The Marine Bill

The Bill covers...

• Marine Management Organisation

• Marine planning

• Streamlined marine licensing

• Nature conservation

• Improved inshore fisheries

management

• Better enforcement

• Migratory and freshwater fish

measures

• Coastal access

• Draft Bill out to consultation – April 2008

• Queens speech & introduction in House of Lords

– December 2008

• Report stage in HoL completed this week

• Introduction in Commons later this month

• Royal assent – likely Oct/Nov 2009

• Target for vesting of MMO – April 2010

The Marine Bill

Marine Management Organisation

• The MMO

• will be the UK Government’s marine delivery body

• will bring functions together in one body: Marine

planning; marine licensing; fisheries management; nature

conservation and enforcement.

• will work closely with Local Authorities, IPC, Inshore

Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) and

others to integrate management of our seas with land at

the coast.

What will the MMO do?

Marine planning Preparing marine plans

Marine licensing Marine Act and Electricity Act licensing, Harbour orders

Marine fisheries Defra’s marine fisheries management functions

Nature conservation Furthering MCZ objectives, contributing to site selection, nature conservation orders.

Monitoring and enforcement

Enforcement of sea fisheries, nature conservation and licensing legislation

Other functions Providing advice, appointing IFCA members, making effective use of data

Key benefits of marine planning

Planning is proactive marine management - we won’t just be waiting for things to happen, we’ll be setting policies then delivering them

Brings people together and allows them to shape the future handling of our seas

Provides a coordinated point of information about the marine environment and future needs

Marine objectives

Marine policy statement

Marine plans

Licensing decisions

Planning process

How Marine Planning will be delivered

Stage 1 - UK Marine Policy Statement• Jointly agreed and adopted by all UK administrations

• UK objectives and priorities for sustainable development of the seas

• Brings together all policies which impact on marine environment (including National Policy Statements)

Stage 2 - Series of marine plans• Prepared by the new MMO

• Looks at all activities, resources and needs of an area

• Guides decisions on licences and other decisions by public bodies

• Helps engage people in the importance of the marine environment

Marine Planning – Getting involved

• The MMO will publish a

Statement at the beginning of the

development of each plan setting

out how it intends to involve

people during each stage.

• There will be early opportunities

to input into the planning process

as well as a full consultation.

Marine licensing

• Clearer, simpler, streamlined marine licensing

• Support for marine planning and holistic decision making

• More effective enforcement tools

• Modernising and consolidating FEPA and CPA

• Reducing Burdens (25% + fewer licences)

Marine licensing

Marine licensing

Modernising marine fisheries management

Inshore Reform

• new Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities to ensure

use of sea fisheries resources is managed sustainably, including

special requirements to protect MCZs

• adjust membership to improve decision making and local

stakeholder involvement

• strengthened and consolidated enforcement powers with

stronger penalties for offences

Marine Conservation Zones

• A new conservation tool - to conserve rare, threatened and representative species/habitats

• MCZs will complement European marine sites - to form a coherent network of marine protected areas by 2012

• Ministers to designate MCZs and set their conservation rules

• Flexible mechanism – level of protection for MCZs will vary (from ‘sustainable use’ to ‘highly protected’)

Selection of MCZs

• Regional projects to identify and consider possible sites - based on NE’s ‘Finding Sanctuary’ project in South West

• Key role for stakeholders from an early stage

• Ministers will then receive formal recommendations from Natural England and JNCC

• Designation can take account of socio-economic factors

• Too early to predict number of MCZs or extent of coverage – depends on what comes out of regional projects

Coastal Access

• Access to the coast around

England

• No new creation of rights of way

& protection of existing rights

• Flexible means of local decision

making to ensure sensible

routes through or around

existing ports etc

And meanwhile . . .

The EU is implementing the Marine Strategy Framework The EU is implementing the Marine Strategy Framework

Directive which requires us to achieve good Directive which requires us to achieve good

environmental status by 2020environmental status by 2020

The Council of Ministers has begun to discuss a The Council of Ministers has begun to discuss a

programme to reform the CFP in 2012programme to reform the CFP in 2012

The Marine Bill gives us many of the tools we need to The Marine Bill gives us many of the tools we need to

apply these changes and to help lead marine debate in apply these changes and to help lead marine debate in

EuropeEurope.

The Marine Bill - Making it real

The Bill will give us:

• A new Marine Management Organisation

• World’s first comprehensive marine planning system – strategic planning for all activities in the sea

• More efficient, more transparent, more holistic licensing

• Network of marine protected areas

• Better local marine fisheries and environmental management

• Better protection for migratory and freshwater fish

• Greater access to our English coastline

The Marine Bill