Studland Bay management: RYA calls for voluntary approach

Sailors have until 15 December to respond to a call for evidence over management plans for Studland Bay, which could see all sailing and watersports banned

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The RYA is calling for a voluntary approach to the management of Studland Bay in Dorset.

The UK Government has issued a call for evidence over management plans for the site.

The public have until 15 December to respond.

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND TO THE CALL FOR EVIDENCE

Studland Bay was designated a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) in 2019 due to its seagrass beds and its resident long-snouted seahorse population.

Due to its location and sheltered conditions, Studland Bay is a popular anchorage for recreational boaters and many of the businesses in the area rely on its welcoming reputation for income.

There have been several proposed protective measures put forward for the site by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which cover anchoring, mooring and general use of the zoned areas.

The measures range from an increase in environmental monitoring to a complete ban of all watersports, sailing and boating activity in the area.

STUDLAND

Studland Bay is popular during the summer. Credit: PG Musgrave

The MMO will use the information received during the consultation to finalise their assessment on the formal marine non-licensable activity management proposals for the site.

Following a virtual consultation with local RYA affiliated clubs and recognised training centres in the Dorset area, the RYA submitted their recommendations for the introduction of voluntary protective measures.

These would include a joint management and engagement approach that would give autonomy to boat owners and enable them to understand and promote protection amongst their peer group.

RYA Planning Officer, Richard Hill, commented: ‘Although the RYA recognises the need to put in place measures to better protect sensitive marine habitats, those management activities must be proportionate. Any new measures must acknowledge the current socio-economic activities in the local area that place a high value on recreational boating in Studland Bay.

‘On behalf of our members, we have recommended that any protective measures that are introduced should be voluntary and should sit alongside a clear programme of user engagement and promotion.

‘Sensitive areas must also be clearly outlined for users on both navigational maps and in the water. The RYA would be happy to engage further with the MMO and contribute to a suitable management plan that addresses their conservation concerns at Studland Bay,’ he added.

People sitting on a beach in Studland

Studland Bay was designated an MCZ in 2019. Credit: RYA

The Boat Owners Response Group (BORG), which promotes the right of navigation, anchoring and mooring for boaters in the context of MCZs, is calling for ‘objective, science based conservation management’ of Studland Bay.

Jon Reed from BORG said there is little research on the impact of anchoring in eelgrass, with much of the scientific data using the more fragile Mediterranean seagrass Posidona Oceanica as the reference model for predictions about Studland Bay.

‘Research on Zostera Marina eelgrass [found in Studland Bay], shows it to be a robust, fast growing species which recovers from even serious destruction in a very short time,’ stressed Reed.

‘Our own observations confirm Studland’s eelgrass is responds similarly, and is largely unaffected by anchoring. This view was confirmed by the one independent survey of the bay, commissioned by Crown Estates, in the Seastar Survey,’ he added.

Reed said data showed the eelgrass in Studland Bay had spread from a few hundred square metres in 1953 to nearly 100 hectares today.

‘We are simply asking for objective science, based on observation of actual conditions in Studland Bay, linked to background data on the specific eelgrass species present,’ stressed Reed, who said their own investigations showed ‘acre after acre of healthy eelgrass across the most heavily used part of the anchorage , confirmed by using standard measurement methodology for density and shoot length.’

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‘Without it, conservation objectives cannot be set, and the expensive and intrusive measures proposed will not address the actual problems of the bay, and so will be ineffective,’ he added

Reed said he accepted that anchors ‘will disturb the eelgrass to some degree’ and that BORG had worked with the RYA, the Wildlife Trusts, Natural England, local residents, and the MMO to produce a leaflet outlining correct anchoring at Studland Bay for sailors.

The Seahorse Trust, which campaigned to designate Studland Bay an MCZ, believes the popularity of Studland Bay amongst sailors has led to the decline of seahorse numbers.

Pollution is also thought to have played a part.

seahorse studland bay

Spiny and Short Snouted seahorse have been protected by law since 2008

The trust has been monitoring the bay since 2008, running the Studland Tagging Project, and has reported seeing no seahorses for several years.

Following the first England-wide COVID-19 lockdown, divers found  a large increase in the number of Spiny and Short Snouted seahorses at Studland.

This has been attributed to the recovery of the eel grass due to fewer people, less boat traffic and associated noise and anchors in the area.

BORG argues that the trust’s survey dives only focus on ‘around 1% of the total eelgrass area’ at Studland.

27 November 2020

The UK Government has issued a call for evidence over management plans for Studland Bay in Dorset which could see all watersports, sailing and boating activities banned.

Studland Bay was designated a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) in 2019.

At the time, the Government said that anchoring and mooring would need to be managed to protect the seagrass beds.

Now the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is looking at how to manage the site, and sailors have until the 15 December to respond.

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND TO THE CALL FOR EVIDENCE

Based on the advice of Natural England, the MMO said its draft assessment had determined that the seagrass, the subtidal sand features and the long-snouted seahorse, which are found at Studland, are all ‘sensitive to the impacts from mooring and anchoring’.

It has drawn up a range of management options for anchoring, mooring and sailing in Studland.

The MMO has made clear that no management of anchoring or mooring is an option, due ‘to the levels of anchoring activity occurring at the site as well as the evidence for the damage caused by anchoring on the features of the site.’

It is proposing the following:

Management options for anchoring

Option 1: No additional management. Introduce a monitoring and control plan within the site

Option 2: Voluntary no anchor zones. This option would involve boat users voluntarily avoiding specified areas to drop anchors.

Option 3: No anchor zones. This option would involve boat users being prohibited to drop anchor in specified areas via an MMO byelaw.

Option 4: Prohibition of anchoring. This option would involve boat users being prohibited to drop anchor within the whole MCZ via an MMO byelaw.

Management options for mooring

Option 1: No additional management. Introduce a monitoring and control plan within the site.

Option 2: Voluntary use of advanced mooring systems for mooring applications. This option would involve marine licence applications for new moorings voluntarily installing advanced mooring systems that have minimal impact on the seabed.

Option 3: Prohibit use of ‘traditional moorings’, only allow use of advanced mooring systems. This option would involve prohibiting use of ‘traditional moorings’ (for example, standard swing or trot moorings). Only the use of advanced moorings systems would be allowed, with installation subject to a marine licence application.

Option 4: No mooring zones. This option would involve boat users being prohibited to moor in specified areas via an MMO byelaw.

Option 5: Prohibition of mooring. This option would involve the prohibition of moorings within the MCZ via an MMO byelaw.

Management options for powerboating or sailing with an engine (launching and recovery, participation)

Option 1: No additional management. Introduce a monitoring and control plan within the site

Option 2: Voluntary speed restrictions within the MCZ. This option would involve voluntary speed restriction for powerboats and sailing boats with engines within the MCZ in order reduce the levels of underwater noise.

Option 3: Speed restrictions within the MCZ. This option would involve implementing speed restriction for powerboats and sailing boats with engines within the MCZ in order reduce the levels of underwater noise.

Option 4: Prohibition of powerboats and sailing boats with an engine within the MCZ. This option would prohibit the use of powerboats and sailing boats with an engine within the MCZ.

Management options for sailing without an engine (launching and recovery, participation)

Option 1: No additional management. Introduce a monitoring and control plan within the site

Option 2: Prohibition of sailing boats without an engine within the MCZ. This option would prohibit the use of sailing boats without an engine within the MCZ.

Management options for recreational diving and snorkelling 

Option 1: No additional management. Introduce a monitoring and control plan within the site

Option 2: Introduce code of conduct for recreational diving and snorkelling within the MCZ. This option would involve introducing a code of conduct for diving and snorkelling activities within the MCZ, communicated, for example through signage and public guidance.

Option 3: Prohibition of recreational diving and snorkelling within the seagrass feature of the MCZ. This option would prohibit recreational diving and snorkelling within the MCZ.

The MMO has said that if management measures are required, there will be further consultation with boat owners and other stakeholders.

The MMO is also considering management options for four other MCZs:  The Canyons, which lies 330km from Land’s End; Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation (SAC); Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge SAC off the south Lincolnshire coast; South Dorset MCZ.

The RYA has stated that it will campaign against anchoring restrictions at MCZs, including at Studland Bay, believing it can be avoided as long as sailors follow best anchoring practice.

Managed anchoring has not been introduced at any MCZ to date.

Studland Bay studies

The Boat Owners Response Group (BORG), which promotes the right of navigation, anchoring and mooring for boaters in the context of MCZs, has said there is little research on the impact of anchoring in seagrass.

It added that studies at Studland Bay had showed that where moorings had been laid in clean sand, seagrass had grown up around them up to the perimeter of the low water scope of the mooring gear, suggesting that the impact of moorings on the vegetation ‘is much less than claimed’, a view disputed by some scientists.

Studland Bay is one of the busiest sea anchorages in the UK.

Many believe enforcing an anchoring ban would be difficult and banning boats from the bay could harm the local economy.