Fishing (incl. shellfisheries)
This category covers the following activities: anchored nets/lines, electrofishing, traps, pelagic fishing (or fishing activities that do not interact with sea bed), hydraulic dredges, dredges, demersal trawl, demersal seines, diving and sea angling.
Southern IFCA
Following the assessment of fisheries activities and their potential impacts on protected habitats and species, Southern IFCA have introduced local legislation, in the form of byelaws, to ensure habitats and species are protected from any damage or deterioration. There are already a number of pieces of existing legislation which afford some layer of protection to a number of MPA features. They have also produced a summary of the current management, designed to protect MPAs from potentially damaging fishing activities, which is outlined for each site in the Marine Protected Area Strategic Management Table.
An example is given below for the management measures in place for the Solent Maritime SAC:
- Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw 2016 – prohibits bottom towed fishing gear, such as trawling and shellfish dredging, from occurring over seagrass habitats and other potential sensitive SAC habitats including saltmarsh and low energy sedimentary areas.
- Solent Dredge Fishing Byelaw 2016 – prohibits shellfish dredging from occurring in three defined management areas (Southampton Water, Portsmouth Harbour and Langstone Harbour) during certain times of the year to allow the recovery of affected animal communities, to maintain the structure of disturbed sedimentary habitats and protect the shellfish breeding season.
- Oyster Close Season byelaw – prohibits any person fishing for oysters during certain times of the year and is the same as the Solent Dredge Fishing Byelaw 2016 to ensure consistency between the two byelaws.
- The Solent European Marine Site (Prohibition of Method of Dredging) Order 2004 – this is national legislation introduced by the UK government which prohibits the use of certain shellfish dredge types being used in the Solent European Marine Site (Solent Maritime SAC, Solent and Southampton Water SPA, Portsmouth Harbour SPA and Chichester and Langstone Harbours SPA). The order was originally created to protect seagrass habitats, but also restricts the type of shellfish dredges which can be used in other protected habitats, including intertidal areas.
- Prohibition of Gathering (Sea Fisheries Resources) in Seagrass Beds byelaw - prohibits any person from digging for, fishing for or taking any sea fisheries resources (such as clams or cockles) from defined areas in which seagrass habitats are known to occur. It also prevents people from carrying tools, such as rakes, spades or forks, which may be used for hand gathering, in these areas.
Southern IFCA's European Marine Site Habitats Regulations Assessments are also available to view for the SEMS sites.
Sussex IFCA
Five EMS are partly or fully encompassed within the Sussex IFCA district including the Solent Maritime SAC and Chichester and Langstone Harbours SPA.
Resources
- Southern IFCA MPA information
- Sussex IFCA MPA information
- Fisheries MPA Management Roles & Responsibilities
- MMO revised approach to the management of commerical fisheries in European Marine Sites
- Sea Angling Diary project
- Defra Fisheries Management information
- Sussex IFCA -'Recreational Sea Angling (RSA) Information on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)'.
- Chichester Harbour Oyster Partnership Initiative: CHOPI