Another Milestone Protection for Sussex Seas
By Sarah Ward
Living Seas Officer
Sussex Wildlife Trust is delighted that Dolphin Head has been officially designated as a Highly Protected Marine Area today, 5 July 2023. Dolphin Head, off the Sussex coast, is one of only three English sites designated as a Highly Protected Marine Area.
Dolphin Head covers an area of 466Km2, lying approximately 55Km from the Sussex coast – and as from today, we will soon see all damaging activity in this vast area prohibited. Following decades of bottom-towed trawling, we know the site is degraded; however, the new protection afforded to the site represents an opportunity to fully recover the ecosystem.
The site is hotspot of biodiversity within the English Channel owing to the variety of habitats found there. These include rocky reef, areas of mixed sediments, and Ross Worm reefs, which create complex habitat on which many other species make a home. The area is also used by numerous seabirds and marine mammals, including Risso’s Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises.
Following recommendations set out in the Benyon Review in 2020 and a period of site selection and consultation, Dolphin Head is one of the three sites which have been designated as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
Sussex Wildlife Trust put this area forward for consideration as a HPMA early on in the process so is delighted that it has now been designated. It will be afforded the highest level of protection of any marine protected area in English waters (alongside Allonby Bay, off the Cumbria coast, and North-East of Farnes Deep, in the North Sea).
This new designation will ban all damaging activities within the boundaries of the site. Unlike other types of marine protected area, this whole-site protection will mean the entire marine ecosystem is protected, rather than specific features.
The designation of HPMAs will act as a mechanism for marine recovery and should contribute to the Government’s commitment to protect 30% of our seas by 2030. HPMAs will also act as a natural solution to help store carbon and tackle climate change, as well as generating benefits through tourism, recreation and marine education.
However, we need far more. Currently, we have a network of Marine Protected Areas, covering 40% of English seas, but these designations do not automatically prevent damaging activity. Many of these precious places act as multi-use areas, where commercial fishing, offshore development and cabling are all allowed. There is still a significant job to do before we can say the UK is a world leader in marine conservation, but today is an important first step.
Sussex Wildlife Trusts’ Living Seas Officer, Sarah Ward says:
“We are more than delighted that Dolphin Head has been designated as a HMPA. The area is known to be of high ecological value but is in a degraded state due to impacts of human activity. Now that the area has been afforded such high protection, we are excited to see the area start to recover as the pressures on the environment are removed.
“We were pleased to see that the designation of Dolphin Head as a HPMA had been supported by a wide range of stakeholders within the consultation process and that the monetised benefits of the ecosystem services provided by the site are proven to outweigh the costs.”
Dr Lissa Batey, Head of Marine Conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“After four years of campaigning for Highly Protected Marine Areas, today we’re celebrating the first three to be designated in England. This is an important first step to better protect our seas and understand how nature can recover if given the space to do so. But these three sites, covering just 0.4% of English waters, are not enough. We need to properly protect our existing marine protected areas and designate significantly more highly protected areas if we are to reverse decades of decline and safeguard our seas for the future.”
Comments
It is good that we now have new designated protected areas for our dolphins and other wild life. Let’s hope that these areas will be added to as they only cover a very small portion of our waters.
06 Jul 2023 11:19:00
well done and congratulations, it is so great that bottom trawling will be banned and the seabed and reef get a chance to recover.
Hopefully nothing will be done however to stop the building of wind turbines which are very important and although some people object to them, I am hugely grateful to have them off he coast at Brighton where I live.
We will benefit from from this source of electricity which is produced by harnessing the wind and without the use of fossil fuel.
06 Jul 2023 11:25:00
It would be helpful to have a map to show whereDolphin head is.
06 Jul 2023 11:32:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Hi Wendy, here's a link to a map of the site
Well done everyone to secure such an exciting site for nature
06 Jul 2023 13:02:00
Great news!
Congratulations to everyone who worked to make this happen!
06 Jul 2023 19:30:00
It’s great news and a step in the right direction, but as you say, much more needs to be protected.
06 Jul 2023 21:24:00
Great News
Now to enforce it – not so easy.
07 Jul 2023 02:35:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Whilst Dolphin Head and the other sites are now officially designated as HPMAs, some management measures do not come into effect immediately; The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will be implementing these, including byelaws, to manage activities within HPMAs and will notify on those measures in due course. This is to manage activities such as fishing and conservation advice on Dolphin Head has already been published by JNCC.
Management of licensable activities applies immediately, meaning that any activity which is to happen within or near to the HPMA needs to go through the MCZ assessment.
HPMAs are designated and managed under the Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009) and it is the responsibility of the MMO to create the byelaws and enforce them, as well as ensure the site is protected through the licensing of other types of activity.
I like the point made earlier here about the need to enforce the protected area(s). I would be interested to hear in a future newsletter about these (proposed?) measures and what I can do to support them.
07 Jul 2023 08:12:00
Delighted with this news but two elements need continued attention – continued gross effluent discharge into the sea & high speed motor boats along the coast. These last should have to have a licence & pay a substantial fee annually with a large bright panel on the rear of the boat shewing they have paid.
07 Jul 2023 08:27:00
An inspirational possibility. I saw one of these on the BBC `Countryfile` some time ago and it was truly amazing hoe the area regenerated.
07 Jul 2023 09:34:00
Wonderful news and congratulations to the Sussex Wildlife Trust. I agree with Jenny Deadman’s remark about wind farms. Further, I would like to know if any research has been done on the area around Rampion. Is there a positive balance of benefit (e.g. from undisturbed seabed once turbines have been installed) versus losses such as bird deaths and injury.
07 Jul 2023 18:22:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Hi Sallie, you can find out what Sussex Wildlife Trust thinks about the Rampion 2 proposals here
protecting our seas should be a big thing for the next election
07 Jul 2023 20:34:00
Teriffic news. How are HPMA’s policed? I imagine it is a favoured fishing and trawling site.
08 Jul 2023 10:28:00
Is there more information available now on the definition of “all damaging activity” other than the already mentioned bottom-towed trawling?
As I see that the southern boundary follows the line of the UK EEZ, I’d also be keen to know if this designation applies to fishing vessels from our EU neighbours as well as to the UK commercial fishing fleet. And how it will be policed and enforced (rather tricky, I imagine)? Not easy to judge unless the area is projected on to vesselfinder, but it looks as though there is at least one French trawler close to the area as I type this.
08 Jul 2023 12:11:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Whilst Dolphin Head and the other sites are now officially designated as HPMAs, some management measures do not come into effect immediately; The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will be implementing these, including byelaws, to manage activities within HPMAs and will notify on those measures in due course. This is to manage activities such as fishing and conservation advice on Dolphin Head has already been published by JNCC.
Management of licensable activities applies immediately, meaning that any activity which is to happen within or near to the HPMA needs to go through the MCZ assessment.
HPMAs are designated and managed under the Marine & Coastal Access Act (2009) and it is the responsibility of the MMO to create the byelaws and enforce them, as well as ensure the site is protected through the licensing of other types of activity.
Very good news.
Where is Dolphin Head exactly ?
Christine
08 Jul 2023 20:16:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Hi, here's a link to a map of the site
Such good news but I would like a map to show where this area is!
13 Jul 2023 15:13:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
Hi Wendy, Click here for a link to a map of the site
That’s brilliant news, well done!
13 Jul 2023 21:57:00
This a very good step forward. I have always kept an eye to the progress the trust and partners are making in gaining protection for our Sussex coastline and seas.
31 Jul 2023 16:02:00
Amazing! Well done!!!
17 Oct 2024 10:38:00
Thank you for your hard work and perseverance.
Good luck with your continuing caring work.
Best wishes,
C.R.
17 Oct 2024 12:52:00
Superb news! What a fantastic achievement! Now we just need a whole lot more…
17 Oct 2024 16:26:00
On many days each year, I see a large expanse of shell-fish washed up on West Wittering beach. I presume this is from trawling activity disturbing the sea bed ? If this is so, I will happily report any sightings to the relevant watch dog .
18 Oct 2024 05:41:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
It's difficult to know why this is happening, however if you would like to report this, you can contact the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority: https://www.sussex-ifca.gov.uk...
So pleased to read of your success in gaining the HPMA Well done
18 Oct 2024 08:58:00
How rigorously is the hpma enforced?
18 Oct 2024 10:51:00
Sussex Wildlife Trust:
The HPMA isn't enforceable yet as although it is designated there are no specific byelaws in place which restrict the activities. The Marine Management Organisation are responsible for this and we hope that there will be something in place in the near future.
I loved reading this article thank you. What is being done to protect the area from Selsey Bill to Chichester Harbour? This is also an important area and is used for non-motor recreational sports by people who value the quality of the sea here and wish for marine biodiversity to be protected? For example, is the West Sussex kelp forest being extended along here to help protect marine life and to help with carbon capture? Thank you
20 Oct 2024 12:20:00
Excellent legislation success. It’s situation looks very vulnerable to ‘accidental’ fishing activity and I’m doubtful that there will be sufficient enforcement of the zone. But if enforced it’s a great start to protecting the sea bed.
21 Oct 2024 06:53:00