Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her department will conduct a full benthic audit of seabed habitats in the 41 Stage 3 Marine Protected Areas before designating new fisheries management measures.

Drawing on the best scientific advice available, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has determined that management of fishing activities is required to protect our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to ensure compliance with our domestic and international legal obligations.

As part of the consultation on proposed byelaws for stage 3 MPAs, fisheries assessments were published for each site based on scientific advice from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and using evidence on the impacts of fishing gears on protected seabed habitats. This was supplemented by a call for evidence earlier in the process.

The consultation closed on 29 September and the MMO is now analysing the very large number of responses received, including any additional evidence on benthic habitats.