DOE worked in partnership with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to produce the NI State of the Seas Report. This is the first time that a comprehensive report on the state of the seas around Northern Ireland has been published.
This is a key time in the management of our marine environment with the introduction of 3 new pieces of legislation:
- EC Marine Strategy Framework Directive, 2008
- UK Marine and Coastal Access Act, 2009
- the proposed Northern Ireland Marine Bill, which was introduced to the NI Assembly in 2011
The report is largely structured around the new requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, although other aspects of the marine environment are also considered.