Two areas off the Northumberland Coast have been shortlisted to become Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), meaning that all fishing would be banned within them in order to rewild the seas.
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Farnes Deep are two of five areas across the UK which have been proposed to the Government for an HPMA, which would be governed by tougher regulations including a total ban on fishing to help rewild the sea. The first step has been taken towards the designation of the first of such areas, with Defra announcing a 12-week consultation to gather opinions on the sites and their bounrdar.
According to Defra, HPMAs are areas of the sea that allow the protection and recovery of marine ecosystems by prohibiting extractive, destructive and depositional uses and allowing only non-damaging levels of other activities to the extent permitted by international law. It is hoped that the designation of HPMAs will allow nature to recover to a more natural state and allow ecosystems to thrive.
