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Pembrokeshire Needs Your Help - Petition Against Marine Conservation Zone
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Welsh Assembly Government has entered into a public consultation for the designation of Highly Protected Marine Conservation Zones (HPMCZ) around the Welsh coast.
We believe that the wrong decision has been made in only planning to designate HPMCZ, prohibiting all extractive activities, this decision appears to have been made politically, rather than scientifically which is a key aspect of the MCZ process.
Please follow the link below and sign the petition to call upon Welsh Assembly Government to NOT include the three proposed zones in Pembrokeshire as HPMCZ
https://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=760
It is the intention of WAG to designate three or four sites around the Welsh Coast out of the ten which are under consultation, which will be non-extractive and non-depositional, this in lay-mans terms means that there will be the establishment of NO TAKE ZONES which exclude all commercial and leisure fishing activities from any area which is designated. With the intention of creating a coherent network of MPA (Marine Protected Areas).
However with 80% of the Welsh coast line and more than 50% of Welsh waters out to the 6nm limit, where the majority of the inshore fishing fleet operate, which is already designated as MPA under the Habitats Directive, surely these already represent a coherent network of MPAs in Wales?
At present it is unclear exactly what the proposed HPMCZ will bring to conservation management than already exists, except perhaps the fazing out of the inshore fishing industry and coastal communities!!
The consultation seeks views and information on 10 potential site options in Welsh waters that have been identified by the MCZ project Wales, 3 of which are in Pembrokeshire.
Site 8. South West of Strumble Head 4.1km sq
Site 9. Skomer 10.5 km sq
Site 10. Dale 2.9 km sq
Links:-
www.wales.gov.uk/consultation
www.wales.gov.uk/marine
data.wales.gov.uk/apps/marine
The entire MCZ process from the beginning has been conducted without any consultation with the fishing industry, and appears to have been driven from the purist segment of the Countryside Council for Wales, with the ministerial decision to proceed and only designate the higher level protected sites (HPMCZ) being made by a minister intent on leaving office, and not standing for re-election! Therefore not in office to be held accountable to the potential devastation that will be brought on coastal communities should any of these areas be designated.
All three sites in Pembrokeshire are important to the local fishing industry, and support viable and sustainable fisheries which provide socio-economic stability to individuals employed locally within the inshore fisheries, and surrounding coastal communities.
As fishermen we share the same concerns for the marine environment as the conservationists, as we see it every day and watch it change, most fishermen realise the importance of fishing in a responsible manner and conduct there activities in such a way to leave the minimum foot print on the environment where they work and depend on to provide their livelihoods.
Protected areas are options for future management of the fishing industry, but not at the cost of the local inshore fishing industry, these areas are being pushed through by environmentalists with little or no consideration for social-economic activities which will be displaced should any designation occur
The MCZ project Wales claim that these areas will produce future benefits for a viable fishery in Wales, but have presented no evidence to support this, it seems to be a myth of the conservationists that if fishing activities are removed from these areas, they can preserve features as they see them today, however these features could change all by themselves.
Fishing from a small boat is a precarious enough business even when there are no restrictions other than weather, without imposing when and where a fisherman can work, with increased pressure from the MCZ project Wales threatening to reduce areas available to the fishing industry, the risk of damaging coastal economics with the loss of employment and livelihoods is potentially catastrophic.
The fishing industry in Pembrokeshire is already under more pressure than ever before with restrictions on fishing from the European Common Fisheries Policy, profit margins being reduced due to increased fuel prices, which not only affect boat running costs, but logistical costs for buyers to transport fish/shellfish causing prices to drop.
Being wide open to Atlantic weather systems, fierce tides, and increased activities from military ranges, increased commercial shipping and increased leisure activities and potential wind/wave energy projects around our beautiful Pembrokeshire coast.
The fishing industry and coastal communities in Pembrokeshire would be dealt a devastating blow if any of the sites under consultation are designated as HPMCZ.
Please follow the link below and sign the petition to call upon Welsh Assembly Government to NOT include the three proposed zones in Pembrokeshire as HPMCZ
https://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=760
More articles & guides
Welsh Assembly Government has entered into a public consultation for the designation of Highly Protected Marine Conservation Zones (HPMCZ) around the Welsh coast.
We believe that the wrong decision has been made in only planning to designate HPMCZ, prohibiting all extractive activities, this decision appears to have been made politically, rather than scientifically which is a key aspect of the MCZ process.
Please follow the link below and sign the petition to call upon Welsh Assembly Government to NOT include the three proposed zones in Pembrokeshire as HPMCZ
https://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=760
It is the intention of WAG to designate three or four sites around the Welsh Coast out of the ten which are under consultation, which will be non-extractive and non-depositional, this in lay-mans terms means that there will be the establishment of NO TAKE ZONES which exclude all commercial and leisure fishing activities from any area which is designated. With the intention of creating a coherent network of MPA (Marine Protected Areas).
However with 80% of the Welsh coast line and more than 50% of Welsh waters out to the 6nm limit, where the majority of the inshore fishing fleet operate, which is already designated as MPA under the Habitats Directive, surely these already represent a coherent network of MPAs in Wales?
At present it is unclear exactly what the proposed HPMCZ will bring to conservation management than already exists, except perhaps the fazing out of the inshore fishing industry and coastal communities!!
The consultation seeks views and information on 10 potential site options in Welsh waters that have been identified by the MCZ project Wales, 3 of which are in Pembrokeshire.
Site 8. South West of Strumble Head 4.1km sq
Site 9. Skomer 10.5 km sq
Site 10. Dale 2.9 km sq
Links:-
www.wales.gov.uk/consultation
www.wales.gov.uk/marine
data.wales.gov.uk/apps/marine
The entire MCZ process from the beginning has been conducted without any consultation with the fishing industry, and appears to have been driven from the purist segment of the Countryside Council for Wales, with the ministerial decision to proceed and only designate the higher level protected sites (HPMCZ) being made by a minister intent on leaving office, and not standing for re-election! Therefore not in office to be held accountable to the potential devastation that will be brought on coastal communities should any of these areas be designated.
All three sites in Pembrokeshire are important to the local fishing industry, and support viable and sustainable fisheries which provide socio-economic stability to individuals employed locally within the inshore fisheries, and surrounding coastal communities.
As fishermen we share the same concerns for the marine environment as the conservationists, as we see it every day and watch it change, most fishermen realise the importance of fishing in a responsible manner and conduct there activities in such a way to leave the minimum foot print on the environment where they work and depend on to provide their livelihoods.
Protected areas are options for future management of the fishing industry, but not at the cost of the local inshore fishing industry, these areas are being pushed through by environmentalists with little or no consideration for social-economic activities which will be displaced should any designation occur
The MCZ project Wales claim that these areas will produce future benefits for a viable fishery in Wales, but have presented no evidence to support this, it seems to be a myth of the conservationists that if fishing activities are removed from these areas, they can preserve features as they see them today, however these features could change all by themselves.
Fishing from a small boat is a precarious enough business even when there are no restrictions other than weather, without imposing when and where a fisherman can work, with increased pressure from the MCZ project Wales threatening to reduce areas available to the fishing industry, the risk of damaging coastal economics with the loss of employment and livelihoods is potentially catastrophic.
The fishing industry in Pembrokeshire is already under more pressure than ever before with restrictions on fishing from the European Common Fisheries Policy, profit margins being reduced due to increased fuel prices, which not only affect boat running costs, but logistical costs for buyers to transport fish/shellfish causing prices to drop.
Being wide open to Atlantic weather systems, fierce tides, and increased activities from military ranges, increased commercial shipping and increased leisure activities and potential wind/wave energy projects around our beautiful Pembrokeshire coast.
The fishing industry and coastal communities in Pembrokeshire would be dealt a devastating blow if any of the sites under consultation are designated as HPMCZ.
Please follow the link below and sign the petition to call upon Welsh Assembly Government to NOT include the three proposed zones in Pembrokeshire as HPMCZ
https://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e-petitions/epetition-list-of-signatories.htm?pet_id=760
