Researchers have found that in the areas where the fishing restrictions apply, species such as lobsters grow to a far greater size.

Dr Helen Phillips, chief executive of Natural England, said: “It is clear that marine protected areas work. The signs from Lundy are extremely encouraging and show the major contribution that these areas can make to the wildlife in our seas.

“However, the ultimate success of these sites of conservation are inextricably linked to long-term funding and public support.

“England is fortunate to have such a rich marine heritage and it is vital that action is taken to improve the health of our coasts and seas for the benefit of wildlife and the communities who depend upon them.

“We look forward to a Marine Bill that delivers a network of marine protected areas and therefore securing the long-term protection of our precious marine environment.”

In creating these areas, she said, marine wildlife would be able to flourish.

Marine experts met last October to discuss taking the project forward, creating more of the no-take zones around the country.

The conference concluded that political leadership was the key to funding and delivering the projects.

As well as lobsters living longer and growing larger, there has been a “spill-over effect” with scallop and haddock increasing in the area off Lundy.

A spokesman for Natural England said: “England has some of the finest marine wildlife in Europe, with dramatic underwater habitats and landscapes, and more than 10,000 types of plant and animal. In England, you are never more than 70 miles from the sea. We took 20 million seaside holidays in England in 2003.”

He said the UK seas provided more than pounds500 million worth of commercial fish annually, supporting an industry worth about pounds1 billion.

But he warned: “About 70 per cent of fish stocks are over-fished and some fishing practices damage wildlife and habitats. Marine protected areas can help marine wildlife recover from damaging activities.”

North Devon fisherman John Shortridge said: “While I support the idea of no-take zones in certain areas they need to be prevented from being allowed to grow too large.

“It is one thing having small controlled sections of the sea where life can flourish, but we need to be able to continue with our work. There are already too many regulations.”

(c) 2008 Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.