These Regulations amend the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003 to include shellfish water protected areas. The effect of these Regulations is to ensure that any necessary environmental objectives required to improve or protect the water quality of a shellfish water protected area to support shellfish life and growth are set, that monitoring in relation to such objectives takes place in those areas, and that information about them is included in the river basin management plan. The power to designate shellfish water protected areas is provided in new regulation 7A. The Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers may designate an area within a river basin district as a shellfish water protected area by including it on a list.