Marine Management Organisation
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for making byelaws in English waters to protect habitats and species from activities that may harm them.
MMO has the power to make byelaws within 0-200 nautical miles (nm). For the management of fishing activities, MMO leads on management between 6-200 nm, with the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) leading in the 0-6 nm area.
MMO also leads on non-licensable activities from 0-12 nm. To find out more visit Managing marine non-licensable activities in MPAs.
MMO will consider voluntary measures before making a byelaw. If a permanent byelaw is required, this will be formally consulted upon. Please see the byelaw-making process for further information.
What MMO byelaws can protect
MMO?byelaws can prohibit or restrict a range of activities depending on the location and need for protection:
- entry to a site, movement or other activity by people, animals, vessels or vehicles;
- vessel speed;
- vessel anchoring;
- killing, taking, destroying or disturbing any animals or plants;
- anything that interferes with the seabed or damages or disturbs any object in the sea;
- specific activities in certain parts of the site;
- specific activities in certain periods of a year; or
- certain methods of activity within a site.
Any MMO?byelaw affecting fishing will apply to UK and non-UK vessels equally.
MMO byelaws can also be used to restrict activities on the seashore.
An MMO?byelaw will include:
- the law that allows the byelaw to be made;
- details (including coordinates) of the areas where the byelaw applies;
- details of the activity being prohibited or restricted;
- details of possible exemptions, exceptions or permitting arrangements;
The decision to introduce an MMO byelaw (other than an emergency byelaw) is based on rigorous analysis of the best available evidence and a period of public consultation. These MMO byelaws only come into force following confirmation by the Secretary of State.
Emergency or interim MMO byelaws can be put in place if?MMO?considers there to be an urgent need for protection. Emergency and interim MMO byelaws do not require public consultation or Secretary of State confirmation, and can last for a maximum of 18 months.
Any byelaw which affects European Union (EU) fishing vessels is also subject to the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including the requirement to notify the EU and provide an opportunity to provide feedback and seek clarification before the byelaw comes into force.
MMO?may issue permits that authorise anything that would otherwise be unlawful under the byelaw. Permits may not be available for a specific byelaw.
MMO?will review all byelaws and amend or revoke those found to be no longer appropriate. A review can be triggered by a change in evidence or if we determine it is not effective. The review will determine whether to keep, amend, replace, or revoke the byelaw, or replace it with a different management measure.
Penalties for contravening an MMO byelaw include a fine up to an unlimited amount.
MMO byelaw-making process
MMO has legal obligations to protect marine protected areas (MPAs).
MMO carries out site-level assessments to determine whether the activities we regulate are compatible with the conservation objectives of MPAs
If fishing, or marine non-licensable activities are not compatible with the conservation objectives of the site, we will introduce management, which may include making an MMO byelaw.
MMO permanent byelaws
MMOs byelaw making powers for MCZs come from:
- The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (sections 129, 129A and 129B)
- The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (regulation 40)
The steps taken by MMO to make a byelaw are:
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MMO assess the impact of fishing/marine non-licensable activities on an MPA. If the draft assessment identifies that an activity is not compatible with the conservation objectives of an MPA potential management options are outlined.
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In most cases, a public call for evidence on the draft MPA assessment is carried out to gather further evidence and views from stakeholders.
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The MMO MPA assessment is finalised and a preferred management option is identified. In the case of an MMO byelaw, the byelaw is drafted. The impacts of the preferred management option are captured within a draft impact assessment.
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If an MMO byelaw is considered the preferred option, a formal consultation is conducted on the draft byelaw and draft impact assessment. If a byelaw is not considered the most appropriate action, other management options are considered.
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After formal consultation, if an MMO byelaw is still the preferred option, the byelaw is made and submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation.
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MMO byelaws come into force after confirmation by the Secretary of State. MMO will notify stakeholders of any MMO byelaw due to come into force.
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The MMO byelaw is reviewed to assess effectiveness. If the byelaw is considered effective, a further review date is set. If the byelaw is considered ineffective, other management options are considered.
Emergency or interim byelaws
MMO?may introduce an emergency or interim byelaw when there is an urgent need to protect a feature. This is based on evidence about the level of damage and risk to the site.
Emergency byelaws come into force without being confirmed by the Secretary of State, do not require public consultation, and take up to 6 weeks to make. The Secretary of State may revoke an MMO emergency byelaw at any time.
An emergency byelaw can remain in force for 12 months, unless extended with agreement from the Secretary of State by a maximum of 6 months. If longer term management is required, MMO will replace the emergency byelaw with a permanent byelaw.
Interim byelaws follow the same procedure as emergency byelaws.?MMO?can introduce an interim byelaw only where there is an urgent need to protect an area which may be considered for designation as an?MCZ .
Current Consultations
Please see our page [Managing Fishing in Marine Protected Areas: Consultations](Managing Fishing in Marine Protection Areas: Formal consultation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for details of our current consultations:
- Stage 2 byelaw consultation
- Stage 3 call for evidence
To support the formal consultation on management measures for 13 Stage 2 MPAs, MMO have developed a series of interactive WebApps displaying:
- the boundaries of the 13 MPAs under consideration;
- their designated features;
- bottom towed fishing activity within and around each MPA; and
- for each MPA, the management measures proposed in the byelaw subject to the current formal consultation.
A guidance note detailing how to access and make the most of each WebApp, to help users provide informed consultation responses is available on our dedicated consultation webpage.
A shapefile of the Stage 2 Proposed Management Areas can be provided on request by emailing conservation@marinemanagement.org.uk with Stage 2 Proposed Management Areas in the subject line.
Current MMO byelaws
There are currently 9 MMO?byelaws in force.
Defra Spatial Data tool.
This dataset displays all Marine Management Organisation (MMO) marine nature conservation byelaws that are currently in force. You can find the download page here.