Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to have put in place comprehensive management plans for each of the existing Marine Conservation Zones.

George Eustice

The Government is committed to delivering a ‘Blue Belt’ of well-managed Marine Protected Areas around our coasts. Where fisheries management measures are required, the Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities and the Marine Management Organisation will put in place measures, such as byelaws, for all inshore Tranche 1 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) by the end of this year. To date, 19 new byelaws and 14 new voluntary measures that complement over 25 legacy byelaws are already in place. Appropriate fisheries management measures for inshore Tranche 2 MCZ sites will be identified by January 2018, following their designation earlier this year.