State of the Seas report | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

The production of this report is a major milestone both in terms of initiating implementation of the new legislation and in strengthening relationships between Agencies and Departments. All Northern Ireland Departments and Agencies with marine responsibilities will continue to build on this co-operation in the monitoring and management of our marine environment.

Details

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.