Sea angling and Marine Conservation Zones!

[nstrusts]

Dear anglers,

As you may or may not know, the Government recently announced the start of a public consultation for the second round of Marine Conservation Zones (see here). These are areas of sea that are protected from the most damaging forms of fishing (i.e. scallop dredging and trawling), as well as port construction, and oil, gas and aggregate extraction. These could therefore be of huge benefit to sea anglers as they exclude damaging activities from areas of the coast, and allow all the seaweeds, sponges, and other animals on the seabed to recover which provide nursery and spawning habitat to cod, pollack, sprat, plaice and countless other species.

These Marine Conservation Zones are still in consultation so it's vitally important that sea anglers voice their support. To do this, simply write a short letter expressing your views and email it to Defra at MCZ@defra.gsi.gov.uk or use our online system.

If you have any questions regarding how Marine Conservation Zones could affect you, check out our FAQs section on our website.

Many thanks!
The North Sea Wildlife Trusts