The Joint Marine Partnership (JMP) has issued an urgent challenge to the Government to overhaul Northern Ireland's current marine management mess, or risk irreparable damage to our seas. The JMP called for a commitment to a new Marine Act at the launch of their report, "Tangle of the Lough", and emphasised that our coast and sea is not able to sustain the current and uncoordinated use of marine resources. They also criticised the Government for failing to find solutions for increasing and varied demands such as pollution, aquaculture, fishing, mineral exploitation and the effects of climate change. There are currently 20 UK and Northern Ireland Agencies regulating our marine environment, with over 100 laws.
Kate Hutchinson, Irish Sea Policy Officer for the JMP said, "nobody has thought to produce a vision of where we see our marine environment in 5, 10 or 15 years time, which makes it difficult to have a coherent cross-departmental decision making process." The report specifically mentions Belfast Lough as a good example of the current complications surrounding marine policy. Around 700,000 people live in its catchment and it is a magnet for industry, shipping, tourism and aquaculture. However at present, there are no rational plans to safeguard it as a natural, economic and social resource for the future.
