Marine Conservation Zones Consultation

[Mike Mayberry]

The Welsh Assembly Government are consulting on the proposals to set 4 highly protected marine conservation zones around the coast of Wales. They are considering 10 sites, many of which you are all probably familiar with. They are Puffin Island, NE Menai Strait, North Llyn Peninsular, Bardsey Island, St Tudwel's Island and Llanbedrog, Mouth of the Dwyfor, Newquay offshore, SW of Strumble Head, Skomer and Dale.

The areas will "prohibit extraction and depositon" within the zones and there is talk of other activities such as sea kayaking being banned from passing through too. This is the first of three consultations and they are wanting to know which activities are undertaken at each site.

It is paramount that we send in our opinions otherwise we may lose access to some wonderful parts of Pembrokeshire and other parts of the Welsh coastline, despite ours being a very low impact activity.

The consultation document can be found here and we have until 31st July to send in any comments to them.

Thanks for reading.

[soundoftheseagull]

Mike thanks for the link it would imact on my activities.

[andreadawn]

Bump. Just thought this rather important issue deserved a few more views.

A quote from the consultation document:-

"Potentially damaging or disturbing activities that may be excluded, subject to
restrictions, zoned, allowed under licence/permit, undertaken according to
codes of conduct, or with other mitigating measures in place to limit impacts,
include but are not restricted to:
.....Navigation and transit of vessels including nonmotorised
boating and recreation including the use of .....kayaks....."

Andrea Collins

[guyak]

This article on BBC news seems to contradict the consultation document by saying that:

"normal recreational activities" will not suffer

and:

Boats would be allowed to sail through the zones but not anchor in them

I'm not sure which is correct (and it may depend on how they define normal).

[Mike Mayberry]

There's now an official petition against the zones for Pembrokeshire.

https://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/e ... pet_id=760