Two new marine conservation areas created off Cumbrian coast
Two new marine conservation areas have been created off the Cumbrian coast.
A stretch of the Irish Sea between Copeland and the Isle of Man as well as a section of the Solway Firth have been named as protected marine zones.
It's part of a new government drive to keep wildlife, in dozens of designated areas around England’s coastline, safe.
The new areas cover 12,000 square kilometres (4,600 square miles) of England’s seas – an area almost eight times the size of London, the Environment Department (Defra) said.
Historically, the Solway Firth had large numbers of Smelt - the new protection area hopes to focus further research to get a better understanding of the small fish and why their numbers have declined in the last 200 years.
The West of Copeland seabed is composed of a mix of subtidalsediments from fine sand through to coarse sediment which provide a range of habitats for variety of marine life.
Molluscs, worms, sea urchins and crabs are just some of the species that will be supported, Defra says.
Other species that could benefit from the new wave of protection include the very rare stalked jellyfish, short-snouted seahorse and eider ducks.
The UK’s “blue belt” of protected sites now spans 85,000 square miles.