Nature

What are your thoughts on having a Marine Nature reserve for the Isle of Man?

P in Peel
Wow ......thats rather forward thinking for the IOM Government to be taking a lead on! I look forward to hearing more as the project develops and will welcome the opportunity, that seems genuine to get involved in the process. I only hope that the Manx fishermen and especially the ex fishermen wake up and grasp this amazing opportunity fully. There's so much potential for them to offer their views, knowledge and experiences with the scientists, the Manx public, tourists and the world. They could possibly even get paid to carry out the surveys or take tourists out to show them their fishing techniques? Well if they tidied up their boats and didn't trawl over rare, delicate and important habitats!!!!

Kate ikerigill
Captivity is one thing but saving their habitats is a better idea if we can alter few things for the better for the good of the mammals that is what matters right

jane
I think this is and will be a fantastic way forward for the island's marine life with coastal waters already being cleaned up by the iris scheme , what better way to continue than with a project like this , lets just hope our gov realise that this is a good thing for so many reason's , tourism being a good start ! Then hope that people start to respect our beaches !

Caroline
I think this is a brilliant idea. I would love something like this to visit x

Fiona Harcourt
I think this is a fantastic idea, it will not only benefit our wildlife but it will be good for tourism and for us locals to visit and educational for schools. An all round positive project.

pam
As long as there are provisions within the legislation for our MANX FISHING INDUSTRY, I would like to see all our coastal waters made into a nature reserve/conservation area

TimJ
As a visitor who has grandchilden growing up on your magnificent island, I endorse all that has been said here. A Marine Nature Reserve is essential for the island's future both in terms of preserving your wonderfull environment and maintaining a sustainable fishing industry. I look forward to hearing and seeing more about this and compliment you islanders and your government for your farsightedness.

Kris Breadner
This isn't even a debate, the negative impacts of bottom trawling are too great to justify making a few quid.What makes matters worse is that modern fishing methods provide very few people with a very large amount of money. Practices such as bottom trawling have robbed future generations of a sustainable livelihood in favor of making a handful of people rich.Peel harbor could be filled with small boats dedicated to sustainable and ethical high market value produce. Marine parks and a GLOBAL ban on bottom trawling are the key to the survival of the fishing industry.

Sian Wilkinson
This is a good plan from the Isle of Man Government and I would hope they get it in place as soon as possible. When I went to the meeting I was asked what I would like to see when I look out to see from the Manx coast......My answer? LIFE: Lots of it. People fishing, seals swimming, basking sharks and a rich rich seabed feeding all of this activitiy. If we are not careful we will kill everything off before it has time to develop and then the Island will suffer for generations to come.

Lotte
Why would anyoje object to a Marine Nature reserve. I can't think of one reason why everyone on the Isle of man shouldn't get behind this idea.

Tommy in Laxey
YES YES YES. This is the least we can do after having ripped up the sea bed for centuries. Now at least a small proportion of our devastated eco system can have some time to get back to normal. If we ravaged the Isle of Man countryside in the same way that we are destroying the sea bed people would be up in arms but because it's under the water and noone can see it we hear nothing. A nature reserve is a great idea but will it go far enough to save the richness of the Island sealife?

Helena Warren
Absolutely wonderful idea. With the hugely diverse selection of marine wildlife that comes to the waters of the Island we should feel it's a duty to protect it for future generations.

Steve
This seems like a great opportunity to protect our marine habitats and let it recover from damaging human activities like scallop dredging. A positive environmental legacy for future generations.... that makes a nice change!

Sasha nr the Creg
I think we should have a Maine nature reserve all around the Isle of Man to give our ecosystem time to replenish itself.

Olanda
Where would this nature reserve be??

Jerry Thatcher
I think it would be a really good thing for the Isle of Man. I went to the first meeting and I was really impressedby the work which is going into involving the public. It only remains to be seen how much the Government listens to the public when it comes to chosing a site. I would like to see the Calf of Man become a nature reserve but that idea was thrown out in the 1990s. I think the next best place would be the Point of Ayre. I seem to remember Fiona Gell saying that the fishing industry could actually benefit from a nature reserve.

Clive
Commercial fishermen must accept that marine conservation areas are urgently required in order to provide sanctuary for marine wildlife to regenerate. With technological developments in fishing techniques resulting in many areas of the sea bed being stripped bare the government must make a stand to preserve what's left. The balance has swung too far and needs checking. Doing nothing is not an option or there wont be a fishing industry left on the island!

Ron
What would this mean for the diminishing numbers of fishermen on the Isle of Man? Their livlihood should be central to any decisions which are made.

Samantha
Yes in principal I do agree with the Government on this occasion. I would like to know more though. I don't want to be cynical but these ideas have a habit of changing right at the last minute and what you sign up to at the beginning becomes a monster which is unrecognisable from the altruistic and community concerned project it started out as. I will be keeping and eye out for the proposed sights. That will be the time of real debate.

Robert Killey
I whole heartedly agree with the concept of having a Marine Nature reserve here on the Isle of man. it is one of the first ideas the Manx Government has ever had which looks ahead more that 6 months. We need to start thinking about the welfare of our fishermen and Marine ecosystem. I only hope it's not too late to save both of the above.