A PROPOSAL to designate an area of the southern North Sea as a Highly Protected Marine Area has been dropped.
The Inner Silver Pit South, off the coast of Lincolnshire, is recognised as a biodiversity hotspot for marine wildlife including fish, shellfish, whales, dolphins and seabirds.
However, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey decided not to grant HPMA status following objections from fishermen in Grimsby and elsewhere - even while acknowledging that protection would have a "positive impact on nursery and spawning areas for commercially or recreationally important fish".
The area is said to be particularly productive for lobsters and crabs, though scallop numbers are declining to the dismay of French vessels that occasionally come calling (and trawling).
A statement published today by the minister's department reads: "After reviewing the evidence the Secretary of State has decided not to designate Inner Silver Pit South as an HPMA.
"This is because of the relatively high costs to fishermen likely to be incurred by such a designation.
"The commercial fishing in this site is comparatively productive compared to the surrounding areas. As well as incurring high costs from designation, the benefits would be comparatively low.
"As a result, the analysis shows the net social value (comparing benefits to costs) was the lowest across all sites.
"Therefore, we consider the benefits of designation would not sufficiently outweigh the impacts on fishers."
The decision will cause disappointment in wildlife-supporting circles - not least to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, one of the consultees.
A pre-decision survey revealed that 59 per cent of respondents supported - many of them "strongly" - the designation proposal.
Objections from fishermen also caused the minister to reject another proposal - this one for Lindisfarne.
On the plus side, she has approved designations for Allonby Bay (located in the Irish Sea), North East of Farnes Deep (in the Northern North Sea) and Dolphin Head (located in the Eastern Channel).
Consultees across the five designation sites were the following:
Allerdale Borough Council
Alnwick Area Friends of the Earth
Angling Trust
Anglo Scottish Fishermen’s Association
Applied Genomics Ltd.
Barnsley BSAC Divers
Belford Parish Council
Billy Shiels Boat Trips (Individual with 25 in employment)
Blue Marine Foundation
Brighton and Hove’s Wildlife Forum
British Association for Shooting and Conservation
British Marine Aggregate Producers Association
British Sub Aqua Club
BSAC Harrogate Dive Club
Carbon Capture and Storage Association
Chamber of Shipping
Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Dahogg and Sons
Danish Fishermen PO
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for the Flemish Gov Belgium
Dutch Fisheries Organisation
EDF
EnerGeo
Environment Agency
European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA)
Farne Islands Advisory Committee to the National Trust
Fastline Shellfish
Fellow (retired) Institute of Fisheries Management and Life Member of Freshwater Biological Association
Flannigan Seafoods
Forth Shore Enterprises
French Authorities
French fishing sector - Comite National des peches
French National Association of Fish Producers Organisations
Friends of the Lake District
Galwad Y Mor Shellfish (Bridlington) Limited
Government of the Netherlands, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Greenpeace
Historic England
Holderness Fishing Industry Group
Holy Island of Lindisfarne Community Development Trust
Holy Island Parish Council
Horncliffe Parish Council
Ifield Divers
J N A Shellfish Limited
Leach Fishing
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve Advisory Committee for Natural England
Local people and businesses
Lynda Sale Consulting LLP
Marine Biological Association
Marine Conservation Society
Marine Research
Maritime Coastguard Agency
Maryport Harbour and Marina Ltd
Maryport Solway Sea Cadet Unit
National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations
National Grid Group
National Trust
Natural History Society of Northumbria
Netherlands’ Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Newcastle University
North Atlantic Shipping
North East Ambulance Service
North Sea Fishermen’s Organisation Ltd
North Sunderland Harbour Commissioner
North West Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority
Northern Ireland Fishermen’s Federation
Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership
Northumberland County Council
Northumberland Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority
Northumberland Retreats.com
Oceana
Office for Environmental Protection
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK)
Orsted Wind Power (UK)
Pecheurs Normands
Port of Silloth
Promised Land KCKC (fishing vessel to North Shields)
Rederscentrale (Belgian fisheries)
RenewableUK/RenewableUK’s Offshore Consents & Licencing (OCLG) Working Group
Residents of Allonby
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Yachting Association
Scottish Creel Fisherman’s Federation
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation
Seabed User & Development Group
Seahouses Fishermens Association
Seal Research Trust
Shellfish Association of Great Britain
Solway Firth Partnership
South Devon and Channel Shellfishermen Ltd
South East Fisherman’s Protection Association
South of Scotland Seafish Training Association
South West Fish Producers Organisation
St Albans
St Mary’s Church, Holy Island
Sussex Dolphin Project/World Cetacean Alliance
Sussex Wildlife Trust
Swedish Pelagic Federation PO
The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
The Fifth Point Diving Centre
The Holy Island Fisherman’s Society
The Wildlife Trusts
Tillside Parish Council
Transition Edinburgh
Trinity House (General Lighthouse Authority)
UK Association of Fish Producer Organisations
UK Major Ports Group
UK Oil & Gas Exploration Task Force
VisNed Dutch Fishermen’s Organisation
Wildlife and Countryside Link
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