The Marine Stewardship Report
The Marine Stewardship Report (MSR), which was
published on 1 May 2002, sets out the Government's vision for
clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans
and seas.
The Report commits the Government to a framework
of new initiatives that will enhance marine nature conservation,
conserve biodiversity, improve management of our marine resources
and develop scientific research to help Government make more
informed policy decisions.
Action being taken includes the pilot scheme in
the Irish sea, as the next stage of the Review of Marine Nature
Conservation.
The Government will be consulting on a proposal
to publish the second MSR in the form of the State of Our Seas
report. This will not only assess the state of the seas around the
UK but will also assess progress made in delivering our vision at a
holistic level. This report is aimed to be published in late 2004
following completion and assessment of the Irish Sea pilot project,
which was set up to determine the limits of existing marine nature
conservation and identify whether an ecosystem-based approach to
marine nature conservation will work. Further reports will be
published at regular intervals, roughly every three years.