Over 120 residents gathered at the Riverside Centre today to share their views on the proposed Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ).
Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, had invited Richard Benyon MP, minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries to attend the public meeting. We met up with Mr Beynon following the meeting for a quick interview.
The minster told OnTheWight he was pleased with the turnout of the various interested parties. He was keen to reassure those attending that he considers marine conservation important but also recognises that peoples’ jobs and activities that are vital to the marine economy of the Isle of Wight are also at stake. He stressed that he wanted to “get this right”.
Most activities can carry on in harmony with marine life
Mr Benyon pointed out there are features that need to be protected in the MCZ, and in some cases allowed to recover, but further up the water column, there are activities that can carry on perfectly in harmony with those ambitions, including fishing, angling and sailing.
In most areas, dropping anchor in the future for recreational reasons should not be a problem, the minster said.
Local wisdom required for decision-making
He added that local people would be at the ‘front and centre’ of deciding how things go, adding that decisions would not be made by a minister drawing a line on a map from Westminster.
Mr Benyon explained that there had been a lack of scientific data for many of the proposed MCZs. He was keen to ensure that information is not just relied upon from the four main DEFRA organisations, but instead, “using the combined wisdom of local who live and work in the sea.”
We were able to catch a few minutes with the minister. Click on the play button to hear the podcast.
Have your say
If you’d like to have your say on the proposals, you can write to DEFRA by emailing [email protected]
The full consultation can be seen online.
