We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to meet our liaison staff or fill in questionnaires during 2010.

By the end of the year we had met 3,000 people at over 230 meetings in 92 different locations in North West England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

As well as providing opportunities to talk to people about the project, the team gathered almost 300 questionnaires from sea users that capture vital firsthand knowledge about the Irish Sea. The questionnaires cover over 40 per cent of all known UK commercial fishing vessels operating in the project area, as well as many recreational and other activities.

Members of our Regional Stakeholder Group also bring important insights on activities in the Irish Sea to the table and the team has also gathered scientific data from a wide variety of sources, such as local biological records centres, The Crown Estate and conservation groups.

The information has helped us to build a more detailed picture of the habitats, species and human activities in the Irish Sea, which is being used by our Regional Stakeholder Group in considering locations for Marine Conservation Zones.