Recommendation 9

HM Government Acknowledged

(9a) The UK is at the forefront of marine protection and, in England, 40% of our waters are protected in 178 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). We are now making sure this comprehensive network of MPAs is protected properly. Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) are responsible for assessing the condition of MPAs in England and this is achieved through condition monitoring (surveys) and evaluation of evidence. (9b) such as dredging for aggregates and constructing offshore wind farms. In terms of fishing activity, 98 sites in our inshore waters now have management measures in place to protect sensitive features from bottom towed fishing gears. In England’s offshore waters, a new byelaw power introduced by the Fisheries Act 2020 allows the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to protect MPAs from any fishing activity that could prevent them achieving their conservation objectives, such as trawling on the seabed. Work on implementing this has already begun. The MMO has conducted a formal consultation on proposals to manage activity in four of England’s offshore MPAs and is now reviewing responses. The aim is for byelaws for these sites to be in place later in 2021. The MMO is also developing an ambitious three-year programme for assessing sites and implementing byelaws, where necessary, to manage fishing activity in all other English offshore MPAs. We will manage fishing within existing, sustainable-use MPAs to ensure recovery of the features to a good, healthy condition. However, protection does not always mean closure to fishing. Regulators use a range of tools to manage, and where necessary restrict, fishing to meet the conservation objectives of a site. Management is always based on the best available scientific evidence and, if the evidence is uncertain or limited, Defra expects regulators to take precautionary preventative action. Regulators monitor marine activities to make sure management measures are being followed and will prosecute non-compliance. The government published its response to the Benyon Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) on World Ocean Day 2021, accepting the central recommendation that we should take forward some pilot sites. HPMAs are areas of the sea that allow the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems to a more natural state. They prohibit extractive, destructive, and depositional uses, allowing only non-damaging levels of other activities to the extent permitted by international law. The Government has committed to designate a number of HPMAs in English waters by the end of 2022 and Defra and its Arms-Length Bodies are currently working to identify potential sites. On 5th July 2021, Defra, in collaboration with the JNCC and Natural England, published the ecological criteria we will be using to identify potential HPMAs, and we have invited stakeholders to submit proposals that meet them. maximise potential benefits on sea users. We intend to consult on proposed sites in Spring 2022 and will engage with stakeholders through the identification and designation process. (9c) All of the UK Overseas Territories within the Blue Belt Programme have large-scale MPAs or marine protection zones (MPZs) in place. All of these protected areas have the primary goal of conserving nature, but decisions on the specific measures in place under each MPA/ MPZ are for the Overseas Territories to make. All the MPA/MPZs have been formally designated through local legislation and either have published management plans or have management plans that are currently being finalised and will be published soon. These plans set out how any human activities will be managed so that they are compatible with the MPA/MPZ’s conservation objectives and include provisions for long-term monitoring of marine habitats and species. The Blue Belt Programme is currently assisting the Territories to assess the management effectiveness of their MPA/MPZ using the IUCN Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) framework. This assesses the extent to which all of the necessary systems and processes are in place within the protected area and identifies areas for improvement. The Blue Belt Programme is also working with them to develop a suite of associated indicators for consideration which will enable the appropriate information to be gathered. (9d) Control and enforcement is a devolved matter. Defra, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive continue to work together to share information and ensure a coordinated approach to monitoring, compliance and enforcement across UK waters. In terms of monitoring fishing activity, there is an existing requirement for all fishing vessels over 12 metres in length to have a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) device onboard and transmit their location every 2 hours via satellite whilst in UK waters. VMS provides data securely to relevant UK fisheries enforcement authorities only and devices are tamper proof, guaranteeing