Guidance and regulation

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for managing fishing and marine non-licensable activities in England’s marine protected areas (MPAs). MMO also manages marine licensable activities through our marine l…

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 March 2023

MMO byelaw covering specified areas in the following 13 marine protected areas.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 1 February 2024

The Blue Belt Programme supports the UK Overseas Territories with the protection and sustainable management of their marine environments.

• From: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and 3 others
• Updated: 28 September 2023

Find out about the different marine species and how they are protected UK wildlife legislation.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 June 2023

How to act responsibly around marine wildlife when you visit the coast.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Updated: 24 May 2023

How to notify the Marine Management Organisation that you are carrying out a seismic or geophysical survey.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 5 January 2022

Why you need a marine wildlife licence if you are going to disturb a protected species, how to apply and how to report an incident.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 2 March 2021

Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation is in the Southern North Sea, off the east coast of England.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 April 2022

The South Dorset MCZ is located approximately 17.5 km south of St Albans Head.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 April 2022

How marine non-licensable activities are assessed and managed in marine protected areas (MPAs).

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 1 June 2022

The Canyons MCZ is located in the far south-west corner of the UK continental shelf.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 April 2022

The Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge MPA is located off the south Lincolnshire coast, encompassing a wide range of sandbank types and biogenic reef.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 13 April 2022

This page details the MMO’s work on the management of marine non-licensable activity in Studland Bay Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ).

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 5 June 2023

The West of Walney Marine Conservation Zone is off the North West coast of England.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 15 September 2020

Guidance for laboratories on physical and chemical determinands for sediment sampling to support marine licence applications.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 18 January 2018

Draft fishing gear impacts evidence documents for stage 3 marine protected areas (MPAs). Stage 3 will seek to assess and manage impacts of fishing on the 43 remaining MPAs with seabed features not already covered in stage 1 …

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 14 August 2023

This treaty was presented to Parliament in October 2023.

• From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Updated: 16 October 2023

A magazine for our Marine Management Organisation customers, partners and other stakeholders.

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 18 January 2023

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)

• From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and 1 others
• Updated: 26 June 2018

In collaboration with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Cruise Lines International Association, UK Chamber of Shipping, and Natural England we are exploring a number of options to protect Marine Protected Areas from the …

• From: Marine Management Organisation
• Updated: 8 June 2021