Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Yarmouth to Cowes Recommended Marine Conservation Zone June 2018 Consultation on Sites Proposed for Designation in the Third Tranche of Marine Conservation Zones A king scallop on Sabellaria © Crown Copyright Contents Where is the site located?.................................................................................................... 2 Why is the site environmentally important?.......................................................................... 2 What would this site protect? ............................................................................................... 3 Where are the features located?.......................................................................................... 4 Which activities are likely to be affected? ............................................................................ 6 Which activities are not likely to be affected? ...................................................................... 7 Additional information .......................................................................................................... 7 Where is the site located? Yarmouth to Cowes recommended Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) is an inshore site that covers an area of approximately 16 km². The site runs along the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight. The site stretches along the coast from Yarmouth Harbour in the west to the village of Gurnard in the east. The proposed boundary has been changed from the original Regional Project recommendation to address local stakeholder concerns and socioeconomic impact. The original site included Yarmouth Harbour which is important for a range of activities including ferry links, fishing fleet traffic and recreational sailing. An additional smaller amendment is also proposed to remove Newtown Quay lagoon from the MCZ to avoid duplicate designation of features already protected through other designations (in this case a Special Area of Conservation). Why is the site environmentally important? The Yarmouth to Cowes MCZ contains a wide variety of habitats which support a number of ecologically important species and features. This includes one of the best examples of the habitat ‘peat and clay exposures’ in the region. The Bouldnor cliff geological feature, rising 8 metres above the surrounding seabed, was submerged 8,000 years ago and is not only inhabited by a variety of important species but is also an important archaeological site. On the areas of outcropping clay in Thorness Bay the distinct boring holes of piddocks, a species of shellfish with a serrated shell, can be seen along with a thriving community of 2 plants and animals living under the boulders and on the rocky surfaces in the intertidal areas. The once commercially important native oyster is found throughout the site. This important species is supported by the various habitats found within the site including many of the rock reef-like structures which run through from the intertidal zone into the deeper waters off the coast. As well as rocky seabeds, the site also contains a multitude of soft sedimentary habitats. These habitats are favoured by animals who use the sediments to forage, scavenge, catch prey and hide. Large swathes of the deeper areas of the site contain sediments made up of a mixture of muds, sands and gravels that support a wide variety of species including worms, bivalves, starfish, urchins and anemones. Sea urchin on Subtidal coarse sediment © Crown Copyright The diversity of this site means that it is particularly important to the network of marine protected areas in England and the wider region. 2 What would this site protect? Designation would protect the following features. You can read more about the features this site protects and why they are important here. Feature General Management Approach Bouldnor Cliff geological feature Estuarine rocky habitats Intertidal coarse sediment Intertidal under boulder communities Maintain in favourable condition Littoral chalk communities Low energy intertidal rock Moderate energy intertidal rock Subtidal coarse sediment High energy circalittoral rock High energy infralittoral rock Moderate energy circalittoral rock Moderate energy infralittoral rock Native oyster (Ostrea edulis) Recover to favourable condition Peat and clay exposures Sheltered muddy gravels Subtidal chalk Subtidal mixed sediments Subtidal mud 3 Where are the features located? The following maps show the location of the features to be protected within the site. A range of different types of surveys have been used to create these maps. More detailed information on the techniques used can be found here. 4 Y?Tn?llth ID Curves nl Causewalidn Hemmeed (Revised) England He: manna 12m Territorial Seas Um'rt Sea Land Features recommended for designatien Bma'ine- lucky habitats Littoral Littoral chalk Feat and day. emm Peatanddayexpusures Shaken-d gavels Subtidal 12-th Sum ml hhertidal under huddle: man-2111100221121. eenusnemeuppm Mug-mam .Tl'la m:nml114??3 Which activities are likely to be affected? Management decisions are taken on a case by case basis by relevant regulators. If an activity is identified as requiring management this does not necessarily mean that it will need to be significantly restricted. Decisions will be based on the specifics of each case and any restrictions will depend on the sensitivity of the species, habitats or geological/geomorphological features to be protected to the activity taking place. More detail is available in the Impact Assessment. Sectors and activities likely to be affected by designation Sector Activity Affected Commercial Fishing UK Bottom trawls, dredges, lines, nets, pots and traps. Ports and Harbours Dredging and disposal Renewable Energy Tidal energy project Best estimate total cost Best Cost Estimate (£) per year (rounded to nearest £100) £1,000 £13,000 £1,000 £15,000 Commercial Fishing UK The following gears are known to be used within the site: • Bottom trawls and dredges • Lines, nets, pots and traps As the site is wholly within the 6 nautical mile limit it is only fished by UK vessels. Local and regional vessels use the site for trawling, lines, nets, pots and traps. In bad weather the site is fished by a number of vessels, particularly in the deeper areas when other areas become inaccessible. Ports and harbours Several licensed maintenance and navigational dredging areas are within 5 km of the site boundaries, including the entrance to Yarmouth Harbour, Port of Lymington and the shipping channel associated with Southampton Port. There is also one area licenced for the disposal of dredge material at Hurst Fort which is within 5 km of the boundaries of the MCZ. Environmental Impact Assessments for future licence applications are likely to incur additional costs. 6 Renewable Energy The proposed site is adjacent to the Solent Energy tidal energy deployment site. A licence was granted in 2015 to test a tidal device for the generation of electricity. This expired in Sept 2016 without any work commencing and to date the applicant has not applied for an extension. Any new application would have to consider the effect of the project on the MCZ. Which activities are not likely to be affected? These activities are known to take place within and adjacent to this site but at their current levels of intensity the best available evidence indicates they are not likely to be damaging the features to be protected: • Aggregate extraction • Archaeological heritage • Cables • Coastal development and flood and erosion risk management schemes • Coastal infrastructure • Oil, gas and carbon capture storage Additional information To read the advice provided by Natural England, please visit http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6079955233931264 To read the advice provided by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, please visit http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-7119 For further information, please contact Defra on • 03459 33 55 77 (UK only) • +44 20 7238 6951 (from outside the UK) • defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk 7 © Crown copyright 2018 You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v.3. To view this licence visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ or email PSI@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications 8