oldharry
Well-Known Member
With near perfect timing BBC today launched a feature on marine noise from boats, ships, oilrigs etc and the serious effect it has on marine wildlife. I knew about this research back in 2012, and discussed it with one of NE's Marine Advisors. This person is now their Senior lead Marine Advisor and is incidentally very keen on EFMs to save the eelgrass).
So in any MCZ if they cannot get anchor bans or controls they have now only to argue that our boats are also causing serious harm to the wildlife from prop noise. So in Studland (and almost any estuarial MCZ zone) we could find power boats being banned altogether because of the harmful noise they make. This could be a much tougher one to fight, and is the sort of reason why it is important that busy holiday places like Studland do not become MCZs in the first place.
So make sure you get your submissions to the DEFRA Public Consultation in by 20th July. Dont be overawed by the technical nature of the questions posed, just write down what you know of the situation. In the meantime we are working hard to get the evidence base for the anchoring debate dismissed. Its based on 'expert opinion' and not on research, and the excellent Marlynspyke is collating some pretty overwhelming evidence that the 'expert (whoever he was, and we have a pretty good idea - and no, not NGM on this occasion!) actually got it quite badly wrong.
But the two key facts you need to raise in the Consultation are
1. the importance of the area to the leisure and tourism industry and just how inappropriate the MCZ recommendation is. Proximity to the Poole/ Bournemouth /Southampton centres of population etc, a key area for rest and relaxation for millions (literally - National Trust Figures) many of whom come by boat. Reduced take up of berthing facilities at Poole causing economic downturns way in excess of the figures quoted in the DEFRA report (see the BORG website for an analysis of this). Huge queues for the public launching facilities on weekends in Poole, with consequences for the Hotel and catering industries locally if visitors stop coming.
2. Banning or restricting boats and anchoring will make no difference to the state of the eelgrass. Generations of small boaters have used the anchorage, and the eelgrass is spreading out quite rapidly! Again spelled out on our website, but the suggestion that anchoring causes anything more than very minor disturbance is based on 'expert opinion' and not on ground truthed research. The history of the place and the continuing rapid spread of the eelgrass demonstrates very clearly there is not a problem. So why protect something that very clearly does not need protection?
But the conservationists wont give up if we do not fight this one. As I said before BORG has done pretty well all we can over the last 8 years. We need you to stand up and be counted now to prove our point. The odds are stacking against us with the inclusion of Studland, and the fact that Minister Gove is himself a keen conservationist. We need to make sure the recommendation does not get taken forward. We have allies in Westminster, and our meeting last week with Minister Rutley has put our points firmly on the table. We need you now to show that this is important to a great many people! The conservationists are pulling out the stops, we need to do the same.
So in any MCZ if they cannot get anchor bans or controls they have now only to argue that our boats are also causing serious harm to the wildlife from prop noise. So in Studland (and almost any estuarial MCZ zone) we could find power boats being banned altogether because of the harmful noise they make. This could be a much tougher one to fight, and is the sort of reason why it is important that busy holiday places like Studland do not become MCZs in the first place.
So make sure you get your submissions to the DEFRA Public Consultation in by 20th July. Dont be overawed by the technical nature of the questions posed, just write down what you know of the situation. In the meantime we are working hard to get the evidence base for the anchoring debate dismissed. Its based on 'expert opinion' and not on research, and the excellent Marlynspyke is collating some pretty overwhelming evidence that the 'expert (whoever he was, and we have a pretty good idea - and no, not NGM on this occasion!) actually got it quite badly wrong.
But the two key facts you need to raise in the Consultation are
1. the importance of the area to the leisure and tourism industry and just how inappropriate the MCZ recommendation is. Proximity to the Poole/ Bournemouth /Southampton centres of population etc, a key area for rest and relaxation for millions (literally - National Trust Figures) many of whom come by boat. Reduced take up of berthing facilities at Poole causing economic downturns way in excess of the figures quoted in the DEFRA report (see the BORG website for an analysis of this). Huge queues for the public launching facilities on weekends in Poole, with consequences for the Hotel and catering industries locally if visitors stop coming.
2. Banning or restricting boats and anchoring will make no difference to the state of the eelgrass. Generations of small boaters have used the anchorage, and the eelgrass is spreading out quite rapidly! Again spelled out on our website, but the suggestion that anchoring causes anything more than very minor disturbance is based on 'expert opinion' and not on ground truthed research. The history of the place and the continuing rapid spread of the eelgrass demonstrates very clearly there is not a problem. So why protect something that very clearly does not need protection?
But the conservationists wont give up if we do not fight this one. As I said before BORG has done pretty well all we can over the last 8 years. We need you to stand up and be counted now to prove our point. The odds are stacking against us with the inclusion of Studland, and the fact that Minister Gove is himself a keen conservationist. We need to make sure the recommendation does not get taken forward. We have allies in Westminster, and our meeting last week with Minister Rutley has put our points firmly on the table. We need you now to show that this is important to a great many people! The conservationists are pulling out the stops, we need to do the same.
Last edited:
