Sponsored by
We’re all set to rule our waves
THE Manx Government looks close to securing control of the Isle of Man’s territorial waters for the first time.
Fisheries Minister Phil Gawne told a public meeting in Port St Mary that an announcement was expected soon about the Isle of Man finally taking full control of its waters out to the 12-mile limit.
Currently, the Manx government has sole jurisdiction for fisheries only for the first three miles of our waters. Under a 1992 fisheries management agreement, the island has to consult with other UK fisheries departments before it can bring in new measures.
Mr Gawne told the Manx Independent that this meant that ‘unelected officials had more control than we had in our territorial seas. That’s going to change.’
He said taking control out to the 12 miles limit would mean that Manx waters could be managed more effectively. This would not mean, however, that non-Manx trawlers would be excluded.
There was standing room only as about 80 people packed into the Mount Tabor Methodist Church Hall on Tuesday evening for the public meeting held to listen to public concerns about the impact of scallop dredging in Bay ny Carrickey and Perwick Bay.
The issue was highlighted in an article in Isle of Man Newspapers’ Green Living supplement in the Manx Independent on June 28. Diving boat owners, lobster and crab fishermen, anglers, conservationists and residents claimed the damage was unsustainable and they called on the government to take action.
Mr Gawne told the public meeting he was hopeful that a solution could be found.
Michelle Heywood showed a video of the damage to the inshore reef she said was caused by scallop dredging. Eleanor Stone of the Manx Wildlife Trust said the bay was a hotspot for basking sharks and a nursery for harbour porpoise. Bob Taylor, of the Mannin Angling Club, claimed scallop vessels were getting closer and closer inshore. He suggested the first one mile of waters around the island should be closed off as a fisheries nursery.
But Melvyn Reid, skipper of Our Sarah Jane, insisted the bay was a ‘credit to every Manx scalloper’. He said they had been ‘upset and shocked’ to read the comments made in the Independent. Tom Bryan-Brown of the Manx Fish Producers said scallopers couldn’t be blamed for declining fish stocks.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Isle of Man
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North west
