In its Inshore MPA proposals NFFO South West Committee plainly tell the Natural England to not work against the industry. The committee’s proposed inshore Special Area of Conservation (SAC) marine protected areas at its meeting in Exeter on 23rd November. The main purpose of the proposal is to protect reef and sea cave features, yet local industry is adamant that the proposed areas cover much more than the features themselves to include areas that have either been classified incorrectly or extend far beyond the intended protected features.
As per the Committee the industry was able to fish with great precision and in any case skippers risked damaging gear or risking safety if they fished many of the reef features intended for protection. In response, Natural England indicated that it would be receptive to evidence based proposals that justified changes to the boundaries.
Rob Penfold, Committee Chairman and Brixham fisherman told that so far Natural England has yet again gone about this all the wrong way. If it had worked with the industry in the first place we could have come up with sensible proposals with boundaries that met the requirements of the Habitats Directive without taking over such huge areas.
Dale Rodmell, Assistant Chief Executive of the NFFO and Secretary of the Committee explained that no consideration has been given to the cumulative impacts of all of these areas that are likely to upset the balance of fisheries in the region through displacement that creates a Pandora’s box of problems and could well undermine the conservationist’s intentions.
