Consultation on managing craft in marine protected areas

Views sought on management measures on the use of fast craft and personal water craft in marine protected areas around Northern Ireland

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is consulting on its proposed management measures in marine protected areas designed to reduce the risk of disturbance to marine species from fast craft and personal water craft.

DAERA has established a network of 48 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) providing protection for 38 per cent of Northern Ireland’s inshore region. The MPA network is made up of five types of designations:

• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) - for habitats of European importance, such as reefs and sandbanks
• Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - for seabirds of European importance, such as guillemots and terns
• Ramsar sites - for wetlands
• Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs) - for nationally important habitats and species such as mudflats and seals
• Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) - to protect rare, threatened or nationally important marine habitats, species and geological features

Marine wildlife is vulnerable to disturbance any time people are in its immediate area, there is a further risk of disturbance when our presence is accompanied by the noise or speed of a motorised vessel or when there are groups of people present. The management measures proposed by DAERA in the consultation are designed to reduce the risk of disturbance to seals, cetaceans and birds that may be caused by:

• commercial tour operators - anyone who uses their vessel to carry fee paying customers for leisure purposes, eg diving, angling, wildlife tour and thrill rides
• leisure users of fast craft including personal water craft, eg jet skis

Find out more about the consultation and how to respond.

First published 13 June 2022