#MarineWildlife - The RSPB has welcomed the announcement of new marine protected areas for Northern Ireland this week.
“The formal designation of four new marine protected areas will help protect a range of vulnerable species and habitats - ranging from black guillemots to ocean quahog and seagrass meadows,” the wildlife charity said in a statement.
Among the new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) announced by Storming is an area near Rathlin Island off Co Antrim that’s the first in the UK to be set aside for a seabird species, the amber-listed black guillemot.
The other new zones announced include seagrass meadows in Waterfoot, also in Co Antrim, and the fragile ecosystem for sea pens in Carlingford Lough.
Also included among the new MCZs is the territory of ocean quahogs in outer Belfast Lough.
According to The Irish News, these clams are thought to have been thriving in the waters near the city for over 200 years - and individual clams could live for hundreds more.
The Stormont announcement comes a year after the new zones were first proposed for public consultation, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.