Consultation on the designation of inshore Marine Nature Reserves Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Rheynn Chymmltaght, Bee as Eirinys Consultation Paper June 2017 1 Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Objectives of consultation 4 3. Background 5 4. Designation of current Conservation Zones as Marine Nature Reserves: 7 Little Ness 8 Langness 9 Calf of Man and Wart Bank 10 West Coast 11 5. Extension of protection of Fisheries Closed Areas and Fisheries Restricted Areas: 12 Port Erin 13 Douglas 14 Baie ny Carrickey 15 Niarbyl 17 Laxey 18 6. Proposed additional management measures for Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve 19 7. References 21 8. Feedback on consultation 23 9. Consultation response form 24 10. Appendix 1 – Features of Conservation Importance 29 11. Appendix 2 – List of consultees 31 2 1. Introduction “We have a natural and built environment which we conserve and cherish and which is adapted to cope with the threats from climate change.” Isle of Man Programme for Government, 2016-2021. The work of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) is guided by the core principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Seeking to apply these principles to the fisheries sector, the Department is progressing options for protecting the marine environment and supporting sustainable fisheries in the Isle of Man territorial sea. In the DEFA delivery plan for the Programme for Government 2016-2021 there is a commitment to increase the proportion of territorial seabed which is protected as marine nature reserve, from the current level of 3% to at least 6%. This target is aligned to the Programme for Government outcome “We have a diverse economy where people choose to work and invest” and the policy statement “Maximise the social and economic value of our territorial seabed.” The Isle of Man Government is a signatory to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Convention on Biological Diversity was extended to the Isle of Man in 2012. The Isle of Man Biodiversity Strategy, agreed by Tynwald in 2015, has a target of 10% of marine areas under some form of protection by 2020, in line with the Aichi target of the Convention of Biological Diversity. ‘Marine Protected Area’ is a broad term for an area of the sea which is protected from human impacts, to varying degrees. Protection ranges from full protection of areas as “No Take” through to minimal protection from particular activities. Many Marine Protected Areas fall somewhere in between, offering appropriate protection from the most damaging activities, whilst allowing well-managed sustainable use of the areas. Marine Protected Areas are a management tool acknowledged to protect habitats and species and they can also be effective in promoting sustainable fisheries. These areas protect spawning populations and nursery habitats of species of commercial and conservation importance. They also offer an opportunity for rare or declining species to recover and thrive, in the absence of damaging activities. Many marine species have a life stage when they are part of the plankton, which enables Marine Nature Reserves to provide a source of young animals and plants which can move out of the protected area into surrounding areas, resulting in widespread benefits from protecting a relatively small area of the sea. Marine Protected Areas are also increasingly being acknowledged for the role they can play in mitigation and adaptation to climate change, with a recent paper identifying Marine Protected Areas as a “viable, low-tech, cost-effective adaptation strategy that would yield multiple co-benefits from local to global scales, improving the outlook for the environment and people into the future.” (Roberts et al 2017). There are currently 10 Marine Protected Areas in the Isle of Man, forming a network that has been building since 1989. Some areas, such as Port Erin Closed Area and Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve have been well-studied and provide examples of how protection can benefit fisheries and the environment. Many of the areas also form the marine core zone of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, which gives international recognition to the Isle of Man’s 3 environment, culture and heritage. This consultation focuses on developing this Marine Protected Area network, improving the protection offered and clearly identifying the conservation features being protected. The creation of new Marine Protected Areas is not within the scope of this consultation, but we do ask a question about sites of conservation importance which should be considered in future. The Isle of Man Territorial Sea is an open access resource used by commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and a wide variety of commercial, leisure and scientific users. These users of the sea hold a wealth of knowledge which can complement the scientific information collected by DEFA and our partner organisations and we welcome input from as many people as possible. 2. Objectives of the consultation This consultation builds on a long term project to identify areas of conservation importance and to start the process of designating Marine Nature Reserves in Manx waters, which started in 2008, and ongoing work to improve the sustainability of Manx fisheries, working in partnership with the fishing industry. As part of this process, extensive public consultation and scientific research has been carried out. An extensive consultation with key stakeholders and a full public consultation on inshore zoning and scallop management in May 2016 resulted in the protection of 4 new Conservation Zones from mobile fishing gear and a significant reduction in the number of vessels fishing for king scallops within the 0-3 mile zone (Phase 1 of the Inshore Zoning Project). This consultation seeks the views of stakeholders on further protection measures, Phase 2 of the Inshore Zoning Project This consultation has the following objectives: 1. To gain feedback on the designation of the current inshore Conservation Zones as Marine Nature Reserves and the implementation of additional conservation measures. 2. To consult on the future of the Niarbyl and Laxey Fisheries Restricted Areas and the Douglas Fisheries Closed Area, which expire at the end of October 2017. 3. To gain input on the designation of the existing Fisheries Closed Areas and Fisheries Restricted Areas as Marine Nature Reserves and the implementation of additional conservation measures. 4. To consult on additional management measures for Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve, to bring it in line with the other proposed Marine Nature Reserves. 5. To get input from the public on the Conservation Features identified for the proposed Marine Nature Reserves, to highlight species, habitats and other features that may have been omitted. 6. To get input from the public on other measures that could be considered within the new Marine Nature Reserves that would protection habitats and species and/or facilitate more sustainable use of the marine environment. 7. To get input from the public on other conservation priority areas in Manx territorial waters that should be considered for designation in future. 4 3. Background The Isle of Man already has a network of 10 Marine Protected Areas. This consultation seeks to define the conservation features of the 10 sites and improve management measures for these defined features. This consultation does not suggest any new areas for marine protection, only increased protection for existing sites. The 10 sites are: Little Ness Conservation Zone (designated 2016) Langness Conservation Zone (designated 2016) The Calf of Man and Wart Bank Conservation Zone (designated 2016) West Coast Conservation Zone (designated 2016) Laxey Fisheries Restricted Areas (designated 2009) Niarbyl Fisheries Restricted Areas (designated 2009) Douglas Fisheries Closed Area (designated 2008) Port Erin Closed Area (designated in 1989) Baie ny Carrickey Closed Area (designated 2012) Ramsey Marine Nature Reserve (5 zones, designated 2011) The network has been developed through a dedicated project to protect Manx marine features, the Manx Marine Nature Reserve Project which began in 2008 (Gell and Hanley 2013) and through fisheries management initiatives. A high level of engagement with stakeholders has been essential in the development of these areas. Extensive research and survey by DEFA, Bangor University, local environmental organisations and visiting students and researchers has also been essential to inform the development of these areas. 5 Figure 1: The current network of Marine Protected Areas around the Isle of Man 6 4. Designation of current Conservation Zones as Marine Nature Reserves After a long consultation process with the fishing industry in 2015-16 and a full public consultation in 2016, DEFA brought in a new network of Conservation Zones in November 2016. The four new Conservation Zones are: Little Ness Conservation Zone Langness Conservation Zone Calf of Man and Wart Bank Conservation Zone West Coast Conservation Zone These zones are protected from mobile fishing gear (trawls and dredges) by fisheries licence conditions. The zones were developed to protect key marine habitats and species that have been identified over the past 10 years, through scientific survey and stakeholder consultation. Important habitats protected include horse mussel reefs at Little Ness and Jurby, maerl beds and an eelgrass meadow at Langness and rocky reefs at the Calf of Man. Key information about the conservation features is presented in