ALLONBY Bay is one of five highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) which could be created by the government to ban all fishing and rewild the sea.
The new generation of marine nature reserves are governed by tougher regulations to allow decimated sea life to recover.
The five sites in the pilot project are expected to pave the way for full HPMA status for some or all of the English sites in 2023 following a consultation until September 28.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust bosses say they are 'delighted' that Allonby Bay is among the degraded ocean areas that have chosen for new gold standard of marine protection.
These will be the strongest every protection measures for English seas.
Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, Senior Marine Conservation Officer for the North West Wildlife Trusts said: “It is absolutely fantastic news that Allonby Bay is proposed as one of five of the first UK sites to be designated an HPMA, offering the highest level of protection in England’s seas.
“The site contains large areas of blue mussels and the best example of honeycomb worm reefs in the UK, which provide habitat for a wealth of different species.
"Subtidal sands and gravel habitats in the area are important spawning and nursery grounds for plaice, skate and thornback rays, and it is a pupping ground for harbour porpoise.
“Allonby Bay was one of four sites in the Irish Sea that the North West Wildlife Trusts put forward for designation.
"This is a very positive step forward, but these five sites must pave the way for further improving the protection and management of all designated sites around the UK, to create a network of highly protected areas to ensure our seas are healthy and resilient”.
Georgia continued: “Our seas are under pressure like never before; decades of over exploitation, pollution and unchecked development have resulted in continued biodiversity loss and a degradation of the marine habitats.”
Allonby Bay hugs the coast into the Solway Firth and includes two extremely important areas for marine life, Dubmill Scar and Maryport Roads.
The area is highly diverse containing many different species of sponge, soft coral, seaweed, sea squirt, anemone and the reef-building honeycomb worms which is at its most northern extent.
Allonby Bay was designated a Marine Conservation Zone in 2016.
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