Next steps for England’s Highly Protected Marine Areas

Next steps for England’s Highly Protected Marine Areas.

On 5 July 2023, HPMA designations came into effect in Allonby Bay, North East of Farnes Deep and Dolphin Head, granting them the highest level of protection in our seas.

MMO is now proposing specific management measures that will support the recovery of the HPMAs to a more natural state.

HPMAs are areas of the sea, including shore, seabed, sea surface and water column, that have been set aside with high levels of protection. This allows for the full recovery to a natural state of all marine species, enhancing fish populations, habitats and associated ecosystem processes within the site boundary.

The first proposed MMO byelaws will seek to prohibit fishing activity in all HPMAs in line with their highly protected status. Other, non-fishing, activities will be assessed and may also require management in future.

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