The Irish Sea Maritime Forum is pleased to announce a free to attend half day virtual conference: MSP in the Irish Sea: Where are…
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Latest News
Irish Sea Maritime Forum Conference – MSP in the Irish Sea: Where are we now? 15 September 2022
by NW Coastal Forum on July 26, 2022
Exploring the Benefits of a Regional Approach to Coastal Coordination in North West England – Summary Report Available
by NW Coastal Forum on April 5, 2022
The North West Coastal Forum has been leading a Regional Demonstration Project to explore the benefits of a regional approach to coastal coordination in…
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What’s Happening on the North West Coast 2022 Pilot Report
by NW Coastal Forum on March 30, 2022
The aims of the ‘What’s Happening on the North West Coast’ pilot report are to: provide a comprehensive overview of strategic actions and policies…
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Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative
by NW Coastal Forum on August 17, 2022
Defra has published a policy paper setting out its ambitions and a series of actions to reduce and, where possible, eliminate accidental capture and…
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Consultation – UK Domestic Maritime Decarbonisation: Plotting the Course to Zero
by NW Coastal Forum on July 26, 2022
Closes 6th October 2022 The Department for Transport is seeking views and evidence for the optimal pathway to achieve net zero emissions in 2050…
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Consultation on pilot sites for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs)
by NW Coastal Forum on July 6, 2022
Closes 28th September 2022 Defra has launched a consultation on proposals to designate pilot Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), including a candidate site of…
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Consultation on Marine Net Gain
by NW Coastal Forum on July 6, 2022
Closes 30th August 2022 Defra is consulting on the proposed principles of marine net gain. They are seeking views, in particular, from marine industries,…
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Draft Flood Risk Management Plans: 2021 to 2027 – Summary of Responses
by NW Coastal Forum on May 24, 2022
The Environment Agency has published a summary of responses received to the consultation on the draft Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) 2021 to 2027.…
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Coastal Access Update – Late Spring 2022
by NW Coastal Forum on May 24, 2022
Natural England have produced their latest update on progress on the England Coast Path in the North West. Currently 132km of the path are…
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Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership: Key Challenges and Emerging Issues Publication
by NW Coastal Forum on April 5, 2022
MCCIP has published a suite of outputs on ‘responding to key challenges in UK marine climate change’, building on the evidence presented in the…
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Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme Policy Paper published
by NW Coastal Forum on April 5, 2022
Defra has published a policy paper setting out the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA). This is a science innovation and transformation programme, spanning…
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Environment Agency publishes storm overflow Event Duration Monitoring data for 2021
by NW Coastal Forum on April 5, 2022
Storm overflows are designed to release excess storm water from the sewerage system into rivers or the sea during prolonged, heavy rainfall, to ensure…
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North West England & North Wales Coastal Group
The North West England & North Wales Coastal Group is a group of Local Authorities, the Environment Agency and other organisations who manage the coastline from Great Orme's Head in Wales to the Scottish Border on the Solway Firth. The coastline is a dynamic, ever-changing place that is home to many people and businesses, as well as being important for its variety of environmental and geologic features. The group considers the social, economic and environmental issues that arise on the coastline and seeks to find the best policies to deal with those issues.
More information about the group can be found on: www.mycoastline.org.uk and the site also contains a link to the Shoreline Management Plan for Solway to Great Orme.
Irish Sea Maritime Forum – Working in Partnership for the Irish Sea
The Irish Sea Maritime Forum is a non-profit voluntary partnership. Our vision is: ‘An Irish Sea which has a healthy marine environment, coherent energy policy, safe clean and efficient transport and sustainable fisheries and is managed to deliver sustainable development for the benefit of all.’ This vision is underpinned by the following objectives:
1. To provide a broad based forum for all Irish Sea users and provide an opportunity for voices to be heard,
2. To facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building across all administrative areas and sectors about marine planning,
3. To facilitate sharing of data and information,
4. To encourage and maintain political support for transnational partnership working in support of marine planning, with the aim of promoting sustainable development in the Irish Sea region, and
5. To facilitate a more coordinated, efficient planning process for transnational issues/projects and good working relationships among Irish Sea partners.
Our Steering Group is made up of representatives from each Irish Sea nation administration and different sectors (such as fisheries, conservation, academia, planning authorities). The Steering Group elects a Chair, currently Senator Gerry Horkan. The ISMF Secretariat is provided jointly by Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Ulster Universities. For more information see the ISMF website