Clause 129
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [Lords]
9:00 am
Huw Irranca-Davies (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Marine and Natural Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Ogmore, Labour)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, but in respect of the seasonal aspect, it is perfectly conceivable—I am not drawing up the MCZs at the moment—that an MCZ could be designated to cover the overlap area that he is talking about and that has byelaws applying to it that relate to the seasonal nature of particular migratory patterns and so on. In effect, we would have an extended MCZ, but byelaws would restrict movement at certain seasons of the year. It is important that the underpinning science takes account not only of the restricted area but of a slightly wider area, in order to reflect such concerns.