Is your wildfowling threatened by reference areas?

13 April 2012

What’s its all about?

Four projects have been set up to design a network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) for both inshore and offshore English waters. These are areas where the conservation needs of certain habitats and species are to be given extra protection to that already in place.

For scientific reasons each project must also propose a series of reference areas within the MCZs where “all extraction, deposition or human-derived disturbance is removed or prevented”.  The projects have to propose at least one reference area for each of the habitats and species being protected by the MCZs.

All four projects have submitted their proposals to Defra and public consultation on the recommendations is expected later this year.

What is BASC doing?

Last year BASC was made aware of two proposed reference areas that impacted on local wildfowling interests, one at Blakeney Marsh in Norfolk (Net Gain project) and one at North Mistley in the Stour estuary (Balanced Seas project). BASC has worked closely with the affected wildfowling clubs and made its concerns known to project staff, Natural England and relevant MPs.

If proposals that affect wildfowling interests go to public consultation later this year we will help members and affiliated clubs make effective objections to them.  BASC has direct lines of communication with the relevant senior officials at Defra, Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation. Defra minister Richard Benyon will make the final decision on the designation of marine conservation zones and reference areas.

BASC has compared the location of the 65 reference areas with its wildfowling database. This database contains maps of areas leased and owned by wildfowling clubs submitted to it by those clubs. The only reference areas we are aware of that affect wildfowling interests are Blakeney Marsh and North Mistley.

It is possible that wildfowling interests are affected within some of the other 63 proposed reference areas.  During the setting up of the projects local awareness raising about the reference areas was poor. Moreover, the project websites make it extremely difficult to identify and find out more about these reference areas.

BASC has produced this briefing to make it easier for you to find out if your wildfowling interests are affected by reference areas local to you.

What should I do?

If maps of your club’s wildfowling interests have not been registered on BASC’s database we recommend that you check the locations of the reference areas listed in the sections below. If you have concerns about a reference area contact Mark Greenhough at BASC on 01244 573 011 or click here to email him.

Net Gain project – Scottish border to Suffolk

Thirteen reference areas have been proposed by the Net Gain project which covers English inshore and offshore waters from the Scottish border to Suffolk..
Maps and more information for each of the proposed MCZs and reference areas can be downloaded as individual reports from the Net Gain website.

Click here for all the Net Gain project recommendations

Below we have highlighted 8 coastal reference areas that could potentially affect shooting interests. Click on the links below to find out if your shooting interests are within the reference areas.

Seahorse Lagoon and Arnold’s Marsh
Located within the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley Marshes Reserve on the North Norfolk Coast.

Glaven Reedbed
Located within the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Cley Marshes Reserve on the North Norfolk Coast.

Blakeney Marsh
Located within Morston salt marsh between the villages of Morston and Blakeney on the North Norfolk Coast.

Blakeney Seagrass
Located within the sheltered inlet of Blakeney Point, within Stanley’s cockle bight on the North Norfolk Coast.

Dogs Head Sandbanks
Located along the Gibraltar Point coastline in Lincolnshie.

Seahenge Peat and Clay
Located north of Holme-next-the-Sea in North Norfolk.

Flamborough Head
Located south west of Flamborough Head in Yorkshire.

Berwick Coast
Located just north of the Tweed estuary in Berwickshire.

Balanced Seas – South and South East England

Twenty five reference areas have been proposed by the Balanced Seas project which covers English inshore and offshore waters in the South and South East.
Maps and more information for each of the proposed MCZs and reference areas can be downloaded as individual reports from the Balanced Seas website.

Click here for all the Balanced Seas project recommendations

Below we have highlighted 17 coastal reference areas that could potentially affect shooting interests. Click on the links below to find out if your shooting interests are within the reference areas.

Colne Point
Located off Lee-Over-Sands within the Colne estuary in Essex.

South Mersea 
Located off West Mersea (Mersea Island) within the Colne estuary in Essex.

Holehaven Creek
The site encompasses the entirety of Holehaven Creek, a tributary of the River Thames.

Westgate Promontory
Located off Westgate-On-Sea along the Thanet coast in Kent.

Turner Contemporary
Located off Turngate Promontory, near Margate in Kent.

South Foreland Lighthouse
Located south of St Margaret’s at Cliffe in Kent.

Belle Tout to Beachy Head Lighthouse
Located between Birling Gap and Beachy Head Lighthouse in East Sussex.

Church Norton Spit
Located along Church Norton Spit within Pagham Harbour in West Sussex.

Tyne Ledges
Located off Bembridge on the Isle of Wight.

Wootton Old Mill Pond
A saline lagoon located near Wootton Bridge on the Isle of Wight.

King's Quay
Located off King’s Quay on the Isle of Wight.

St Catherine’s Point
Located off St Catherine’s Point on Isle of Wight.

Newtown Harbour
Located within Newtown Harbour on Isle of Wight.

Alum Bay
Located within Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight.

North Mistley
Located north of Mistley within the Stour estuary in Suffolk.

Abbots Hall Farm
Located at Abbots Hall Farm (Salcott Creek) within the Blackwater estuary in Essex.

Harwich Haven
Located off Harwich at the mouth of the Stour and Orwell estuaries in Essex.

Finding sanctuary – South West England

Thirteen reference areas have been proposed by the Finding Sanctuary project which covers English inshore and offshore waters in the South West.
Maps and more information for each of the proposed MCZs and reference areas can be downloaded from Finding Sanctuary website.

Click here for all the Finding Sanctuary recommendations

Below we have highlighted 7 coastal reference areas that could potentially affect shooting interests. Click on the links below to download a collated report with maps and more information on all the reference areas. Page numbers are given to help you find each reference area within the report.

The Fleet (see pages 998 to 1,006)
Located along the Fleet Lagoon behind Chesil Beach in Dorset.

Lyme Bay (see pages 1,007 to 1,014)
Located within Lyme Bay in Devon/Dorset.

Erme Estuary (see pages 1,015 to 1,021)
Located within the Erme estuary in Devon.

Mouth of the Yealm (see pages 1,022 to 1,030)
Located within the Yealm estuary in Devon.

The Fal (see pages 1,031 to 1,041)
Located within the Fal estuary in Cornwall.

Swanpool (see pages 1,042 to 1,047) 
Located at the Swan Pool lagoon near Falmouth in Cornwall.

Lundy (see pages 1,055 to 1,062)
Located off Lundy Island south of the Bristol channel.

Irish Sea Conservation Zones – Bristol Channel to the Solway

Fourteen reference areas have been proposed by the Irish Seas Conservation Zones project which covers English inshore and offshore waters from the Bristol Channel to the Solway.

Maps and more information for each of the proposed MCZs and reference areas can be downloaded from the Irish Sea Conservation Zones website.

Click here for all the Irish Sea Conservation Zones recommendations

Below we have highlighted 8 coastal reference areas that could potentially affect shooting interests. Click on the links below to download a collated report with maps and more information on all the reference areas. Page numbers are given to help you find each reference area with the report.

Allonby Bay (see pages 331 to 342)
Located within Allonby Bay in the Solway Firth, Cumbria.

Cumbrian Coast 1 (see pages 343 to 353)
Located south of St Bees Head in Cumbria.

Cumbrian Coast 2 (see pages 354 to 365)
Located within Saltom Bay in Cumbria.

Tarn Point (see pages 366 to 379)
Located within Tarn Bay and Selker Bay in Cumbria.

Cunning Point (see pages 392 to 402)
Located off Cunning Point near Lowca in Cumbria.

Barrow South (see pages 403 to 414)
Located in vicinity of Roosecote sands south of Walney Island, Morecambe Bay, Cumbria.

Barrow North (see pages 415 to 424)
Located within North Walney National Nature Reserve, Morecambe Bay, Cumbria.

Sefton Coast (see pages 425 to 434)
Located off Hightown along the Sefton coast in Merseyside.

Your views

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