Governmenet Move To Ban Bottom Trawling In Fal Bay Cornwall
The End Of Scallop Dredging
Conservation Measures Introduced By Government
11th March 2008
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) today welcomes the government’s proposal to close a wildlife site to damaging bottom trawling and dredging in Fal Bay (in Cornwall). Fal Bay contains ancient species-rich plant communities (‘maerl’), which are particularly vulnerable to any form of physical impact. The ‘Statutory Instrument’ to close the fishery in the area is being consulted on for the next six weeks.
Similar measures in the Isle of Man have led to a substantial increase in Scallop stocks within the area afforded protection. This has been highly beneficial to authorised scallop fishing undertaken in areas surrounding the protected zone, and MCS welcomes Government’s efforts to use this approach in Fal Bay. MCS looks forwards to the combined fisheries and wildlife benefits that these measures should bring.
Scallop dredging has been occurring intermittently in Fal Bay over the past 30 years, but since the designation of the area for conservation in 1996, and an increase in the amount of scallop dredging in 2006, Defra has taken the advice of Natural England, and that of MCS to permanently prohibit any further potentially damaging fishing.
MCS Biodiversity Officer Dr Jean-Luc Solandt says:
Our discussions with local fishermen, conservationists, fisheries managers and Defra over the past 15 months have largely led to this conclusion. It’s clear from scientific research that the benefits of closing off areas of the sea to damaging fisheries have been proven to be beneficial to plants, animals and shellfish stocks. We’re pleased that the proposed closure issued by government also realises this potential, and that they will undertake the necessary scientific monitoring to record the changes to the plant, animal and scallop communities.
MCS hopes that pending Marine Bill, which will be debated in Parliament this Spring and summer, will deliver strong protection measures and enforcement for our threatened wildlife and inshore fisheries.
Ends
For photographs and further information, please contact Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, MCS Biodiversity Policy Officer
For further information and photographs contact:
Dr Jean Luc Solandt, Biodiversity Policy Officer: 01989 566 017; 07793 118387
Jean-luc.solandt@mcsuk.org
Marine Conservation Society
Wolf Business Park
Alton Road, Ross-on-Wye
Herefordshire HR9 5NB
www.mcsuk.org
Editor’s notes
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its wildlife. Since its formation in 1983, MCS has become a recognised authority on marine and coastal conservation. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Adopt-a-Beach, Seasearch and Basking Shark Watch. MCS has successfully lobbied for a Government commitment to a draft Marine Bill to provide better protection for marine species and habitats and establish a governing system for the sustainable management of the marine environment. See www.mcsuk.org for more information.
Scallop-dredging can damage bottom sea life. Extensive research has catalogued the effects on vulnerable habitats, particularly by University of Plymouth Royal Society Research Fellow Dr Jason Hall-Spencer.
Kamenos, N.A., Moore, P.G., Hall-Spencer, J.M. (2003) Substratum heterogeneity of dredged versus un-dredged maerl grounds. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 83, 411-413 pdf
Hall-Spencer, J.M. & Moore, P.G. (2000) Scallop dredging has profound long-term impacts on maerl habitats. ICES Journal of Marine Science 57, 1407-1415 pdf
The Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation is a Marine Protected Area set up under European environmental legislation called the Habitats Directive. It states: ‘The Habitats Directive states that Member States (i.e. the UK) shall take appropriate steps to avoid the deterioration of natural habitats and the habitats of species as well as the disturbance of the species for which the areas have been designated’. There are 63 such sites in UK waters measuring only 1% of UK waters. Previous cases of scalloping in SACs has led to infractions proceedings (threat of fines) for the Northern Ireland government (2001) and The Scottish Government (2006) from the European Commission. A Royal Commission report in 2004 recommend that 30% of all seas should be in fully protected Marine Reserves - http://www.rcep.org.uk/fisheries/englishsummary.pdf. See MCS’s campaign film Marine Reserves Now, with Kate Humble at http://www.mcsuk.org/mcsaction/marinereserves/marine+reserves+now
Natural England is the governments’ own statutory nature conservation advisor for English inshore waters (from 0-12nm). Their written advice to the Cornish Sea Fisheries Committee on October 16 2007 was that the scallop dredging in the area of the SAC should be closed ‘until such time as it can be demonstrated that management of this activity can ensure that it will not lead to deterioration of the features for which the site has been selected’. This advice has today been acted upon by the government.
Government will publish a draft Marine Bill on April 3rd, which will include legislation for a series of UK Marine Protected Areas to be set up (which will be called Marine Conservation Zones). MCS has formally requested that government makes the Statutory Conservation Agencies (Natural England) the arbitrator on any decision affecting the conservation features of these zones, and that the membership of the Sea Fisheries Committees be widened to encompass biodiversity conservation considerations.
http://www.mcsuk.org/downloads/policy/marine_bill/MCS_response_%20MarineBillWhitePaper.pdf
