Blue Belt Programme Annual update Financial Year 2017/18 Contents Introduction Introduction 1 Blue Belt Programme progress Ascension Island 4 British Antarctic Territory 7 Our British Overseas Territories Blue Belt Programme is one of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) 8 most ambitious environmental initiatives the UK Government has ever undertaken. By 2020, over 4 million square kilometres of British Pitcairn 10 waters will be designated with strengthened protective measures. Working together with our Overseas Territories, we are well on course St Helena 14 to deliver this ambition. South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 16 This report highlights the work undertaken over the past year to Tristan da Cunha 20 enhance our scientific understanding of our unique Territories, and to develop cost effective compliance and enforcement regimes to ensure RRS James Clark Ross survey of Tristan da Cunha and St Helena 20 their long-term and meaningful marine protection Monitoring and Enforcement: cross-cutting activities across all territories 21 LORD (TARIQ) AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON Minister of State for the Overseas Territories The Blue Belt Programme supports the delivery of the understand these ecosystems and the marine life they UK Government’s commitment to enhance marine support, the better scientific advice we can give on how protection of over four million square kilometres of marine to protect biodiversity and support thriving ecosystems. environment across UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The Blue Belt Programme will assist UKOTs to sustainably It is providing up to £20 million between 2016-2020 to: manage human activities in our oceans, based on best scientific evidence and governance structures. Importantly, • Improve scientific understanding of the this will support UKOT communities in sustainably marine environment; developing their local economies whilst protecting the • Develop and implement evidence-based, tailored vulnerable ecosystems which support rich marine life. The marine management strategies, including novel design of the marine protection measures will be science- and effective approaches to surveillance and based and in accordance with the views of Territory enforcement across these very remote and sparsely governments and administrations. populated areas; and • Ensure management is sustainable and long term. The Programme is an innovative partnership between two world-leading agencies of the UK Government, the Centre Home to over 90% of the UK’s marine biodiversity, for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) the UKOTs are of fundamental importance to regional and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). and international marine conservation. The better we In partnership with the Overseas Territories, the Blue 1 Introduction Belt delivery partners have developed schemes of work closely with each UKOT. This publication describes what Location of the UK Overseas Territories currently in the programme to help them understand their marine environments, the Blue Belt Programme has achieved to date, and sets design appropriate marine management and protection out our key activities for the coming year, demonstrating strategies, and develop effective monitoring, surveillance progress with the individual Territories as well as the and enforcement strategies. cross-cutting work we are doing across all the territories, such as engaging with the Regional Fisheries Management The Blue Belt Programme seeks to enhance long-term Organisations (RFMOs) to better manage fish stocks that sustainable marine protection strategies for the UKOTs. straddle national boundaries. Progress in delivering Blue Through this programme, the UKOTs are able to Belt Programme commitments is at different stages access resources and long-term scientific, management, across each UKOT and the content of this publication monitoring and surveillance expertise, both from the UK reflects this. and in situ, as well as benefiting from economies of scale for practical surveillance and technology solutions. By pooling capability the partnership will deliver a legacy that will protect a wealth of globally significant diversity, For more information about the programme: from vast penguin colonies in South Georgia & the South Web: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-belt-programme Sandwich Islands to the marine turtles of Ascension Island. Email: [email protected] Since its initiation, the Blue Belt Programme has made Twitter: @UKGovBlueBelt substantial progress working with stakeholders (including Blue Belt Blogs: marinedevelopments.blog.gov.uk/category/blue-belt UKOT-specific work by NGOs) to identify and deliver Publications and research: gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue- priority work commitments. belt-programme The focus now is to build on the evidence gathered and to inform and deliver protection strategies, working 2 3 Supporting sustainable fisheries Ascension Island management Large schools of migratory tuna are found in the waters Ascension Island is situated in the tropical South Atlantic around Ascension Island and bigeye tuna are particularly and the 200 nm Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has abundant from November to February, when they are historically been an important area for tuna fishing. caught by regional longline fisheries. One of the first tasks Currently the entire southern half of the EEZ and an of the Blue Belt Programme was to review previous fishing inner ring surrounding the Island are closed to commercial activities in the Ascension EEZ, which will help inform fishing with an agreement that at least half of Ascension future management decisions. Island’s 445,390 km² maritime environment will remain permanently closed to fishing and designated a Marine A yellowfin tuna Protected Area (MPA) by 2019. that has had a satellite tag fitted Strengthening governance The Blue Belt Programme has been working with the Ascension Island Government (AIG) and other Number of licences and fishing days in the Ascension Island fishery partners to develop a strategy and since 1988 Managing other human activities timetable for the designation of the During a recent visit by Blue Belt staff to Ascension Island, Ascension Marine Protected Area In January and February 2018, the Blue Belt Programme meetings were held with key stakeholder groups and in 2019. Blue Belt staff have also supported an Ascension Island-led fisheries patrol and Ascension Island Government departments. Site visits were provided advice on amendments research trip on board the FV Extractor. carried out to begin assessing where human activities may to the existing Protected Areas interact with key marine habitats. Ordinance that will enable the legal Recommendations will be made to designation of MPAs in Ascension the Ascension Island Government waters. Using a baited underwater video camera deployed over the to suggest ways in which activities Grattan Seamount complex to attract Galapagos sharks can be managed to mitigate or Understanding and protecting biodiversity invertebrates were identified, and confirmed, using minimise impacts on marine and The Blue Belt Programme partnered with the Ascension underwater video footage and plankton samples. coastal ecosystems. Island Government Conservation and Fisheries Studies such as these increase our understanding of Department to investigate how seamount habitats how these diverse seamount ecosystems are utilised The information gathered during influence marine productivity and biodiversity and over by key fish and planktonic species, enhancing our ability these meetings and sites visits will what range the influence of the seamount extends. to successfully manage and protect them. also support the development The study used acoustic data and underwater video to of the Ascension Island Marine The FV Extractor which undertook scientific research and patrolling identify the presence of pelagic fish and invertebrates These study findings and information from other activities in the Ascension EEZ Management Plan. (living in the water column) around two seamounts in on-going biodiversity studies are being incorporated into the Ascension Islands EEZ. The acoustic signatures of a document outlining the best available evidence and key fish species such as tuna and shark, and planktonic design options for an Ascension Island MPA. During the patrol of the EEZ, a licensed fishing vessel Supporting compliance and enforcement was inspected to ensure that all licence conditions were Blue Belt staff have reviewed AIG’s current enforcement being adhered to. Research work focussed on tracking the procedures and made recommendations with regard movements of key pelagic fish species, including bigeye to process and policy. In addition, training has been and yellowfin tuna, which were tagged with satellite and provided on compliance and enforcement best practice, conventional tags. The aims of the tagging programme are including intelligence, pocket notebook procedures, to assess how tuna species utilise the pelagic environment statement writing, evidence and disclosure. Drone around Ascension Island. Based on the information surveillance techniques have been trialled as a tool to collected from the tags, effective management strategies identify any Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) for these important fisheries species can be developed fishing. Computer modelling image illustrating Bathymetric image illustrating the profile Seamount acoustic image (green line) with and implemented. Tuna tagging data is submitted