News items

Administrator vacancy at Solway Firth Partnership

Plans for more wind farms in the Solway

A new draft report by the Scottish Government has identified sites in the Solway as part of its plans for the generation of renewable wind energy in Scotland.  The report, Draft Plan for Offshore Wind Energy In Scottish Territorial Waters, identifies 5 possible sites for new wind farm developments in the Solway and Wigtown bay area, in addition to the two proposed in January 2009 by the Crown Estate at Wigtown Bay and adjacent to Robin Rigg.  No final decisions on the suitability of any of these areas have yet been made, as the Draft Plan is now open for a period of public and stakeholder consultation. Consultees are now invited to share their views on the best options for offshore wind energy development, as well as areas where they wish to see greater restrictions.  The consultation closes on August 16th 2010 - more information about how you can respond to these is available here.

Conference 2010 - a date for your diary!

UK Government publish plans for marine management

Three documents have been published (21^st July 2010) by the UK Government that will set out the policy objectives for UK governments in managing the UK seas, introducing marine planning and streamlining licensing.  The new systems will help the management of marine activities, such as providing energy, which contribute around £47 billion to the UK economy; ensure on-going environmental protection of our seas; and give coastal communities a voice in the future uses of their marine environment. The draft UK Marine Policy Statement is the first step in this new marine planning system, which sets the direction for the use of our seas and shapes marine plans and licensing decisions, and has been developed jointly with the Devolved Administrations.  The document sets out specific policy objectives the UK Government and Devolved Administrations are seeking to achieve in the UK marine area to achieve the vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas and oceans.  The marine planning system consultation will be led in England by the recently created Marine Management Organisation (MMO) with other interested organisations, and aims to develop a comprehensive marine planning capability that will deliver a world-leading, integrated approach to marine management. The consultation on marine licensing is designed to create a more effective, streamlined and transparent system, which would start in April 2011. Together with marine planning, the new licensing system will provide a clearer, more straightforward way for developers to take forward their marine projects in a sustainable way while protecting the environment, human health and other users of the sea.

The three documents are

The Marine Policy Statement can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-policy/index.htm

The Marine Planning System consultation can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-planning/index.htm

A new Marine Licensing System consultation can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/marine-licensing-system/index.htm

(from Defra press release 21.7.10)

Beach Blitz makes a ton!

As part of the recent World Oceans Week 2010 Celebrations, NSA (Dumfries and Galloway) Ranger Ian Brown organised a Beach Blitz, a week of beach cleans which removed the rubbish from 7 Dumfries and Galloway beaches, comprising some 7.5 km shore line, of over one ton of litter.  The majority of the rubbish was plastic waste, with a large number of car and lorry tyres also being cleared.  Ian's hard-working team was made up of a total of 97 volunteers who made their way from Southerness in the east to Port William in the west of the region during the week.  For more information on how you can help with beach cleans in your area please see our 'How you can help the Solway' page.

Fishing for Litter goes south!

For the first time, a Scottish vessel has deposited a bag of litter in a harbour participating in the Fishing For Litter South West scheme. The Susan Bird (FD 357), skippered by Steven Girgan and based in Kirkcudbright, landed the bag in Newlyn Harbour last week. The bag contained a variety of items including a large amount of rope and plastic. Tom Piper of the Fishing For Litter project is delighted with the news and commented "This news shows that the modern transient fishing fleet welcomes a wide network of Fishing For Litter ports and we are working hard to increase our coverage in 2011."  Find out more about Fishing For Litter. 

Tidelines

The latest edition of Tidelines available is Issue 33, Summer/Autumn 2010. Download this and its E-On insert, plus previous issues, from our downloads page. Tidelines is the newsletter of the Solway Firth Partnership and is available free by post, or we can email it directly to you. To receive Tidelines please contact us at info@solwayfirthpartnership.co.uk and let us know how you would like to receive Tidelines (by post or electronically).

England's Coastal Path - the journey begins

The new Marine and Coastal Access Act creates clear and consistent public rights along the English coast for most types of open-air recreation on foot.  The Act places a duty on Natural England to use its powers to secure twin objectives for coastal access.  The first is a long-distance route (or routes) around the English coast: and the second is access to a margin of land in association with the route where people will be able to spread out and explore, rest or picnic in appropriate places.

The Act also required Natural England to consult on and then to publish a coastal access Scheme**, describing how NE will align the route and the associated ‘spreading room’, and the ways in which access will be managed to minimise conflicts with other land uses.  It is the blueprint that will be used on each leg of the journey, as an all-England coast path is developed stretch by stretch around the country.  The Scheme was approved by the Secretary of State on 23^rd March 2010.

Formal approval of the Scheme means that it is now possible to begin work on implementing the very first stages of the coastal path – planned on a stretch of coast near Weymouth, in order to have the new rights in place there in time for the 2012 Olympics.  Implementation is then due to start next year (2011) in 5 other areas – Cumbria, East Riding, Kent, Norfolk and Somerset.

At the moment, up here we expect the first stretch of coast to be worked on to be from the Scottish Border to Whitehaven.  We anticipate a structured programme of public information, with a variety of mechanisms supported by Natural England, Cumbria County Council, the Lake District National Park Authority (as work moves South of Whitehaven), and other interested parties, to prepare the County for practical implementation on the ground beginning in late 2011 or early 2012.

** a copy of the Scheme can be viewed at http://naturalengland.etraderstores.com/NaturalEnglandShop/NE269

Download Defra's latest marine planning newsletter

Smothering Sea Squirt reaches Scotland

A highly invasive marine species, the sea squirt Didemnum vexillum, has appeared in Scottish waters for the first time. The colonial ascidian has been spreading around the world in recent years, colonizing marine structures, ships’ hulls, and natural marine habitats. This marine alien brings with it potentially high economic impacts as it is highly invasive, spreading and reproducing rapidly, and can affect marinas, fisheries and aquaculture as it tends to smother any substrate on which it establishes.

Users of the Solway are urged to keep their eyes open for this alien species.  More information is available on the Scottish Association for Marine Science web site.

Electrofishing

There have been concerns that electrofishing for razorshells has been taking place in the Solway Firth.  Electrofishing applies an electric current to the sea bed, causing the razorfish to ‘jump’ out of their protective seabed environment and so making them available for harvest by waiting boats.  Whilst some consider electrofishing to be minimally invasive, highly specific and with little impact on neighbouring biota and habitats, it is currently illegal to use electrical stimuli for fishing in European Waters (Council Regulation (EC) 580/1998, article 31).  Electrical currents used in excess can kill other marine life, and there are reports of dead fish floating on the water in areas where electrofishing has been carried out.  Additionally, electrofishing may incapacitate non-target marine life making it vulnerable to predation.  Of particular concerns is the effect of electrofishing in areas where there are populations of electrically sensitive fish such as sharks, skates and rays.  And there are also considerable Health and Safety issues in areas where recreational water sports, such as SCUBA diving, are carried out.  There is currently insufficient data to assess the environmental impact of razorfishing.  Whilst it remains an illegal practice, any records or sightings of electrofishing for razor fish or any other species should be reported on the 'Report Suspicious Activity' facility on the Scottish Fisheries Protection website http://www.sfpa.gov.uk/suspicious.asp, or phoned in directly to 0845 270 3990. Both routes can be done anonymously.