Boats to be banned from ‘Blue Belt’ marine havens

BOATS will be banned on some British waters for the first time under plans by Michael Gove to create Highly Protected Marine Areas in this country.

These are the strongest protections for areas of sea, and ban all human activity in some vulnerable parts of the oceans.

The Environment Secretary used World Ocean Day to open a review into the best locations for these areas. The policy would mark the most significant expansion of England’s “Blue Belt” of protected areas to date.

The areas would be created alongside the network of Marine Conservation Zones, which last week expanded by a further 41 areas, and would allow vulnerable marine wildlife to fully recover, free from all damaging human activities, with the aim of restoring the seas to a pristine state.

The review, led by Richard Benyon MP, will take six months and consider the economic and social impacts on businesses and individuals who use the sea, taking into account the views of fishermen, conservation groups, marine industries and local communities.

Mr Gove said: “The UK is a global leader in the fight to protect our seas, but World Oceans Day is an important reminder that we need to safeguard the future prosperity and health of our ocean. Our review into Highly Protected Marine Areas will help inform our next steps in the Government’s work to expand and strengthen the UK’S Blue Belt to create richer habitats for marine life.”

Mr Benyon added: “While many areas have strong protections in place, there is a need to consider whether and where we can go further to safeguard marine life, balancing the needs of fishing, conservation and local communities.”

The World Wildlife Foundation has found that in protected areas, fish breed more readily and populations recover. In one example in Italy, fish spawners produce 15 times more eggs and larvae within the area than outside.