Marine conservation zones: First consultation process ends

The first phase of consultation about the creation of 10 highly protected marine conservation zones around Wales' coastline closes on Tuesday.

Creating the zones would mean a ban of fishing, on dredging and on anchoring in all or just some of the areas.

The consultation, led by the Welsh government, is the first of three.

The government said work on the marine conservation zones was in the early stages, and it remained flexible on the location and size of them.

The zones were formed on the advice of the Countryside Council of Wales (CCW), and are supported by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

MCS said they would provide "massive benefits" for wildlife.

One of the zones is around Bardsey Island, off the Llyn Peninsula.

This legislation will affect precisely those environmentally responsible fisheries whilst allowing damaging activities to carry on outside the proposed zones”

Local lobster fisherman Colin Evans said he was concerned about the proposed legislation.

"My worries are really that they proposed legislation is a little bit disproportionate," he said.

"I'm a sixth generation lobster fisherman around Bardsey. I would like to say that my family has been practicing marine conservation since the beginning of the 19th Century.

"This legislation will affect precisely those environmentally responsible fisheries whilst allowing damaging activities to carry on outside the proposed zones.

"If all 10 sites were designated it would affect directly or indirectly about 25 or 50% of the Welsh inshore responsible low impact fishing fleet, but it would affect 0% of the nomadic scallop vessels that work in these areas in the winter."

Gill Bell of MCS said she appreciated people had concerns about the zones.

"Where they've been set up from people around the world the evidence has shown that this type of protection is the most effective and it has massive benefits for the wildlife, so you get more fishes and shellfish and other types of wildlife, they weigh more, they tend to be bigger, and there are lots of different types."

Ms Bell urged people to respond, with two further consultations to follow.

"With regard to the scallop fisheries, there are new laws being implemented for them and they are within Welsh government under department because this is a conservation measure rather than a fisheries measure," she added.

The Welsh government said: "We remain flexible on the location, size and boundaries of potential marine conservation zones and are not yet anywhere near the decision making stage.

"The current consultation is the first in a three staged consultation process and is focused on gathering information and views from people across Wales and especially those living in local coastal communities."