In this short film made by Sam Mansfield and Margherita Pieraccini fishermen from the South East of England discuss the marine protected area network in their local region, and the marine conservation zone designation process they were involved in, Balanced Seas.

The issues they raise include the relationship between area based management and quota management under the CFP, the confusing multitude of designations and acronyms within the protected area network (NTZ, MPA, MCZ, SAC, EMS) and a lack of responsiveness in the designation process.

Interestingly, in last week’s designation the government stated that the decision to designate Hythe Bay (mentioned by Paul Joy in the video) would be postponed until 2014. This was the only potential MCZ to be treated in this way – perhaps reflecting how contentious designation of the area is.