RAMSEY Bay has been designated as the Isle of Man’s first Marine Nature Reserve.
The reserve will protect marine life, safeguard local fisheries and provide opportunities for Ramsey to develop as a centre for marine tourism, research and education.
DEFA Minister John Shimmin said: ‘The reserve will provide a replenishment area for our important local fisheries and it will maintain and restore essential marine habitats.’
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Chief executive of the Manx Fish Producers’ Organisation Tom Bryan-Brown said: ‘The fishing industry has been involved in the Ramsey Bay MNR from its inception.
‘This particular MNR differs from the other closed areas around the island in that they have been created primarily for fisheries management purposes whereas Ramsey Bay has been created for environmental reasons.
‘However, we hope that there will be associated fisheries benefits from this MNR in Ramsey Bay and that the environmental credentials of the Island will be maximised.’
The Ramsey Bay designation is the result of a three year process, working with the public, to choose the best site to protect. Ramsey Bay provides a combination of important marine habitats and potential for benefiting local fisheries.
In August scientists from the fisheries directorate of DEFA carried out comprehensive surveys of Ramsey Bay using special seabed mapping equipment and a camera on an underwater sledge.
Tony Glen, Seasearch Isle of Man co-ordinator who led the team of volunteer divers, said: ‘This is not the end of the exercise, and we look forward to further dives to monitor the state of the seabed in the years to come.’
The surveys revealed a diverse and complex underwater landscape volunteered to participate in survey dives of the bay and photographed the lush eelgrass meadows and bright pink maerl beds.
Mr Shimmin highlighted that this kind of marine vegetation should be cultured for the environmental benefits: ‘It will help us contribute to reducing impacts of climate change by increasing the carbon storage capacity of our seas.
‘Eelgrass meadows, kelp forests and reef habitats all store carbon in the same way as rainforests, contributing to lowering carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.’
The wider benefits of the Marine Nature Reserve have also been recognised by Isle of Man Friends of the Earth. Isle of Man Friends of the Earth co-ordinator Phil Corlett said: ‘It’s really heartening to see the Ramsey Marine Reserve set up in the island’s territorial waters as it shows the Isle of Man is taking steps to protect biodiversity and helping at the same time to conserve vital habitats.
‘As a diver myself involved in the Seasearch surveys around the island, I look forward to revisiting the area next year to survey it and document any changes.’
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