Vicar of Holy Island leads fight against fishing ban that would 'rip the heart out of Lindisfarne'

A Church of England vicar on the holy island of Lindisfarne has called the proposed ban on local fishing a 'real mistake' with 'massive socio-economic impact' .
One of the most important centers of early Christianity in England, the tidal island of Northumberland saw the first significant Viking attack in Europe and is the birthplace of the Lindisfarne Gospels, now housed in the British Library. Every year, half a million visitors flock to its 12th-century priory, castle, pubs and cafes.
But today's locals - in number around 160 - say the government's proposal to ban fishing to regenerate the ocean threatens centuries-old livelihoods and would "rip the heart out" of the community.
The plan would introduce a 129km² Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), covering the island and the northeast of the Farne Islands to allow marine life to fully recover, according to Defra. The area, one of five pilot HPMAs proposed for England, has 850 seabird and fish species, 40 of which are threatened or important.
« I don't think it has been well thought out,' Reverend Canon Dr Sarah Hills, curate of St Mary's Parish Church, told The Guardian. “And [I don't think] Defra took into account the massive socio-economic impact. They could have made an effort to find out before launching this proposal. That's a real mistake.”
< p class="dcr-xry7m2">Between 10 and 15% of the island's permanent residents are artisanal crab and lobster fishers, the only types of fishers allowed in the already protected marine zone.
If the proposal goes ahead, the fishermen, who operate six boats from the island, would be "perplexed", Hills said They could not move north or south because other fishermen were already working there.
Defra acknowledges plans could see fishermen displaced to other ports along the coast, which "would lead to an increase in fishing pressure in the surrounding MPAs, and the potential to create conflicts between fishermen in this fleet due to the lack of space to place additional traps".
Hills said the islanders fish sustainably and are not opposed to HPMAs per se. It was not a matter of "fishermen versus conservationists", she said.

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Vicar of Holy Island leads fight against fishing ban that would 'rip the heart out of Lindisfarne'

A Church of England vicar on the holy island of Lindisfarne has called the proposed ban on local fishing a 'real mistake' with 'massive socio-economic impact' .

One of the most important centers of early Christianity in England, the tidal island of Northumberland saw the first significant Viking attack in Europe and is the birthplace of the Lindisfarne Gospels, now housed in the British Library. Every year, half a million visitors flock to its 12th-century priory, castle, pubs and cafes.

But today's locals - in number around 160 - say the government's proposal to ban fishing to regenerate the ocean threatens centuries-old livelihoods and would "rip the heart out" of the community.

The plan would introduce a 129km² Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), covering the island and the northeast of the Farne Islands to allow marine life to fully recover, according to Defra. The area, one of five pilot HPMAs proposed for England, has 850 seabird and fish species, 40 of which are threatened or important.

« I don't think it has been well thought out,' Reverend Canon Dr Sarah Hills, curate of St Mary's Parish Church, told The Guardian. “And [I don't think] Defra took into account the massive socio-economic impact. They could have made an effort to find out before launching this proposal. That's a real mistake.”

< p class="dcr-xry7m2">Between 10 and 15% of the island's permanent residents are artisanal crab and lobster fishers, the only types of fishers allowed in the already protected marine zone.

If the proposal goes ahead, the fishermen, who operate six boats from the island, would be "perplexed", Hills said They could not move north or south because other fishermen were already working there.

Fishing boats moored near Lindisfarne Harbor.

Defra acknowledges plans could see fishermen displaced to other ports along the coast, which "would lead to an increase in fishing pressure in the surrounding MPAs, and the potential to create conflicts between fishermen in this fleet due to the lack of space to place additional traps".

Hills said the islanders fish sustainably and are not opposed to HPMAs per se. It was not a matter of "fishermen versus conservationists", she said.