Laxey Bay () is a coastal feature and

Marine Nature Reserve Marine nature reserve (MNR) is a conservation designation officially awarded by a government to a marine reserve of national significance. Republic of Ireland Lough Hyne, a marine lake off of County Cork, is Ireland's only marine nature reserve. Un ...

on the east coast of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

in the north

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

. Geographically it is bounded by Laxey Head () to the north and Clay Head () to the south. The bay is home to eelgrass

Zostera marina ''Zostera marina'' is a flowering vascular plant species as one of many kinds of seagrass, with this species known primarily by the English name of eelgrass with seawrack much less used, and refers to the plant after breaking loose from the subme ...

which is a highly protected species in Manx law, therefore a large part of the bay is close to potting abs anchoring, with fines of £10,000 for infringement.

Marine nature reserves

Laxey Bay was first protected as a "Fisheries Restricted Area" in 2009 to facilitate king scallop ranching, whereby the areas could be seeded with scallops, protected from fishing and then harvested at a later date. The bay was seeded with young scallops, however subsequent surveys indicated that densities remained very low (among the lowest of sites surveyed in Manx waters), likely owing to limited good scallop habitat within the bay. A

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

survey in 2016 surveyed the habitats within the bay. On the basis of the presence of habitats of conservation importance, including

maerl Maerl (also rhodolith) is a collective name for non- geniculate coralline red algae with a certain growth habit. Maerl grows at a rate of c. 1 mm per year. It accumulates as unattached particles and forms extensive beds in suitable subli ...

and eelgrass (''

''), the survey recommended that they bay remain closed to mobile fishing in the long term. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture thereafter consulted the public and stakeholders on making the bay a

Tynwald Tynwald (), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald () or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Leg ...

granted Laxey Bay full statutory protection as a Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) under the

Wildlife Act 1990 Wildlife refers to undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also ...

from 1 September 2018. It is now one of ten Marine Nature Reserves found around the Isle of Man, covering over 10% of the country's territorial waters. The reserve lies west of a line drawn between two points at the following co-ordinates: Carrick Roayrt by Bulgham Bay (54° 14.3742’ N, 04° 21.9420’ W) and Kione ny Cleigh / Clay Head (54° 11.8044’ N, 04° 23.2338’ W), up to and including the shore to the level of the Highest Astronomical Tide. The reserve encompasses an area of 3.97 km² which equates to 0.48% of the Island’s territorial seas in the 0-3 nautical mile zone. Laxey Bay MNR also includes a highly protected Eelgrass Conservation Zone within Garwick Bay. The reserve is managed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture in collaboration with its fisheries science advisors and other stakeholders including the fishing industry and recreational users. The Manx Marine Nature Reserves Byelaws 2018 prohibit the extraction of sand, gravel or rock, the deposition of any substance or articles, the use of mobile fishing gear (dredges and trawls) and long lines and the taking of either queen or king scallops whilst diving. Within the Eelgrass Conservation Zone even anchoring and the use of static fishing gear (pots) is prohibited to protect

eelgrass Eelgrass is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Zostera'', marine eelgrass * '' Vallisneria'', freshwater eelgrass See also *'' Potamogeton compressus'', known as eel-grass pondweed {{Short pages monitor