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Paddleboarders, divers and boaters are being asked what they have seen

Qurexa Editorial Team1 October 20267 min read 0 0
Paddleboarders, divers and boaters are being asked what they have seen

What happened

On 30 September 2026, the Marine Management Organisation launched a campaign called Your Coast – Explore, Enjoy, Protect, along with a call for evidence. The campaign asks coastal communities to help shape how recreational activities are managed in England's marine protected areas. These are stretches of sea and seabed given legal protection because of the habitats or species they contain. The first phase is the call for evidence. It asks what is currently known about how recreational activities affect the protected features in these areas. The features listed include seabed habitats of sand, mud or organic material; birds; grey seals, harbour seals and Eurasian otters; reef habitats; and seagrass beds, maerl beds, seahorses and stalked jellyfish. The activities in scope are the everyday ones: anchoring, diving and snorkelling, hovercraft, motorboats, personal watercraft such as jetskis, paddle sports including kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding, sail boats, wildlife watching boat tours, and wind sports such as windsurfing, kitesurfing and kite foiling. This is part of the MMO's work on marine non-licensable activities. These are activities that do not need a marine licence but may still affect protected habitats and species. The MMO is also making a specific appeal for photographs. It is asking recreational divers, underwater photographers and others to share images of protected seabed habitats and wildlife, to help people see parts of the coast that are usually hidden. Jessica Churchill-Bissett, the MMO's Head of Marine Conservation (Wildlife), said: 'Your Coast – Explore, Enjoy, Protect is our invitation to the people who know these waters best, the divers, boaters, kayakers and coastal communities who explore and enjoy them every day.' She added: 'Every piece of evidence, every photograph and every local insight makes a difference.'

Why this matters

This is unusual among official consultations because the thing being asked for is something ordinary people genuinely have. A regulator can commission a survey of a bay. A diver who has visited the same reef for fifteen years knows things no survey will pick up: where the seagrass used to reach, which anchorage has worn bare, where the seals haul out now compared with a decade ago. The activities in scope are also the ones that have grown fastest. Paddleboarding in particular went from a niche pursuit to something sold in supermarkets within a few years. More people on the water is overwhelmingly a good thing for health and for how much people care about the sea. It also means far more boards, anchors and fins in places that were quiet. Seagrass is a useful example of what is at stake. It is a flowering plant that grows in shallow sheltered water, provides a nursery for young fish, stabilises the seabed and stores carbon. It is also easily damaged by anchors and chains dragging across it, and it recovers slowly. The honest tension here is that managing recreation can mean restricting it. Anyone who sails, dives or paddles has a direct interest in what gets decided, which is a good reason to take part now rather than complain later.

What the evidence actually says

This is a call for evidence, which means the MMO is explicitly saying it does not yet have the full picture. What is established: these areas are legally protected, and the features listed are the ones protection exists for. The broad mechanisms of damage are also well understood. Anchors and chains scour the seabed. Repeated disturbance pushes birds and seals off resting and breeding sites. Physical contact damages fragile reef and maerl structures. What is far less certain is scale and location. How much damage a given level of activity does, in a given place, is poorly measured. That is precisely the gap this exercise is trying to fill. It is worth noting the direction of the evidence on recreation generally. In most studies, recreational activity is a smaller pressure on marine habitats than fishing gear, dredging, pollution and climate change. It is not negligible, and in specific popular spots it can be the dominant local pressure, but it is not the main driver of decline nationally. Anyone reading this as blame aimed at kayakers would be misreading it. There is also a known weakness in calls for evidence of this kind: the people who respond are not a random sample. Organised groups with staff and newsletters respond; individuals often do not. That skews what the regulator ends up seeing, which is a practical argument for individuals taking part. The MMO has said the evidence will be used to inform its approach going forward. What it has not published is a decision, a timetable for restrictions, or a list of sites under consideration. That is genuinely still open.

Practical advice

If you use the English coast, here is how to take part and how to tread lightly. Complete the MMO's online survey if you have anything to contribute. You do not need to be a scientist. Observations, local knowledge, photographs and dates are all useful. If you dive or take underwater photographs, consider sharing images of seabed habitats with the MMO at the address given in its announcement. Few people ever see these places. Follow the Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code when photographing or watching wildlife, so you do not cause the disturbance you are documenting. Anchor thoughtfully. Avoid dropping anchor on seagrass or reef where you can, use designated moorings where they exist, and remember that the damage comes mostly from chain dragging rather than the anchor itself. Give seals, seal pups and resting birds a wide berth. If an animal changes its behaviour because of you, you are too close. Check whether the stretch of coast you use is in a marine protected area before you go. The MMO publishes information by site. If you lead trips or run a club, pass this on. Groups have more evidence to share than individuals, and more influence over everyday practice. And a safety reminder that has nothing to do with conservation: tell someone where you are going, check the tide and wind, wear a buoyancy aid and carry a means of calling for help.

What to know

The Marine Management Organisation has launched Your Coast – Explore, Enjoy, Protect, with a call for evidence on how recreational activities affect England's marine protected areas. The activities in scope include anchoring, diving and snorkelling, motorboats, jetskis, paddle sports, sailing, wildlife watching tours and wind sports. The protected features include seabed habitats, birds, seals, otters, reefs, seagrass, maerl beds, seahorses and stalked jellyfish. The MMO is asking water users and coastal communities for knowledge, data and photographs through an online survey, and says the evidence will inform its approach. No restrictions have been decided and no sites have been named. If you paddle, dive, sail or swim, this is the stage at which your experience counts for something. Sources: GOV.UK (Marine Management Organisation), 'Your Coast – Explore, Enjoy, Protect campaign and call for evidence launches', 30 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-coast-explore-enjoy-protect-campaign-and-call-for-evidence-launches; GOV.UK (Marine Management Organisation), 'Marine non licensable activities: guidance, sites and evidence', 30 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-non-licensable-activities-guidance-sites-and-evidence; GOV.UK (Marine Management Organisation), 'Find marine non licensable activity information for a marine protected area', 25 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-marine-non-licensable-activity-information-for-a-marine-protected-area. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist, travel health clinic or other qualified healthcare professional.

#coast#marine protected areas#kayaking#diving#conservation#England

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