Navigate Noonsite

  • Home
  • Member Benefits
    • Discounts
    • Login
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • About Noonsite
    • About Us
    • Contacts
    • Newsletter
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Newsletter
  • Latest News and Reports
    • Latest News
    • Latest Reports
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Cruising Resources
    • Books
    • Charts
    • Circumnavigation
    • Courtesy Flags
    • Communications
    • Covid 19
    • Cruising Information
    • Cruising with Children
    • Cruising with Pets
    • Cruisers Websites
    • Documents Required
    • Equipment
    • Environment
    • European Union
    • Global Yachting Services
    • Insights
    • Insurance
    • Off the Beaten Path
    • Piracy and Security
    • Portrait of a Cruiser
    • Rallies
    • Routing
    • Safety and Medical
    • Weather
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Countries by Region
  • Countries and Ports
  • Find a Business
  • Find News
  • Find a Report
  • Find a Comment
Loginor Register

The Ultimate Cruisers Planning Tool

Register for free Login 27089 Members
How to add an anchorage?
NEW Premium Features: Find out more COVID-19: Open/Closed Countries

UK: DAERA designates four new MCZs in the Northern Ireland Inshore Region

Previous Page

News Intro

New Marine Conservation Zones set to safeguard vulnerable or unique marine species and habitats of national importance. Concerns raised by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).

Last Update - December 21, 2016

News Item Content

Image from www.rya.org.uk

As reported by the RYA – www.rya.org.uk

Following a public consultation between December 2015 and March 2016, the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Marine and Fisheries Division in Northern Ireland has designated four new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).

The new MCZs are intended to protect clams in Belfast Lough, the habitat of rare black guillemots on Rathlin Island, one of Ireland’s largest seagrass meadows located off the coast of Waterfoot in Co Antrim, and a community of sea pens – a type of soft coral – in Carlingford Lough.

The Department considered comments from stakeholders and undertook further survey work following the consultation, and the boundaries of Waterfoot and Outer Belfast Lough MCZs have since been amended.

The MCZs are listed below together with the features of interest. You can download the details of each MCZ at the provided links:

  • Rathlin MCZ – Deep-seabed, Black guillemot and Geological/geomorphological features indicating past change in relative sea level
  • Waterfoot MCZ – Seagrass (Zostera marina) bed on Subtidal (sublittoral) sand
  • Outer Belfast Lough MCZ – Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) and associated habitat Subtidal (sublittoral) sand
  • Carlingford Lough MCZ – Philine aperta and Virgularia mirabilis in Subtidal (sublittoral) mud

Together with Strangford Lough, there are now five MCZs in the Northern Ireland inshore region.  Strangford Lough was Northern Ireland’s only Marine Nature Reserve but it was redesignated as Northern Ireland’s first MCZ on the introduction of the Marine Act (Northern Ireland) 2013.

Rebecca Hunter, an officer with the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force, said: “We are delighted to see the value of our seas recognised and protected within these areas. Northern Ireland is home to some of Europe’s most important marine wildlife and habitats.

“Marine Conservation Zones provide a real opportunity for the recovery of our seas and with effective management, previously damaged habitats and wildlife can recover. But, we need more of them to fill the gaps and this is only the start of the process.”

MCZs differ from other types of marine protected areas because when designating them, the interests of the users of the sea area may be taken into consideration as well as the nature conservation interests i.e. they will look at what else goes on in the particular sea area and consider what designation may mean for those activities.

In its response to the consultation, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) raised concerns about the impact of potential management restrictions within the new MCZs on activities associated recreational boating – in particular, anchoring and mooring and vessel speed.  In response, the Department has said it will work closely with stakeholders to develop appropriate management measures for each MCZ post designation.  Anchoring in emergency situations will not be restricted.

The RYA closely monitors MCZ developments and provides regular updates on the progress of MCZs and MPAs through the Current Affairs hub on the website, its range of e-newsletters and the quarterly RYA Magazine.  For further information, see the RYA website www.rya.org.uk/go/MCZs

For more detailed information on the MCZ process in Northern Ireland, please refer to the DAERA website:

  • https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/marine-conservation-zones-northern-ireland-inshore-region-0
  • https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/marine-conservation-zones

Places

Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland, Strangford Lough, United Kingdom,

Update History

Date Last Edited

December 21, 2016 - 02:20 PM

Last Edited By

User Comments

You must register first or be logged-in to leave a comment.
    No comments for this post.

How to use:

To add an anchorage click on the map to place the red marker. Then, click on the red marker to open the add anchorage window.

Terms of Use

Cookie Policy

Privacy Policy

Countries

Subprocessors

© Copyright World Cruising Club

Click to access the login or register cheese
Supports:
  • For billing support please email [email protected]
  • For technical support please email [email protected]
  • For support using your membership please email [email protected]
  • For advertising inquiries please email [email protected]
  • For all other inquiries or to contact the editor please email [email protected]

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.