Views sought on proposals aimed at protecting sharks and seabirds

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has said immediate action is needed to tackle the decline in top predators from the marine ecosystem.

The Minister launched two consultations seeking views on two proposals aimed at improving conservation of seabird and elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays).

The development of a Seabird Conservation Strategy and an Elasmobranch Conservation Strategy will contribute to the effective management of the Northern Ireland marine environment, helping to address biodiversity loss whilst also realising wider environmental and societal benefits. Both strategies recognise the need to act in collaboration with stakeholders who live and work in the marine environment and have a wealth of knowledge and experience. These stakeholders were closely involved in creating the objectives for each strategy.

Launching the Seabird Conservation Strategy consultation, the Minister said: “Seabirds provide an important indicator of ocean health and are a key component of food webs. They are also iconic, with many people having a strong association of particular seabird species and the coast. However, we are seeing a marked decline in our seabird populations as they face a range of pressures, from habitat and prey loss, infrastructure development, disease and climate change. Unless we act now to improve their conservation potential and resilience, we risk the permanent loss of some of these from our marine environment.”

The development of the Seabird Conservation Strategy has taken place in tandem with the development of an Elasmobranch Conservation Strategy offering a timely opportunity to enhance conservation measures for important species both above and below the surface.

Speaking on the consultation of the Elasmobranch Conservation Strategy, the Minister said: “Sharks, skates and rays, or ‘elasmobranchs’ have been in global decline over the past 50 years. Some species in our waters, such as flapper skate, are critically endangered. It is now imperative to bring about a managed conservation strategy to more fully understand these elusive creatures, promote conservation efforts to facilitate recovery of these sensitive species.”

The Minister continued: “Northern Ireland has been identified as geographically important for these species of conservation concern, either as part of a migratory corridor or as key feeding and breeding grounds. These consultations will help ensure that our marine environment is managed in a way that helps to address biodiversity loss and harness wider environmental and societal benefits.

“I would strongly encourage anyone who feels they can contribute, in words and also in actions, to respond to these consultations so that together we can produce a Seabird Conservation Strategy and an Elasmobranch Conservation Strategy that will both bring wide-ranging benefits to our environment and society.”

The consultation documents and online questionnaires are available on the DAERA website at: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/ElasmobranchConservationStrategy and https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/SeabirdConservationStrategy.

The online questionnaires will be available for twelve weeks until 5pm on 16 December 2024.