Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth - News

Save Cardigan Bay!  17th Feb 2016

The Welsh Government are currently consulting on proposals to open up Cardigan Bay to Scallop dredging. This is a highly damaging method of fishing which destroys the seabed. Much of Cardigan Bay is supposedly protected as 'Special Areas of Conservation' yet the seabed in these areas is under threat and the species that rely on a productive ecosystem, such as bottlenose dolphin and porpoise, are also under threat.

We are asking all members and those who are concerned to respond calling upon the Welsh Government to withdraw their proposals and fulfill their obligation to protect the SAC.

It is important to use your own words. Here are some of the most important points to raise.

  • There is NO place for scallop dredging in protected marine areas like the Cardigan Bay SAC. The whole area should be protected.
  • Scallop dredging completely destroys the seabed having an impact not only on the seabed itself but many other species, including the bottle-nosed dolphins the SAC was set up to protect.
  • Seabed recovery takes decades and will never happen unless it is completely protected from dredging, regardless of any permit conditions.
  • The WG claims it wants to protect local fishing but the vast majority of the dredgers come from Scotland and the Isle of Man, they sell the scallops to lucrative markets in Spain and Europe. The local economy gains little.
  • The consultation ignores the important economic benefits to tourism of the wildlife and environment of the Bay, a much more important source of revenue for the local economy.
You will find additional information here Also in this Guardian article by Goerge Monbiot, and at the Welsh Wildlife Trust where there is a link to the consultation document itself.

 




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