Three New Marine Protected Areas off UK’s Northeast Coastline

There are three new marine protected areas off the UK’s northeast coastline. These regions are the marine conservation zones (MCZs) of Coquet Island off Amble to St Mary’s Island off Whitley Bay, plus Farnes East and Fulmar off Northumberland.

Marine Conservation Zones are a type of protected area at sea designated for habitats and species of national importance.

The list of Marine Conservation Zones was drawn-up by sea-users, scientists and conservationists, with Government committing to designating the sites in three waves or tranches.

The Wildlife Trusts, actively involved in every step of the process, are calling for people to join more than 8,000 other supporters as a Friend of MCZs.

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Reviewing Sanctuary Boundaries

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has published a “Notice of intent to review boundaries; intent to prepare environmental impact statement; hold scoping meetings.”

NOAA’s published notice explains that the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is reviewing the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary boundaries in order to evaluate and consider the benefits, need and impact of expanding the sanctuary’s boundaries to include additional submerged maritime cultural and archaeologic resources as described in the February 2013 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Final Management Plan and Environmental Assessment.