Fishing pots shown to damage seabed life
UNDERWATER cameras attached to crab and lobster pots have revealed that lowering and recovering them as part of fishing efforts can have a damaging effect on corals, sponges and other species found on the seabed.
Scientists from the University of Plymouth carried out the research off the south coast of England.
They recorded any damage caused to the rocky reefs on the seabed and various ecologically important species found there.
The resulting footage showed that of the 18 species observed, 14 suffered damage as the pots were hauled from the seabed.
This included species recognised as indicators of general health in the marine environment– including pink sea fans, ross coral, Dead Man’s Fingers and boring sponges.
The findings go against previous thinking around the damage caused by pot fishing to the seabed, with research carried out until now regarding its potential impact as minimal.
Writing in Marine Environmental Research, scientists say the findings must now be taken into consideration by authorities and fishing communities, and is especially important where potting is occurring within Marine Protection Areas.
Crustacean fisheries are a valuable component of the UK fishing industry and are particularly important to coastal communities, with 1,342 vessels fishing with pots and traps in 2016 and the majority of them measuring under 10m and operating in inshore waters.
In 2017, total shellfish landings accounted for 38% of all those by UK vessels, with 34,100 tonnes of crab and lobster, worth almost £100million, landed in the UK.
Dr Sarah Gall, lecturer in marine conservation at the University of Plymouth, led the research as part of her PhD studies. She said: “This is the first study to quantify the true footprint of potting. Despite finding that areas fished with pots were characterised by species indicative of a healthy reef system, we have not seen the greater abundance, species richness and diversity we might have expected.
“The footage we obtained shows that 25-30% of seabed species were either damaged or dislodged by potting and we have also highlighted particular concerns about some long-lived and slow-growing species. The future management of pot fisheries will need to address these findings on a site by site basis to ensure the long term health of our rocky reef systems and the sustainability of the potting industry.”
The study was carried out in partnership with fishermen operating in the Inshore Potting Agreement area, which stretches along the South Devon coastline.