One body 'should oversee NI seas'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8260111.stm Version 0 of 1. Northern Ireland needs one body to take care of the seas around its coastline, the Northern Ireland Marine Taskforce has said. NIMTF policy officer Eddie Mayhew said a single body, not lots of different agencies, should be in charge. He was speaking ahead of a workshop on the the future use of the seas. "It's crazy if somebody wants to set up a marine business in NI, to get a licence they have to apply to multiple departments and agencies," he said. "Many of which do not communicate with each other," he said. "At the same time, under the current system there is no way to assess the accumulating impacts of these projects on our fragile marine environment. "We need a single independent body in Northern Ireland that is the licensing, marine planning and enforcement authority." The NIMTF has said that more needs to be done on marine legislation. Mr Mayhew said that England, Wales and Scotland were moving ahead with marine legislation, but the Bill for NI was on "the shelf" for another three years. "We not only have some incredible and in some cases unique wildlife and habitats in Northern Irelands seas, we also have a very diverse range of marine businesses and industries competing to use Northern Ireland's marine resources," he said. "We desperately need a marine planning system in Northern Ireland and a system to adequately protect marine species and habitats, before Northern Ireland is left behind, both environmentally and commercially. The NIMTF, a coalition of seven environmental non-government groups campaigning for marine legislation for Northern Ireland, is hosting a workshop with fishermen, wind farm developers, and government officials on Thursday to ask how NI's seas should be used. |