“We all love to be beside the seaside” and that’s actually official! The Wildlife Trust conducted a survey in which 1,200 UK citizens took part and over one third of them chose a day at the seaside as their favourite leisure activity.
With this in mind, I’m sure that all of you who love to be beside the seaside will want to help protect some of the finest areas of coastline that we have for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Lyme Bay
A coastal area that needs immediate support is Lyme Bay on the Devon / Dorset coast in England.
Lyme Bay is one of Britain’s finest sites for marine wildlife. It consists of reefs which are a haven for corals, sponges and starfish in fact the reefs are home to over 300 recorded species of plants and animals, including dense populations of the nationally protected pink seafan and the extremely rare sunset coral. Both species are national priority species under the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).
The Seafood industry
As well as being home to a range of rare species, Lyme Bay also hosts a range of species used for seafood (i.e. crab, lobster, scallops etc). Thus it is a popular fishing location for commercial fishermen. However gone are the days when fishermen use the traditional method of potting or diving to catch seafood such as scallops. No, instead all in the name of demand and profit, the fishermen use a technique called dredging.
Scallop dredging
Scallop dredging involves using a dredge that consists of a metal frame with spring-loaded teeth to which a chain-mesh bag is attached. The dredge is towed over seabed habitats, where the teeth rake the seabed disturbing the scallops. This gear is extremely robust and can be used over much harder grounds than traditional trawls. As a consequence, scallop dredges can severely damage other seabed organisms and habitats.
To see footage of scallop dredging please click here.
Dredging at Lyme Bay
Lyme Bay Reefs support rich and varied biological communities of national importance. However scallop dredging destroys both seabed species and the habitats on which they depend.
There is hope though as these marine species can potentially recover, provided that disturbance to habitat is not too extreme. This is why the Wildlife Trust wants a ban on scallop dredging within a specific 60 square mile of Lyme Bay Reefs.
Talking about Lyme Bay Reefs Paul Gompertz, Devon Wildlife Trust’s director recently said:
“The reefs are the undersea equivalent of the rainforests and closure of Lyme
Bay Reefs to dredging is essential if we are to stop their destruction. Lyme Bay Reefs is one of the best-studied areas of seabed off the entire UK coast, and the scientific and economic data point very clearly to the only sustainable option: closure of the reefs to scallop dredging. If the Government fails to make the right choice here, it bodes very badly for the protection of other important - but less-studied - sites.”
History of protecting Lyme Bay Reefs
Devon Wildlife Trust has been studying the reefs for 15 years and, along with The Wildlife Trusts, has campaigned for their protection. During the 1990s, Devon WT worked with the local fisherman and negotiated a voluntary agreement in 2001 to stop scallop dredging in two parts of the Bay.
This agreement broke down last year demonstrating the need for a statutory approach. Natural England subsequently called upon The Department for Agriculture and Fishing (Defra), with the backing of The Wildlife Trusts to introduce an order to stop the damaging activity.
Defra’s Lyme Bay Reefs Consultation
In response to Natural England and the Wildlife Trusts request to stop scallop dredging within a specific 60 mile square mile of Lyme Bay, Defra has written a consultation letter and have been asking for feedback – to view the letter please click here.
The Wildlife Trust has responded to the consultation advising that the only real option in which to protect Lyme Bay Reefs and its marine wildlife is option C “Exclude the use of all towed gear, by either SFC Byelaw or Order, in the 60 square mile area originally proposed by English Nature in May 2006.”
The original deadline for submitting a response to the consultation was the 12th December, however Defra have extended the deadline to the 21st December.
You can help – but please act now
The good news is that you can help to protect the beautiful and diverse Lyme Bay Reefs and the marine wildlife that depends on it through just two simple steps (which should take less than 5 minutes!)
1) Email Defra explaining that option C in the consultation is the only realistic choice to protect this beautiful and diverse area of the ocean.
Please click here to download an example of an email that you can send to Defra (Choose the save option as opposed to just opening it)
Even if you do not live in the UK, then I think that you should still email Defra raising your concerns and asking them to chose option C.
2) Email your MP asking them to sign the Lyme Bay Early Day Motion.
To find out who your MP is and how to contact them please click here.
Once you have checked who your MP is click here to see if they have already signed the EDM.
Together we can make a difference
Remember we all love to be beside the seaside and if we all work together we can make a difference to marine habitats and the world!
