The director of the Manx Wildlife Trust is claiming the decision not to create an area of special scientific interest in Ramsey was made for political rather than environmental reasons.
Environment Minister John Shimmin said a flawed consultation process, biased in favour of his department, was the reason he dropped the idea.
It had been widely opposed in Ramsey, with many people believing it would prevent the long-awaited marina project going ahead.
But Duncan Bridges says scientific reasons weren't questioned and it was more a case of the minister being unhappy with the way ASSIs were put in place.
He also believes Mr Shimmin didn't want to tackle the issue before next year's general election:
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