Marine Conservation Zone#Highly Protected Marine Areas

File:North Ayrshire UK location map.svg. South Arran is a Marine Protection Area]]

MCZs generally do not provide "no-take" protection banning fishing. However,

Lundy Island MCZ includes a preexisting "no-take zone", which was established in 2003.This was the first statutory no-take zone for marine nature conservation in the UK. It is illegal to remove sea life from the area in question which is in the waters to the east of Lundy Island.[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jan/12/lundy-island-marine-conservation-zone]

Two more no-take zones were established in UK waters by 2010 (bringing the total area protected to five square kilometres):, and an additional one in 2016 {{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/25/how-no-take-zones-revived-one-devastated-scottish-fishery-isle-of-arran#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%20four%20such,rise%20in%20the%20lobster%20population. | title=Guardian Feb 2020 | work=The Guardian | date=25 February 2020 | accessdate=14 April 2021 | last1=Busby | first1=Mattha }}

• Lamlash Bay (2008), subsequently included within the South Arran Marine Protection Area.{{cite web | url=http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/national-designations/mpas/mpa-arr/ | title=South Arran MPA | publisher=Scottish Natural Heritage | accessdate=4 September 2016}}
• Flamborough Head (2010). This no-take zone is part of a marine SAC rather than a MCZ.{{cite web | url=http://www.marinereservescoalition.org/resources/marine-reserves-around-the-world/flamborough-head-no-take-zone-uk/ | title=Flamborough Head | accessdate=4 September 2016}}
• Medway Nursery Area (2016). This 12.1 square kilometre no-take zone is part of the Medway Estuary MCZ.{{cite web | url=https://msep.org.uk/medway-nursery-area-no-take-zone/ | title=Medway Nursery Area | accessdate=14 April 2021}}

There has been criticism of the MCZs for not providing "no-take" protection for a higher proportion of UK waters; for example, the environmentalist George Monbiot has raised the issue in his column in The Guardian.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2014/oct/24/ripping-up-the-sea-floor-on-behalf-of-royal-profits | title=Ripping up the sea floor... | date=2014 | accessdate=4 September 2016 | author=Monbiot, George| newspaper=The Guardian }}{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2012/may/10/uk-marine-reserves | title=The UK's marine reserves are nothing but paper parks | work=theguardian.com | date=2012 | accessdate=7 April 2015 | author=Monbiot, George}} Bottom trawling remains permitted in many of the UK's marine protected areas, including its MCZs.{{cite news |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/bottom-trawling-in-u-k-s-marine-reserves-legally-is-apparently-a-thing/ |title=Bottom trawling in U.K.’s marine reserves, legally, is apparently a thing |author=Logan Rance |work=Mongabay |date=31 May 2024 |access-date=7 June 2024}}

Allonby Bay off the Solway Firth, Cumbria, North East of Farnes Deep off Northumberland, and Dolphin Head, West Sussex, have been chosen as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), which give greater protection to the marine environment, with prohibitions against activity such as dredging and trawling. The new status came into force in July 2023. Joan Edwards, speaking on behalf of The Wildlife Trusts, said, "These three tiny spots cover just 0.4% of English seas - and we're looking forward to seeing further designations so that we can safeguard our seas for the future."{{Cite news |date=5 July 2023 |title=Highly Protected Marine Areas: Three sites secure environmental protection |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-66110396 |access-date=5 July 2023}}{{Cite web |date=5 July 2023 |title=Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas/highly-protected-marine-areas-hpmas |access-date=5 July 2023 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} A plan to create HPMAs in 10% of Scotland's seas was rejected by the Scottish government following pressure from the fishing industry and some island communities.{{Cite news |date=29 June 2023 |title=Scottish government scraps marine conservation plan |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66053133 |access-date=5 July 2023}}

On 21 November 2013 the first twenty-seven Marine Conservation Zones were designated, a further twenty-three were announced on 17 January 2016 followed by a further forty-one on 31 May 2019.

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1. Aln Estuary
2. Beachy Head West
3. Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries
4. The Canyons
5. Chesil Beach and Stennis Ledges
6. Cumbria Coast
7. East of Haig Fras
8. Folkestone Pomerania
9. Fylde
10. Isles of Scilly
11. Kingmere
12. Lundy
13. The Manacles
14. Medway Estuary
15. North East of Farnes Deep
16. Padstow Bay and Surrounds
17. Pagham Harbour
18. Poole Rocks
19. Skerries Bank and Surrounds
20. South Dorset
21. South-West Deeps (West)
22. Swallow Sand
23. Tamar Estuary
24. Thanet Coast
25. Torbay
26. Upper Fowey and Pont Pill
27. Whitsand and Looe Bay

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1. Allonby Bay
2. Bideford to Foreland Bay
3. Coquet to St Mary's
4. Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds
5. Dover to Deal
6. Dover to Folkestone
7. Farnes East
8. Fulmar
9. Greater Haig Fras
10. Hartland Point to Tintagel
11. Holderness Inshore
12. North-west of Jones Bank
13. Land's End
14. Mount's Bay
15. The Needles
16. Newquay and The Gannel
17. Offshore Brighton
18. Offshore Overfalls (south-east of the Isle of Wight)
19. Runswick Bay
20. Swale Estuary
21. Utopia (south-west of Selsey Bill)
22. Western Channel
23. West of Walney co-location zone

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1. Albert Field
2. Axe Estuary
3. Beachy Head East
4. Bembridge
5. Berwick to St. Mary's
6. Camel Estuary
7. Cape Bank
8. Dart Estuary
9. Devon Avon Estuary
10. East of Start Point
11. Erme Estuary
12. Foreland
13. Goodwin Sands
14. Helford Estuary
15. Holderness Offshore
16. Inner Bank
17. Kentish Knock East
18. Markham's Triangle
19. Morte Platform
20. North East of Haig Fras
21. North West of Lundy
22. Orford Inshore
23. Otter Estuary
24. Purbeck Coast
25. Queenie Corner
26. Ribble Estuary
27. Selsey Bill and the Hounds
28. Solway Firth
29. South of Celtic Deep
30. South of Portland
31. South of the Isles of Scilly
32. South Rigg
33. South West Approaches to the Bristol Channel
34. South West Deeps (East)
35. Southbourne Rough
36. Studland Bay
37. Swanscombe
38. West of Copeland
39. West of Wight Barfleur
40. Wyre-Lune
41. Yarmouth to Cowes

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Following the passing of the Marine Act (Northern Ireland) 2013 only Strangford Lough was designated as a Marine Conservation Zone. In 2015 consultations for a further four proposed MCZs were announced.{{cite web|title=Marine conservation zones consultation|url=https://www.doeni.gov.uk/consultations/marine-conservation-zones-consultation|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Department of Environment Northern Ireland|accessdate=19 February 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302222809/https://www.doeni.gov.uk/consultations/marine-conservation-zones-consultation|archivedate=2 March 2016}}

The consultations ended in March 2016 and the four MCZs were designated in December 2016.{{Cite web |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6682 |title=MCZ Project Northern Ireland |access-date=2018-01-18}}

1. Carlingford
2. Outer Belfast Lough
3. Rathlin
4. Waterfoot

In the summer of 2014 the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment announced thirty new Marine Protected Areas.[http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/marine-environment/mpanetwork/developing/DesignationOrders Marine Scotland Marine Protection Areas.] Along with thirty Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), forty-seven Special Protection Areas (SPA) and sixty-one Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), 20% of Scottish waters have differing levels of protection.{{cite journal|title=Support for our seas|journal=The Nature of Scotland|date=2014|issue=20|pages=10–15}}

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There are seventeen protected areas within Scotland's territorial waters (i.e. within {{convert|12|nmi|km}}){{cite web|title=Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas|url=http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/national-designations/mpas/|website=Scottish Natural History. Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba|accessdate=19 February 2016}}

1. Clyde Sea Sill
2. East Caithness Cliffs
3. Fetlar to Haroldswick
4. Loch Creran
5. Loch Sunart
6. Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura
7. Loch Sween
8. Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh
9. Monarch Isles
10. Mousa to Boddam
11. Noss Head
12. Papa Westray
13. Small Isles
14. South Arran
15. Upper Loch Fyne and Loch Goil
16. Wester Ross
17. Wyre and Rousay Sounds

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A further thirteen protected areas are outside Scottish territorial waters{{cite web|title=Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)|url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/scottishmpas|website=JNCC|accessdate=19 February 2016}}

1. Central Fladen (CFL)[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6476 JNCC Central Fladen.]
2. East of Gannet and Montrose Fields (EGM)[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6478 JNCC East of Gannet and Montrose Fields.]
3. Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt (FSS)[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6479 JNCC Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt.]
4. Firth of Forth Banks Complex (FOF)[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6480 JNCC Firth of Forth Banks Complex.]
5. Geikie Slide and Hebridean Slope (GSH)[http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6481 JNCC Geikie Slide and Hebridean Slope.]
6. Hatton-Rockall Basin (HRB)
7. North-east Faroe-Shetland Channel (NEF)
8. North-west Orkney (NWO)
9. Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain (NSP)
10. Rosemary Bank Seamount (RBS)
11. Barra Fan and Hebrides Terrace Seamount (BHT)
12. Turbot Bank (TBB)
13. West Shetland Shelf (WSS)

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Skomer Marine Conservation Zone (around the island of Skomer) is the only site in Wales designated as a Marine Conservation Zone. There are 128 marine protected areas in Welsh seas and Natural Resources Wales (Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is consulting with the Welsh Government and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to consider if anymore areas need protecting.{{cite web|title=Marine Conservation Zones in Wales|url=https://naturalresources.wales/conservation-biodiversity-and-wildlife/find-protected-areas-of-land-and-seas/marine-conservation-zones-in-wales/?lang=en|website=Natural Resources Wales|accessdate=19 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065451/https://naturalresources.wales/conservation-biodiversity-and-wildlife/find-protected-areas-of-land-and-seas/marine-conservation-zones-in-wales/?lang=en|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

• Marine Nature Reserve

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• [http://www.lundymcz.org.uk/ Lundy Marine Conservation Zone Official Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229193004/http://www.lundymcz.org.uk/ |date=2011-12-29 }}

{{Marine protected areas}}

Category:Fishing in the United Kingdom

Category:Marine reserves of the United Kingdom

Category:Lists of protected areas of the United Kingdom