The Wildlife Trusts welcome today’s publication of a draft Marine Bill as an important step towards restoring the health of the UK’s seas.

The Wildlife Trusts have campaigned for many years for new laws to bring marine conservation into the 21st century and are delighted that the Government has today published a draft Bill. The draft contains numerous measures that have been lobbied for, including Marine Conservation Zones and new controls on inshore fisheries.

“With this draft Bill, we’ve finally laid the foundations for the protection of our seas", says Stephanie Hilborne, The Wildlife Trusts’ chief executive.

“We’re now working with lawyers to check that the draft Bill has the teeth it needs to address some of the trickier problems in our seas. The Bill must be capable of creating marine reserves – highly protected sites – as they play a vital role in nurturing a healthy marine ecosystem. The most important thing is to get an effective Marine Act on the statute book in 2009. We will do everything in our power to make sure this happens and urge the Government to maintain the momentum to achieve this.”

Read more about the Save our Seas campaign

To find out more about The Wildlife Trusts’ Marine Bill Campaign, visit www.wildlifetrusts.org and click on Living Seas.