BRITAIN'S first marine conservation zone officially came into force today.. The area around Lundy island off the Devon Coast will be one of several conservation areas which will eventually circle the entire UK coastline.
The Marine Conservation Zones are government protected and designed to protect fish and other marine life. In many parts of the zone fishing will be prohibited to UK vessels, but some fishing MPs have claimed that the rules do not apply to European vessels at the at the present time, putting British fishermen at a disadvantage. Lundy's warm waters are rich in fish and marine plant life including seals, lobsters and a variety of corals.
Before it became a Marine Conservation Zone Lundy was also England's only Marine Nature Reserve and the UK's first No Take Zone, where fishing is banned to protect corals and other marine life. Specific conservation objectives for the island, which is just three miles long and half-a-mile wide, will now be developed and the plans open for consultation. Local byelaws will remain in place to protect the island's wildlife and new local laws will also be put in place to protect the zone from human activity which may cause damage. Huw Irranca-Davies, Minister for the Marine Environment, said: "With the new Marine Conservation Zone around Lundy Island we have taken the first step in creating a network of marine protected areas.
We can't always see what is happening to the wildlife and habitats under our seas, but they need just the same protection as those on land and this world-first in legislation will provide that."
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