On the 14 August 2012 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced a revised approach to management of commercial fisheries in European marine sites(1) (marine Natura 2000 sites) in English waters. The revised approach was developed and is being implemented in close consultation with the Fisheries in European Marine Site Implementation Group, which includes representatives from the fishing industry, environmental NGOs and fisheries and marine scientific advisors.
Under the revised approach, a generic risk assessment of the interactions between all commercial fishing activities and all designated features of marine Natura 2000 sites in English waters was undertaken. The results of this assessment have been brought together and displayed in a matrix(2). In this matrix, activity/feature interactions have been categorised as red, amber, green, or blue. A classification as red indicates a high risk of deterioration to the feature. To ensure that the risk of deterioration of the feature is removed and to thereby secure compliance with article 6 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC (the “Habitats Directive”), UK regulators are required to introduce management to prohibit activity resulting in these interactions by the end of 2013. The outputs of the matrix were subject to an independent review by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)(3).
The proposed measures included in this notification, are to manage high risk (or red) interactions. For those interactions classified as amber, there is more uncertainty regarding the risk, and as such site-level assessments will be required to determine whether management of an activity is required to protect features. Assessments will take place between 2014 to 2016, and should any management measures be required, these will be introduced by the end of 2016. Assessment of amber interactions must take into account in combination effects from interactions which, by themselves, are highly unlikely to affect the achievement of the feature’s conservation objective (these are categorised as green in the matrix). A categorisation of blue indicates that there is no feasible interaction, and as such no further assessment is required.
Defra policy document: www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/documents/ems_fisheries/policy_and_delivery.pdf
Fisheries in European marine sites matrix: www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/documents/ems_fisheries/populated_matrix3.xls
Cefas independent review of the matrix: http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/documents/ems_fisheries/cefas_matrix_review.pdf