Think of them as a nature reserves in the sea.  Each Marine Conservation Zone is designated for particular species or habitats – for Studland MCZ these include seagrass beds and Spiny Seahorses.   These features need to be protected from damaging activities and may require specific measures to promote recovery.

Nationally seagrass meadows are in major decline and in Studland Bay seagrass meadows are considered in unfavourable condition according to Natural England due to unsustainable anchoring practices.  As the anchor chain lays on the seabed and moves, it scours the sediment and uproots the delicate seagrass.

For more information on seagrass, please see the links below:

 Using seagrass to fight the climate emergency WWF

Natural solutions to the climate crisis: sea grass The Wildlife Trusts

The impacts of anchoring and mooring in seagrass, Studland Bay

Project overview - Save Our Seabed

Why Save Seagrass/Project Seagrass

Seagrass habitats are home to several protected and endangered species. In Studland Bay seagrass provides habitat for the Spiny Seahorse, the Short-Snouted Seahorse, all six British pipefish species, wrasse and the Undulate Ray. Source: Dorset Wildlife Trust Studland Bay | The Wildlife Trusts.

Seagrass beds are also important nursery beds for many fish including commercially important species. If these nursery beds are damaged, it will impact fishing around the South coast. 

Seagrass beds are increasingly being recognised as playing a key role in helping to tackle the climate crisis.  

‘By slowing the flow of water from currents and waves, seagrass meadows enable dissolved carbon dioxide (CO₂) to be stored in the leaves and ultimately sediment in the long-term, for centuries or even millennia.  However, physical disturbance of seagrass sediments can cause re-suspension of long-term stored carbon, resulting in a potential release of CO₂ and methane (CH₄).’ 

Source: Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021 - NERR094 (naturalengland.org.uk)

Finally, seagrass is thought to play an important role in protecting our coastline. By absorbing wave energy, it can provide a natural buffer to reduce or retard erosion. By trapping and binding sediments, seagrass also helps to keep the water clear and calm – to the benefit of all beach and water users. 

The SBMP are a not for profit group. In 2024 we are asking eco-mooring users to pay £10 for 24hr usage of the mooring via a payment app, details on how to pay will be available on the pick-up lines. Your contributions supports the purchase, installation, maintenance and eventual replacement of eco-moorings. Several options for funding the project were presented in the draft strategy, and one of the questions in the 2022 survey sought to gain public feedback on these options.

Traditional swing moorings usually use a chain and anchor block. The block sits on the seabed while the chain swings around the block scouring a significant area of the seabed preventing any natural habitat from occurring. Advanced Moorings Systems (referred to in this document as eco-moorings) prevent both of these impacts from taking place. The photos below illustrate how traditional anchoring can scour of the seabed:

Whilst the links below provide more information, including a video from RYA Midlands that demonstrates how AMS work in practice:

RYA Midlands

The Seahorse Trust Eco-moorings

The SBMP eco-moorings are publicly available to all, (none are privately owned or restricted in their use). License approval has been granted by the MMO.

In 2024, as stated in the previous question and answer, the Studland Bay Marine Partnership will be using a payment app charging £10 per 24hr period. Donations above £10 are welcomed to help support maintaining the eco-moorings. Please feel free to make a donation via the homepage donation link.

Eco-moorings are currently suitable for sea depths of 1m or more. As Studland Bay is fairly shallow, this restricts the area in which they can be located. Along with the restrictions of the Voluntary No Anchor Zone (VNAZ), it will result in areas of the bay with no moorings and no anchoring capacity.

For insurance purposes, eco-moorings include a weight restriction for vessel use. Hence the group has created zones of eco-moorings for vessels 5-10 tonnes.

The VNAZ is currently a voluntary scheme and there are no legal restrictions on anchoring in the bay. However, boat owners need to be aware of the damage to the seabed that can be caused by constant anchoring. Before the VNAZ, up to 400 boats were anchored in the bay during peak times in the holiday season. In the long-term, if seagrass beds continue to be damaged by anchoring then it is very likely that the MMO would introduce a bylaw to legally prohibit anchoring within the current VNAZ area and this would be monitored by the MMO on a regular basis.

Vessels can still anchor outside of the VNAZ area, however we appreciate that this is limited due to lack of shelter and shallowness of the northern part of the bay. See the maps for MCZ and VNAZ boundaries, plus areas of seagrass in Studland. Studland_Bay_-_Coordinates__1_.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

The Marine Management Organisation (and the SBMP) continue to encourage everyone to adhere to the voluntary no anchor zone (VNAZ), use the available eco-moorings and anchor outside the zone to protect the area's valuable seagrass habitats.

 As these are voluntary measure, enforcement is not appropriate. However, MMO does operate offshore patrol vessels and we do monitor activity levels in the VNAZ to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary measures. This is included in the MMO 2023 Review.

The MMO Global team are issuing a global contract for Electro-Optical imagery work for 2024 which will include Studland Bay.  They used this over a 4-day period last year – advanced satellite imagery provides evidence of compliance which will inform and impact the VNAZ becoming a No Anchor Zone if non-compliance is at a level they deem unsuitable for the Marine Conservation Zone.  The imagery works in 2024 will be on a more regular basis throughout the season.

The MMO and SBMP have received positive feedback from our surveys and face-to-face engagement, which indicates that people are choosing to support our voluntary approach. We want the VNAZ to be a success and will continue to review management measures in Studland Bay to ensure the area is protected for the future.

Studland Watersports will be available throughout the season to provide on the water advice to boaters on how to use the eco-moorings and payment app.

We wish to remind all boaters that ultimately if the SBMP do not get enough revenue through moorings fees, the moorings will not be able to go out again in future years – which will mean boats cannot moor in the bay at all and we thank everyone for supporting the project through using an eco-mooring and paying the £10 for up to a 24hr stay.

Eco-moorings installed by the SBMP have previously been insured by marina group and partnership member boatfolk.  In 2024 from 8 April this insurance will be provided by partnership member the National Trust who have added insurance provision for the eco-moorings to their existing Marine Trade Insurance policy 2023-24 which will renew 1 June 2024 and a new certificate will be made available.

Yes. On the MMO document ‘Frequently Asked Questions – Studland BAY MCZ’, the MMO states the following:

‘MMO expects people to respect any management measures put in place, but safety of life at sea will always come first. The right to anchor under emergency conditions, or to avoid a genuine emergency situation, within Studland Bay will continue.’

Source: Studland_Bay_MCZ_Frequently_Asked_Questions_.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)