| Strangford Lough’s unique horse mussel
reefs could be doomed if the authorities don’t “get their act
together”, according to the Ulster Wildlife Trust.
It says a plan to save the reefs ends soon - with most of
its measures not implemented.
Strangford Lough has been set aside as a key haven for wildlife,
as it is the only place in the world where horse mussels settle
to form a living reef.
The Ulster
Wildlife Trust took a complaint to Europe in 2003
after much of that reef was decimated by commercial fishing
operations. However, despite threats of major fines from Europe,
the protection of the mussel has been handled with a “lack
of will and seriousness”, said trust chief executive Heather
Thompson.
After the EU threat of fines, the Strangford Lough Restoration
Plan was drawn up to put the damage right, she said in the
latest issue of Irish Hare magazine.
The plan, which runs from 2008 to 2011, requires strict
protection of the remaining horse mussel beds, a ban on mobile
fishing gear, exclusion zones from anchoring, potting and
diving within a year of adoption of the plan, monitoring of
the protection measures and action to restore the horse mussels
to Favourable Conservation Status.
However, little has been done, Ms Thompson claimed. “While
the initial ban on trawling with mobile fishing gear has been
honoured and was put in place at the time of the complaint,
very little else, if anything, has changed.
"The Ulster Wildlife Trust has deep concerns over the
lack of will and seriousness with which this matter has been
handled by our government,” she said.
“There is still no agreement on the areas that will receive
protection from ongoing damaging activities associated with
potting, anchoring and diving - an action which was set out
as one of the key objectives for the first year of the 3-year
Restoration plan. £1m later, we are only monitoring the status
quo - not the delivery of the plans - and it would appear
that DARD and DOE are at loggerheads over the implementation
of the much-needed exclusion zones.
“The debate for legislation needed to implement and enforce
the exclusion zones has now been further delayed until September
2010 at least, which means that they will only be put into
place as the Restoration Plan finishes. As yet, there is no
commitment from either department to extend the Restoration
Plan work. It looks like the responsibility for this lack
of progress falls between two stools - DARD and DOE.
“The trust is extremely concerned that, if anything, matters
have deteriorated and that this extremely important species
is doomed if nothing is done.
“Yet this site - Strangford Lough - is one of the most highly
designated marine sites in the UK. If this is how such a site
is treated by those who have responsibility for it, what hope
have we got for the other less designated sites and what hopes
can we really have for future marine legislation?”
A DOE spokesman said the two departments are continuing
to work to implement the plan.
“A report from Queen’s University, who are delivering the
key elements of the plan, is due to be published in March
2011. Both departments are in consultation with relevant stakeholders
about the extent of the non-disturbance zones, which are designed
to protect the remaining Modiolus (mussel) communities,”
she said.
|
