Skomer MCZ
Status: Designated
Description
Site overview
Skomer was the first Marine Conservation Zone to be created in Wales - and it remains the only one! This protected site includes the waters around the island of Skomer and the Marloes Peninsula in south west Wales. It is an absolutely spectacular place for birds including guillemots, razorbills, manx shearwaters and puffins. You’ll often see the seabirds soaring up to the cliffs and swimming in the waters below.Many different species of fish live in and around the rich habitats of the islands. The seagras beds and scallop beds are thriving since the bans on heavy fishing and anchoring in sensitive areas of the site.
The waters around Skomer are so special that they are also within the Skokholm and Skomer Special Protection Area and the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation! However
MPA Type
Marine Conservation Zone in WalesMarine Conservation Zones (MCZs) are designated under UK legislation (Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009) and have been established around England, Wales and Northern Ireland to contribute to the UK MPA network protect a range of nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology, and can be designated anywhere in English and Welsh territorial and UK offshore waters.
Surface Area
13.24 km2 (5.11 mi.2)Perimeter
46.78 km (29.07 mi.)
Seasearch seldom visits this site as it’s more often dived by the local Natural Resources Wales marine monitoring team - the only permanent site based team in Wales.
Learn more about SeasearchDid you know?…
An area over 9 times the size of Wales is now in marine protected areas in the UK, but less than 1% is considered by MCS scientists to be well managed
Over half a million people have voiced their support for ‘marine protected area’ designation in the UK through our campaigns
Over 500,000 records on undersea habitats and species have been collected by volunteer Seasearch divers providing significant evidence for inshore ‘marine protected areas’
The future of fisheries is being decided
The UK government has opened a public consultation asking how we think they should manage our fisheries after Brexit through a new Fisheries Bill.