§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to secure greater protection for marine wildlife. [88862]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government's first Marine Stewardship Report, "Safeguarding our Seas", was published in May 2002. It sets out our strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of the marine environment and reiterated the commitment made at the 5th North Sea Conference to establish a network of well-managed marine protected areas by 2010.
The Report contained a package of initiatives to better protect marine wildlife. In particular, it confirms our commitment to consult on the Regulations to extend the Habitats Directive out to the limit of jurisdiction of UK waters. We are also finalising our UK-wide Small Cetacean Bycatch Response Strategy. This will identify what measures can be taken to reduce the incidental capture of small cetaceans in fishing nets.
In addition, our Review of Marine Nature Conservation is currently examining how effectively the current system for marine nature conservation is working and how improvements might be made where conservation objectives are not being met.