Further to WQ83440 and WQ83441, what is the timescale for the introduction of management measures for seabird and fishery interactions in marine protected areas?
Wales is supporting the UK approach to combine the cetacean and seabird bycatch plans into one UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI). The BMI will set out a programme of work to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of sensitive marine species. The BMI is expected to be published before the end of 2021.
In addition to the BMI, Welsh Government along with key stakeholders have recently formed a working group to develop the Welsh Seabird Conservation Strategy. As the strategy is in its infancy, delivery timelines have not yet been determined. The working group intends to set out timelines for production of the strategy through Welsh Government stakeholder groups by mid-2022.
To complement existing fisheries measures, Welsh Government is working with Natural Resources Wales on the Assessing Welsh Fisheries Activities (AWFA) project to evaluate the impacts of fishing activities upon protected features within Marine Protected Areas.