Press Release

Press Release Archive: Thursday 20 December 2012

Lincolnshire misses out on new zones to protect sealife

Just as the grey seal pups born this winter at Donna Nook National Nature Reserve are heading out to sea for the first time, the Government has rejected advice to designate 127 Marine Conservation Zones which would protect their food supply, other sea life and underwater habitats.

The Government is proposing to designate just 31 marine conservation zones from the list of 127 that were recommended by experts and stakeholders.  The 127 recommended Marine Conservation Zones were chosen after two years of hard work by more than one million stakeholders from all sectors of the marine environment and at a cost of over £8.8 million to Government. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is bitterly disappointed by this lack of ambition and saddened to see the collaborative efforts of so many go to waste.  Only 3 of the 26 sites in the North Sea have made it onto the list for designation next year, none of which are off the Lincolnshire coast.  Lincolnshire’s long sandy coastline and the two estuaries of the Humber and The Wash are vitally important for wildlife: the little terns that nest at Gibraltar Point, fish for sand eels in the shallows; there are spawning and nursery grounds for fish such as lemon sole, plaice and herring; and the 1,500 grey seal pups born at Donna Nook this year are now heading out to sea.  Their first swim is in one of the Marine Conservation Zones that the Government has rejected from the list to be designated in 2013.  Called the Lincolnshire Belt, the zone stretches 35km from the Humber Channel to Anderby Creek, from the low tideline out to sea 5.5km (3 nautical miles).  The sea bed is teeming with life with sponges, sea anemones, crabs, shrimps and fish: many of which are potential food for the young seals. But these rich and varied landscapes under our seas have virtually no protection and are at risk.  For too long, we have taken this environment for granted, taking too much, with too little care, and destroying fragile habitats.  We wouldn't stand by and watch our wildflower meadows and bluebell woodlands being destroyed in this way.  We must provide our seas with the protection they need. We would like to thank everyone who has already taken part in the campaign for Marine Conservation Zones but now we need your help more than ever.  The Government has launched a consultation to determine the details of the designation of the 31 zones.  There will also be an opportunity to show support for the remaining 96 zones.  Early in the New Year, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust will release details on how anyone who cares about our sealife and marine environment can take part in this consultation. Visit the Marine Conservation Zone pages of The Wildlife Trusts website: www.wildlifetrusts.org/MCZfriends

Notes to Editors

1. The 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act (MCAA) contained a commitment to establish Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in England’s seas.  The 127 sites chosen are the result of long negotiations by four stakeholder groups, which were set up by Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. These groups contained representatives from a range of organisations including industry, fishing and NGOs. 
   
   
2. Recommended Marine Conservation Zones in Lincolnshire
   Located approximately 26km from Theddlethorpe off the Lincolnshire coast the Silver Pit is a deep glacial channel dating back 10,000 when, during the Ice Age, much of the North Sea was dry land. Today, it’s considered depleted and in need of action to aid recovery.  Lemon and dover sole, sprat, whiting, cod, plaice and herring all spawn here and attract feeding white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and harbour porpoises.
   
   The Lincolnshire Belt stretching 35km from the Humber Channel to Anderby Creek, from the low tideline out to sea 5.5km (3 nautical miles). Also a post-glacial landscape with cliffs of clay and peat, and sunken forests, which form solid structures for sessile animals such as and provide shelter for fish. Life found on both the seabed and in the water column is extremely rich and characterised by brown, bristleworms and dense mats of hydroids and bryozoans such as hornwrack - often mistaken for seaweed. 
   
   The Wash Approach covering nearly 1000 square km (nearly twice the size of the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB) and with one of the highest species diversities in the North Sea. Animals found here include bivalves including the incredibly long-lived ocean quahog, starfish and urchins, anemones, sea firs and sea mats.
   In addition, three areas are proposed that will be afforded the maximum level of protection possible to seabed habitats. These will include an area of sand and gravels that will be left completely untouched. 
   
   An area of living reef created by the tiny ross worm Sabellaria spinulosa. These worms build tubes from sand and large numbers of them create expansive structures that can be raised up to 60 centimetres above the seabed and that can persist for many years. This stable reef habitat allows other animals such as peacock worms to become established.
   The Inner and Outer Dogs Head located in the mouth of the Wash just offshore from Gibraltar Point. The intertidal sand banks here rise up to three metres high. Common seals haul out to rest and to give birth to their pups and the little terns that nest at Gibraltar Point, fish for sand eels in the shallows.
   
   
3. Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
   Founded in 1948, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is dedicated to safeguarding wildlife and wild places in Lincolnshire and promoting understanding and enjoyment of the natural world from the Humber to the Wash.  With over 25,000 members and around 100 nature reserves, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is largest voluntary nature conservation organisation in Lincolnshire. Our vision is for Lincolnshire, North and North-East Lincolnshire, and the neighbouring sea and estuaries to be rich in wildlife for the benefit of everyone.
   www.lincstrust.org.uk 
   Twitter: @LincsWildlife 
   Facebook: /LincolnshireWildlifeTrust
   
4. The Wildlife Trusts
   There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney.  All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone.  We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch.   Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas.  We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife.
   www.wildlifetrusts.org
   

For further information please contact

Rachel Shaw, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01507 526667   (ansaphone out of office hours)
Fax: 01507 525732
Email: Rachel Shaw

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Banovallum House
Manor House Street
Horncastle
Lincolnshire LN9 5HF

Website: www.lincstrust.org.uk