21st July 2010 – 13th October 2010 Info release from Defra Please be advised the public consultations and supporting documents on the Marine Policy Statement, the Marine Planning System and Marine Licensing are now live and can be accessed on the following links: The Marine Policy Statement (UK) will be the first part of new [...]

Richard Benyon MP has been appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries. His portfolio will include : Natural environment, Ecosystem services, Biodiversity National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, Wildlife, JNCC Flooding and water (including Nitrates), Inland waterways (including British Waterways) Land management (including commons and contaminated land) and soil Rural Affairs, Coastal [...]

The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 requires that the MPS state general policies for achieving sustainable development in the UK marine area and that a combination of the UK Act and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 ensures that Scottish marine plans must comply with the MPS, if it has been adopted by Scottish Ministers. [...]

Defra has today published the Government strategy (pdf) to deliver a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across the United Kingdom. Marine Protected Areas will be vital to protect many species of sea life, from the rare and threatened to the more common, as well as helping ensure our seas and oceans remain healthy and [...]

The first MCZ Project Newsletter – designed to keep stakeholders up-to-date with the work of the Marine Conservation Zone Project has just been released here. It welcomes the Ministerial Statement, made in accordance with the Marine and Coastal Access Act, which it says takes designating Marine Conservation Zones as part of an ecologically coherent network [...]

David Cameron, the Leader of the Opposition in Westminster gave an exclusive interview to Angling Times (see here) and spelt out his plans for the sport’s future if the Conservatives win the next General Election. Speaking from his offices in Westminster, the Leader of the Opposition covered a range of issues from predation and the [...]

The UK Marine Science Strategy was launched in February. It can be accessed here. The strategy was developed by the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee on behalf of all the government departments that are members of the committee. It identifies three high level science priorities of : Understanding how the marine ecosystem functions Responding to climate [...]

The UK Government has submitted its official response to the European Commission’s green paper on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) outlining key changes the UK wishes to see in a radical reform of CFP. These changes include: More responsibility at regional levels to bring decision making closer to those managing fisheries; Greater flexibility and [...]

Overarching objective: a balanced and fair settlement across the range of negotiations, which promotes the long-term sustainable exploitation of fish stocks in European waters and the economic viability of the fisheries sector – whilst reflecting the full extent of UK interests. Subject to consultation and further consideration, the UK’s objectives are likely to be as [...]