Guidance: Monitoring beaches near Sellafield for radioactive material

Sellafield Ltd has to monitor beaches close to the Sellafield site to check for radioactivity. This beach monitoring programme is a condition the Environment Agency imposed on Sellafield Ltd when it issued them with an environmental permit.




Guidance: Sellafield radioactive objects intervention plan

The Environment Agency has developed this intervention plan with other organisations involved in protecting the public from radioactive objects.

This is a summary of how the different organisations will work together to:

  • protect the public and environment from any harm caused by radioactive objects on west Cumbria beaches
  • respond to a discovery of radioactive objects near the Sellafield site – a single find or an overall change in the find rate, activity or trends



Research and analysis: Alternative use of dredged material

Requirement R57

Requirement detail

Currently dredge material is usually disposed of at sea. The MMO wish to encourage and enable both the alternative use and re-cycling of dredged material. This will help maintain coastlines, ecosystem services and sustainable development.

Re-used dredged materials conserve primary resources, especially in capital projects where dredged materials can provide fill for allied construction works. However to be able to ensure that these opportunities are maximised the MMO would like to better understand the barriers to the reuse of dredged materials.

This requirement includes increasing the understanding of:

  • which spatial and temporal circumstances enable successful re-use
  • where and how dredged material could be reused, and other projects that could incorporate alternative use
  • the costs to developers to carry out re-use/recycling projects
  • the potential to develop a marine alternative use regulatory toolbox for England to support better regulation
  • the legal classification of the designation of dredged sediment as waste and the relevant Environment Agency quality protocols



Research and analysis: Evaluation of marine protected area management measures concerning fishing

Requirement R127

Requirement detail

Globally 94% of marine protected areas (MPAs) allow fishing (Costello and Ballantine 2015. MMO is responsible for implementation of management measures to ensure fishing is compatible with the conservation objectives of English MPAs, while minimising the socio-economic impact of such MPA measures. Where fishing is not compatible with an MPA’s conservation objectives, it is excluded. This requirement is to identify solutions that enhance compatibility and potentially enable fishing activity.

This requirement includes identifying examples of successful approaches or measures from comparable habitats and fisheries around the world and considering areas of best practice that could help inform development of MMO measures. In particular, the MMO is interested in measures to ensure effective and proportionate protection of ephemeral and mobile species.




Research and analysis: Innovative and novel approaches to wildlife enforcement

Requirement R63

Requirement detail

Active enforcement of wildlife licensing through traditional enforcement methods requires significant resource. Exploration of innovative approaches to enact wildlife legislation, for example education or outcome focused compliance, would benefit the efficiency of marine management work. Such innovative approaches may also have application within other MMO functions where regulatory enforcement is required, including licensing and fisheries.

It is important that any novel approaches proposed are practical and cost-effective to implement. Therefore, approaches should also consider appropriate feasibility testing or parallel work in other enforcement fields and any implementation considerations.