Cabinet opposes tighter marine conservation zones around Pembrokeshire

11:20am Sunday 8th July 2012 in News

Senior County Councillors have voted to oppose further environmental protection for two coastal areas in Pembrokeshire whilst reserving its position over a third.

The cabinet decided to rebuff Welsh Government plans to designate areas from Strumble Head to Abercastle and another around Dale as highly protected marine conservation zones (HPMCZs).

The cabinet decided to reserve its position on a proposal for Skomer Island as members wanted the Welsh Government to assess the impact it would have on dredging operations in the Milford Haven waterway.

Activities in designated areas would be severely restricted and the three Pembrokeshire sites are among ten proposed for Wales.

Cabinet member for Environmental and Regulatory Services Councillor Ken Rowlands said designating the area around Dale would be sending the wrong messages to the petrochemical and gas industries on the waterway.

He added the Welsh Government was sending "mixed messages" as the waterway had recently been designated as an enterprise zone.

Council leader Jamie Adams said that the area from Strumble to Abercastle was used by those in the small-scale fishing industry, while the Dale area was dependent on the tourist economy, including the launching of boats.

He said: "Skomer is very well protected and rightly so.

"There is a danger sometimes we look to gold plate what is already a well protected zone."

Cllr Rob Lewis added that the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority had undertaken a lengthy discussion on the matter.

"The response of the National Park was very strongly against the Dale and Strumble zones with concerns about Skomer as well," he said.

Councillor David Pugh said designating the Dale area would be "a disaster for the village and surrounding area and similar for Strumble Head and the surrounding area."

Comments(13)

Andrew Lye says...
12:19pm Sun 8 Jul 12

I would like to hear a wider section of views from the County Council, including the local members.

With all the problems at the Council, my immediate thought was "are these comments part of the spat between the Council and the WAG"?

Can we have more information please ....and a wider debate.

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Tttoommy says...
12:37pm Sun 8 Jul 12

Before we impose stricter and stricter regulations on our fishermen perhaps one should look at places like Garrucha in Spain where allegedly no tuna has been caught this year "officially" but dozens of places have really fresh tuna for sale - inform the Police at the station on the harbour or point out the tuna being hauled off the boats? they do NOT want to know

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Tttoommy says...
12:41pm Sun 8 Jul 12

PS I do know a bit about spain as I spend almost half the year hear.
The police FORCE (not service as we have) only act on rules and laws that they believe are important and matter to People - actually i think they do a much better job than the poor police here who have their hands bound by liberal do-gooders but that's another story

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philipw says...
11:18pm Sun 8 Jul 12

Tttoommy wrote:
Before we impose stricter and stricter regulations on our fishermen perhaps one should look at places like Garrucha in Spain where allegedly no tuna has been caught this year "officially" but dozens of places have really fresh tuna for sale - inform the Police at the station on the harbour or point out the tuna being hauled off the boats? they do NOT want to know
So its ok to wipe out a species of fish? Did you not know that blue fin tuna are an endangered species almost wiped out by overfishing?

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ebonae says...
8:09am Mon 9 Jul 12

Yes, heaven forbid that we send a message to the oil and petrochemical industries that we wish to protect our coastal areas for future generations.

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taff2010 says...
9:32am Mon 9 Jul 12

Without the oil and gas companies this place would be deserted so we need to keep them happy.

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Tttoommy says...
9:51am Mon 9 Jul 12

philipw wrote:
Tttoommy wrote:
Before we impose stricter and stricter regulations on our fishermen perhaps one should look at places like Garrucha in Spain where allegedly no tuna has been caught this year "officially" but dozens of places have really fresh tuna for sale - inform the Police at the station on the harbour or point out the tuna being hauled off the boats? they do NOT want to know
So its ok to wipe out a species of fish? Did you not know that blue fin tuna are an endangered species almost wiped out by overfishing?
the point I was trying to make was before we impose ever stricter rules and regs on the Welsh fishermen we actually ensure ALL fishermen adhere to the rules we already have
PS I love Tuna, so tasty
PPS Do you think modern politics is introducing new laws all the time to give the impression of doing something rather than get everyone to adhere to the laws that we have and have been broken

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philipw says...
1:28pm Mon 9 Jul 12

Tttoommy wrote:
philipw wrote:
Tttoommy wrote:
Before we impose stricter and stricter regulations on our fishermen perhaps one should look at places like Garrucha in Spain where allegedly no tuna has been caught this year "officially" but dozens of places have really fresh tuna for sale - inform the Police at the station on the harbour or point out the tuna being hauled off the boats? they do NOT want to know
So its ok to wipe out a species of fish? Did you not know that blue fin tuna are an endangered species almost wiped out by overfishing?
the point I was trying to make was before we impose ever stricter rules and regs on the Welsh fishermen we actually ensure ALL fishermen adhere to the rules we already have
PS I love Tuna, so tasty
PPS Do you think modern politics is introducing new laws all the time to give the impression of doing something rather than get everyone to adhere to the laws that we have and have been broken
As far as I am concerned the long term future of our environment outweighs any other short term considerations, although I respect the right of fishermen and others to make a lawful living.
I am disappointed that PCC, in particular cabinet member Ken Rowlands, have adopted this negative stance towards these proposals which have been backed by many conservation bodies,, when I would have thought,given his background he would have seen the bigger picture.
The economy of Pembs relies far more on the environment and the visitors it brings, than anything else.
We have to do everything in our power to protect it.

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Tttoommy says...
5:00pm Mon 9 Jul 12

"Conservationists" and sundry ecoterrorists just don't live in the real world so know nothing about doing a real job, paying a mortgage and who cares if the lesser spotted newt lives just where you want to build a motorway

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William 1 says...
9:34pm Mon 9 Jul 12

I kayak, dig bait & fish in & around the Dale area. Whilst I agree with keeping Skomer and the other islands protected please keep Dale as it is. As usual it is a case of the Welsh Government meddling again! Get on and do some proper governing, prioritising schools, hospitals, housing and creating jobs!! I can imagine the people dealing with issue in the WG have created a few more “non jobs”!

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daibread says...
6:35pm Wed 11 Jul 12

I have been very concerned for some time about the large volumes of toxic chemicals being transported so close to our world class but fragile coastal and marine resources. The constant presence of oil tankers sitting just offshore in St. Brides Bay is a constant eyesore and a worry. So greater protection seems to me like a good idea. Like Andrew Lye above, I'd like to better understand the context. For example, why is the National Park opposed to such a measure as that proposed?
Pembrokeshire's long term future depends on the health of our coastal resources, not the oil and gas industry.

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Tttoommy says...
8:32am Thu 12 Jul 12

sorry daibread you've got that completely wrong - cannot say I've ever heard of a tourist coming here to see a sea urchin

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daibread says...
12:56pm Thu 12 Jul 12

Any glance at the actual facts Ttoommy will show you that you are not paying attention: For example, 10 of the top 30 attractions in Pembrokeshire on Trip Advisor are coastal and marine attractions. The#1 attraction according to hundreds of Trip Advisor users is coasteering. These attractions and the jobs they generate require a healthy and well protected coastal and marine ecosystem.

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