Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Alex Attwood, has announced the designation of two new marine areas as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
The SACs include the sea and seabed surrounding the Maidens Islands off Larne and those adjacent to the Portrush Skerries and Giant's Causeway.
The protected features at the Maidens SAC include sandbanks, reefs and grey seals, while the Skerries and Causeway SAC includes numerous sea caves as well as sandbanks and reefs. Protection will also be given to the harbour porpoise, the smallest of the whales and dolphins occurring off the coast of Northern Ireland.
Mr Attwood said of the designations, "These two sites represent the completion of the programme to identify and protect those areas of our coastal waters which are of international importance for their marine habitats and biodiversity. They demonstrate my Department's ongoing commitment to protecting our seas and the wildlife and ecosystems that they support."
In the Autumn, the Northern Ireland Assembly is due to debate the Marine Bill, which aims to protect the coastal areas.
The two new sites are in addition to those previously designated as marine SACs including Strangford Lough, Rathlin Island, Red Bay and Murlough Bay (Dundrum) and complete the Northern Ireland suite of European protected sites. Designation limits only those human activities likely to damage the protected features.
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