A fishing leader has warned that the South West industry is in danger of being forced into extinction by an environmentally biased process which is controlling where conservation zones out at sea will be located.

Nick Prust, vice chairman of the South West Fish Producers' Organisation (SWFPO), said he was "really disturbed" by the potential impact of the make up of the new Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), which will play a major role in managing Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) within six miles of the coast.

The industry says it is under-represented and fears an environmental bias. It has similar concerns over fishermen's involvement in Finding Sanctuary, which is charged with putting forward recommendations on where the zones will lie.

Mr Prust said the IFCA committees are largely made up of members whose roles are not related to fishing.

He said: "We need to ensure that this does not lead to these committees leaning heavily towards protecting the environment at the expense of the fishing industry's interests."

He claimed the Devon and Severn IFCA has five representatives from the fishing industry out of a total of 30 committee members, with a similar situation occurring in Cornwall.

"There are a lot of people who are being paid serious money to work against the interests of the fishing industry, in bringing this raft of management measures into business," added Mr Prust.

He also voiced fears over the threat to the industry from wind farms and other renewable energy projects. And he said that it was "unbelievable" that final submissions for MCZ designations had to be put forward on the tight timescale of June.

"We know that we do not have a choice, and that the UK has to produce a network of MCZs, but we need to be sensible about it," said Mr Prust. "There is no real scientific evidence to justify many of the areas being put forward; they are just based on guesswork."

He said the industry needed to know what it was attempting to protect and that management measures would achieve conservation.

"It is all just one big experiment – with the fishing industry the big loser," added Mr Prust.

Finding Sanctuary believes every step possible has been taken to involve fishermen, who are directly involved in deciding where to locate MCZs, based on guidance from government scientists.

A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs yesterday said MCZs would be created using the "best available evidence" to ensure they protect our seas.

He said: "We agree that MCZs will only work if we know what we are protecting, why we're protecting it and have confidence in how they are managed. That's why we have asked fishermen and interested organisations for ideas and information that will help us find a balance between environmental care and economic benefits. We will hold a full public consultation in early 2012 on our proposals."