To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) what analysis his Department has carried out on the removal of shellfish along the Whiterock coast by shellfish harvesters; and (ii) what action he will take to prevent further damage being done to this protected marine environment.

My Department undertakes monitoring of coastal habitats in Strangford Lough as part of the marine protected area monitoring programme. The closest site to the Whiterock coast is at Mahee Island, and the latest surveys found the ‘intertidal mudflats and sandflat’, and the ‘intertidal rock and underboulder communities’, to be in ‘favourable condition’.

There is a risk that unregulated intertidal shellfish harvesting could have a detrimental impact on Strangford Lough and other marine protected areas. To address this, my Department has been developing potential regulatory options that are intended to protect intertidal shellfish stocks from unsustainable exploitation and to provide protection for habitats and species that could be damaged or disturbed by intertidal shellfish gathering. I am currently considering these options.