The full report from the first of our six scheduled regional stakeholder group meetings is now available.

The meeting took place on March 18^th at Ribby Hall near Preston and the report has been prepared by our professional facilitator, Dialogue Matters, who also organised and led the meeting.

The aims of the day were to ensure that the group could work effectively together, develop a shared picture of the Irish Sea in terms of information, data, trends and valued features, and finally to consider the benefits and effects of human activities in the Irish Sea.

The regional stakeholder group is made up of around 40 people drawn from the many diverse interests in the Irish Sea, from commercial fishing to the oil and gas industry, and from wind farms to diving.

The members of the group have agreed to act as spokespeople for their sector, making sure that the priorities and concerns of the people who share their interests have a voice at the table.

Their ultimate task is to recommend a series of Marine Conservation Zones in the Irish Sea to the government.

This makes marine conservation zones very different from other forms of marine protection, which are usually recommended by experts and scientists, rather than the people who actually use, rely on or enjoy the sea.

Even if you are not on the stakeholder group, you can have your say on Marine Conservation Zones in the Irish Sea project area by contacting either your sector spokesperson or one of our liaison officers.

You can download the full report from our Resources page, or contact us to request a printed copy.