A MOVE to protect a sandbank habitat in the North Sea has set ‘an important precedent’ that will make it easier for Jersey to create a marine park, according to the executive director of the Blue Marine Foundation.
Charles Clover spoke out after the UK government announced that Dogger Bank was one of four areas in English waters that would be protected from damaging fishing activities.
By-laws banning trawling and dredging at the site – around 100km off the east coast of Yorkshire – are now due to be brought into force in two months’ time. The decision followed a campaign by a number of conservation groups, including the BMF.
Last month States Members voted against the inclusion of a marine park in the Bridging Island Plan, rejecting an amendment from Senator Lyndon Farnham – calling for about 900km² of sea to be protected from ‘inappropriate development and damaging activities’ – by 28 votes to 14.
Some of the concerns raised during the debate involved the ramifications such a proposal could have on discussions with the French over fishing licences for the Island’s waters.
However, Mr Clover said the Dogger Bank decision demonstrated that Jersey ‘doesn’t need to engage in a fisheries negotiation’ to introduce environmental protections.
He said: ‘The enforcement of a vast marine-protected area on the Dogger Bank makes it a lot easier for Jersey to designate 30% of its waters as a marine park, a much smaller area of protection than that which has been pushed through in UK waters.
‘Dogger Bank is 12,000km² – the area of Jersey waters proposed is around 900km². The decision to enforce the existing law protecting nature on the Dogger has established an important precedent, [and] demonstrates that under the terms of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement with the EU, Jersey only has to notify the European Commission that an area of environmental protection is being created under Jersey law. It doesn’t need to engage in a fisheries negotiation in order to protect nature.’
He added: ‘The Dogger Bank decision is a gift to the next government of Jersey – in terms of the creation of a marine park – for it clearly demonstrates that Jersey could simply put in place such legal protection as it considers necessary in order to protect the marine environment. It just needs to inform the EU.’
An independent survey carried out earlier this year at the BMF’s request reported that 85% of 2,400 respondents thought a marine park should be established to cover 30% of Jersey’s waters.
Dogger Bank remains an important site for species including sand eels, hermit crabs, flatfish and starfish.
