Lead Contact Details

Name: Zahra Ravenscroft (Marine Environmental Monitoring Officer)
Email: NE.MarineA+R.enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Tel: 03708 506 506

Status

Non-Departmental Public Body

Geography Area Covered

England and English waters out to 12 miles

Membership Details

The partnership governance groups this organisation is represented on

Marine Protected Areas

The Environment Agency operates or has management which influences, the following inshore marine protected areas between Fast Castle Head and the River Tyne:

Responsibilites

Management Actions

The Environment Agency has the following management measures in place to ensure its functions and regulatory powers are carried out in a manner that achieves the conservation objectives for the inshore marine protected areas in which it operates:

  1. Identify the sources of nutrient enrichment in coastal waters around Holy Island and implement management measures to reduce levels.
  2. Use sediment modelling from SMP Coastal Squeeze Study to inform nutrient transport from the rivers Eye and Tweed and its contribution to elevated nutrients around Holy Island.
  3. Continue to monitor the Budle Bay Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and other marine areas that are vulnerable to elevated nutrient level.
  4. Work with SEPA to ensure cross-border issues related to the River Tweed are identified and managed.
  5. Ensure marine protected areas are considered when developing River Basin and River Catchment management plans by undertaking an Appropriate Assessment of the plans.
  6. Understand the cumulative impact of coastal septic tanks and misconnections on the quality of inshore waters and coastal water bodies, and implement management where necessary.
  7. Enforce EA net fisheries licence requirements south of the Tweed and Eye Fisheries District.
  8. Ensure the level of fishing pressure of permissible net fisheries remains at a sustainable level in accordance with international guidelines, and which does not impact on the MPAs listed above.
  9. Promote and encourage flood and coastal defence schemes that work with natural processes at the coast, rather than implementing hard defence measures for protection.
  10. When defence structures come to the end of their life, seek innovative ways to work with natural processes, rather than replacing hard defence structures.
  11. Raise awareness among property owners of the environmental damage caused by inappropriate fly tipping and unconsented/inappropriate private coastal defence interventions through promotional material.
  12. Chair and lead the North East Standing Environment Group for oil and chemical spill contingency and response planning. North East Standing Environment Group to maintain an up-to-date plan and consider developing guidelines for treating animals affected by spills, and how this will be co-ordinated during an incident.
  13. Promote conservation in respect of the aquatic environment and associated land
  14. Support development and implementation of the Shoreline Management Plan for the Tyne to Scottish Borders area
  15. Through membership of Tweed Forum and participation in the Tweed Catchment Management Plan

 

Data, Information and Mapping

The data and information that the organisation gathers or holds that could be of interest to other partners who are responsible for managing the marine area, including any spatial mapping files.

The Catchment Data Explorer: Online tool to view data on water body status defined under the Water Framework Directive (WFD)