Marine Recreation Evidence Gathering
for Marine Planning in England

Marine Planning and the Marine Management Organisation

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is an organisation set up by the Government with a number of responsibilities assigned to implement the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). The MMO is currently developing a new marine planning system in England. Marine Planning aims to contribute to sustainable development in the marine environment, ensuring that the activities of all sectors and users are managed and integrated both now and in the future. The MMO is committed to ensuring that marine plans are based on the best available evidence in a full range of sectors.

Project to gather spatial data on marine recreation

The MMO has commissioned Marine Planning Consultants (MPC) to undertake the first phase of a data collation study to improve current understanding of marine recreational activities. This project will pull together current data (including from the Marine Conservation Zone projects), identify key gaps and limitations and identify where future work may be required. The project team will seek data from across England, as well as a 'case study' focus on the East Coast Marine Plan areas – from Flamborough Head to Felixstowe. The project team will be utilising a wide range of data, including existing data sets and projects where stakeholders have already made a contribution.

Recreation survey 14 December 2011 - 13 January 2012

MPC have issued a survey to collate this existing data for a wide range of recreational activities including for example windsurfing, rock pooling, sailing, diving, wildlife tours, bathing. A full list of suggested types is presented within this survey. We are interested to receive all types of information associated with the location of recreational activities. Examples include user numbers, membership uptake, trends and seasonal variations in activity.

We welcome you to participate in this survey. In doing so you will be helping to contribute to a body of evidence to ensure a sustainable future for your coastal and offshore waters. In addition, your participation will enable the MMO to gain a fuller understanding of the needs of the recreational sector.

To start the survey click here.

Please note this survey is also available as a PDF to allow completion by hand. If you prefer this method please download the pdf and either send a scanned copy or hard copy as per the contact details below. We also welcome queries concerning this survey by phone or email (although there is a separate comment box if submitting online).

Timescales

The project will report to the MMO by the end of February 2012. The project outputs will be made publically available by the MMO once finalised. A list of the key dates in consultation and data gathering are provided below: