FORMAL steps to establish the island’s first marine nature reserve will go before Tynwald next week.
The Ramsey Bay (Marine Nature Reserve) by-laws were drawn up following extensive public consultation and input from a wide range of marine users, scientists and other stakeholders.
The by-laws will support management measures included in the zoning plan that has been drawn up.
More than 200 people responded to the consultation process and provided a large amount of additional information that was helpful to development of the plan. More than 85 per cent of those who responded were active users of Ramsey Bay and the majority of responses were extremely supportive of the idea of establishing the marine nature reserve.
Senior marine biodiversity officer Dr Fiona Gell said that in addition to the by-laws, a monitoring programme would be put in place to ensure that the nature reserve was having the positive benefits it has been designed to deliver.
‘We will be working closely with users of Ramsey Bay and the wider community to develop Ramsey marine nature reserve as a real asset for fisheries management, marine conservation and a great opportunity for Ramsey and the surrounding area,’ she said.
The reserve’s zoning plan will protect vulnerable habitats including eelgrass meadows, horse mussel reefs and maerl beds.
All zones on the map, including the fisheries zone, will be protected from aggregate extraction and dumping of dredged material.
All zones will also be protected from gill netting, a measure which has been developed in response to issues raised by anglers. All angling events will be ‘catch and release’, as proposed by anglers’ representatives.
Any offshore or coastal developments within the area will require authority from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, and require an environmental impact assessment.
The Conservation Zone (inner Ramsey Bay) will be protected from all trawling and dredging and all extraction of scallops and queenies. Potting, recreational angling and bait collection will be permitted.
The Horse Mussel Zone (off the Point of Ayre and Ballacash Channel) will be protected from all trawling and dredging and all extraction of scallops and queenies. The site will also be protected from potting. Recreational angling and bait collection will be permitted.
The Fisheries Management Zone (the outer area of Ramsey Bay) will be leased to the Manx Fish Producers’ Organisation by the Department of Infrastructure and managed to support sustainable fisheries. Conditions to the lease will ensure that the area is protected from overfishing and that habitat damage is minimised. Trawling and dredging will be permitted to a level set by the Marine Fisheries Protection Officer and licensed by DEFA. Potting and recreational fishing will be permitted.
The Eelgrass Zone will be protected from all extraction of living resources. Catch and release angling will be permitted but bait collection will not be allowed. The Rocky Shore Zone, a narrow strip of coastal waters between Gob ny Rona and Maughold Head, will be protected from all trawling and dredging and all extraction of scallops and queenies by other means. Environment Minister Phil Gawne MHK will put the by-laws before Tynwald for approval next week.