The European Commission has given the NI administration one last chance to prove its commitment to protecting the Lough's unique marine habitats or face legal action.

Taking the Strangford case to judicial process is seen as a last resort by the Joint Marine Partnership (JMP), which has long campaigned for better protection and restoration of Strangford Lough.

The 'formal letter of notice' which has just been issued to the Department of the Environment could end with the case appearing before the European Court and Northern Ireland facing major fines.

The JMP had hoped that the initial investigations from the EC would be enough to galvanise strong managerial action from the departments involved, but this has proven not to be the case. Since investigations started over five years ago, there has been a string of poor decisions made on aquaculture developments, and other activities which are likely to have severe impacts on the Lough's protected wildlife.

"The Joint Marine Partnership has been frustrated by the slow response from the NI Administration in reacting to the management crisis in Strangford Lough," said Kate Hutchinson, Irish Sea Policy Officer, JMP "We provided further evidence this year of the continued degradation of the horse mussel reefs and other habitats, and of cormorants and other sea birds being caught in static fishing nets. We are pleased that the European Commission has acted upon this evidence but it's disappointing that it has been necessary to initiate these legal steps in the first place."

The JMP believes that if we are to achieve sustainable marine management, reform is needed both within, and outside Strangford Lough, through a marine bill for Northern Ireland.