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Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Liaison Forum – January 16th 2002
County Hall, Haverfordwest, 5:30pm
Information Confirmation and Issues Discussion
Aims and Objectives
To confirm the accuracy of information already held, and amend where necessary.
To widen the knowledge base for the SAC by providing further information (or links to information) on activities and important issues where information gaps occur.
To start to discuss potential solutions to existing issues.
To provide an opportunity for issues to be identified and recorded.
To meet the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum (PCF) team, and highlight liaison needs.
To discuss the best way forward for both SAC and PCF in order to minimise liaison effort whilst maximising liaison effectiveness.
Seating
Split into the following focus groups:
Industry / Business and commerce
Fishing
Environment / education
Recreation / tourism
Community
AGENDA:
1. Welcomes and apologies
2. Introduction
3. Information audit - 15mins
This will be different for each group – information will be provided.
a. Where applicable, look at information provided and confirm/adjust as appropriate.
b. Where applicable, mark additional information on the maps/charts/paper provided. This can include where specific activities occur, seasonality, operators etc.
c. Note who else would have a valuable input to this exercise.
d. Note gaps in information, conflicts of interest and areas of concern.
4. Issues discussion - 30mins
Some issues are listed which have been identified as ‘problems’ within the SAC. Please fill in the table provided indicating a) whether you agree that it is an issue or not, and b) if you think it is an issue, give between one and three suggestions - from your group’s point of view - as to how management of this issue can best be taken forward.
(These are just some of the issues that have been identified from various sources over the last year. They have been selected to discuss in this meeting as they cover a wide range of topics and geographical areas. More detail will be given.)
Issues:
Fisheries - to include unsustainable commercial fishing, incidental damage, non-target species, ghost fishing
Boat based eco-tourism – to include seal disturbance, environmental impact
Lack of user awareness of their effects on SAC features and how the management scheme could affect them
Management of shipping – to include pollution, ship movements
Marine litter
Bait digging
5. Identification of additional issues - 15mins
What additional issues can you identify (present issues or potential future ones)?
6. Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum / future liaison
Tonia Forsyth (Forum Officer) and Sue Traer (Assistant Forum Officer) will briefly summarise the work of the Coastal Forum. The differences and overlap with the SAC will be highlighted, and liaison needs addressed.
Sue Burton, Jan 2002
Below is a little more detail on each agenda ‘issue’.
Fisheries
‘Fisheries’ has been identified in communication from the Commission of the European Communities on the sixth environmental action programme of the European Community 2001-2010 ‘Environment 2010: Our future, Our choice’ as a general pressure on the marine environment. Specific concerns over netting in the Daugleddau were raised by the SAC Nature Conservation/Environment Group in 2000. Fishing was also listed as a concern at the SAC/PCF joint public meeting held in 2001.
Concerns over fishing practices include unsustainable commercial fishing, which may result in permanent removal of the target species from the sea, or a long recovery period for the population to re-establish itself (at its extreme ‘boom-bust’ fishing).
There are also concerns over the effects on non-target species, ghost fishing (where lost or neglected gear continues to fish long after intended), and also incidental damage to the SAC habitats and species as a direct or indirect result of fishing activity.
Boat based eco-tourism
Eco-tourism is a thriving industry in Pembrokeshire and looks to be on the increase. Most visitors to Pembrokeshire come here because of the high quality of the environment. Eco-tourism only works if it is done sustainably.
Boat based eco-tourism in Pembrokeshire is concentrated around Ramsey Island, although increased usage around Grassholm, the Smalls and Skomer and Skokholm islands is occurring.
There is concern about the disturbance to seals (an SAC feature), cetaceans (including porpoises) and sea birds. There is also concern about the potential general environmental effects (lingering fumes in caves for instance). In addition there is a conflict of interest with other users who may be visiting the offshore islands to see the wildlife and enjoy the solitude.
There are no mechanisms in place to manage the numbers and activities of commercial eco-boats that can operate.
Lack of user awareness
Lack of awareness by users of the SAC as to the SAC/environment in general, their relationships with SAC features, and how the SAC management scheme could potentially affect them.
Management of shipping
Shipping and the oil/gas industry in Pembrokeshire are very important to the local economy. Concerns however persist over ship movements, anchoring (in St Brides Bay in particular), accidental spills, pollution from bilge waters, introduction of ‘alien’ species via ballast waters, and general waste management.
Marine litter
Marine litter comes from a variety of sources, and can come from some distance away. Once on the shore it can become remobilised into the marine environment. Even though legislation exists (Merchant Shipping Regulations 1988, Environmental Protection Act 1990) to manage litter, the levels of marine litter within the UK are still a problem.
As well as its aesthetic impact, marine litter can harm many marine species and birds through pollution, entanglement and ingestion.
Keep Wales Tidy has Coast Care groups who organise local litter picks on beaches.
Bait digging
Bait collection and digging especially is known to have ecological effects on habitats, sediment living species and dependant birds. Effects are dependant on the scale, intensity and frequency of the activity. In some areas of the Haven these are thought to be having chronic (long-term) adverse effects.
The Gann Estuary near Dale has been identified as a particular area of concern…
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