Voluntary Fisheries Management in Lyme Bay

A voluntary code of conduct was forged between local fishermen and the Blue Marine Foundation in Lyme Bay to replenish fish stocks and allow important habitats to recover after the seabed was damaged from towed fishing gear and stocks were depleted following a mobile gear ban, which lead to overfishing with static gear.

The Fishery

  • Lyme Bay is characterised by vessels under 10m long, with the exception of two vessels.
  • The majority of boats use pots and traps targeting lobster, crab, whelks and cuttlefish.
  • Seasonal use of set nets takes place within and outside the MPA to catch plaice, sole, rays, monkfish and black bream. Many species caught in the area attract both recreational sea anglers and commercial fishermen.
  • It is also home to important reef habitats that support a number of rare and threatened marine species.

The Issue

  • Traditionally, fishermen used pots, traps, set nets, seine nets and handlines to catch fish in Lyme Bay.
  • When bottom-towed gears were introduced the marine life and habitat started to be damaged, this created spatial and gear conflicts between mobile gear (primarily scallop dredgers) and static gear (lobster and crab pots).
  • In 2008 a Statutory Instrument (SI) was implemented, banning bottom-towed fishing gear from 60 nautical mile area (increased to 90 square miles in 2010).  This created a ‘de facto’ MPA to allow benthic habitats to recover (rocky reefs, stony reefs, rare corals and sea fans).
  • However, following the removal of mobile gear, there was a large increase in the use of static gear (pots and nets) within the closed area, which led to overfishing of some stocks.

The Solution

  • Following the establishment of the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve, a group was set up in 2011 with an MOU to develop and implement best practise in fisheries and conservation management.
  • As a combined result of the ban on mobile gear and the collaborative approach, there has been a four-fold increase in the number of reef species since 2008; a doubling of scallop landings, a quadrupling of juvenile lobsters and a two and a half times increase in landings of brown crabs.
  • From implementing voluntary iVMS, the evidence gathered on the ecological health of the Reserve has proved invaluable to both regulators and fishers and helped make more informed management decisions.
  • Robust fishing data helps fishermen to argue their corner when there is disagreement about management measures. The overall result is better decision-making, buy-in from fishers and local stakeholders and an established forum for discussion and debate.

The Process

  • Blue Marine Foundation and the local fishermen developed a Lyme Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Voluntary Code of Conduct within the Lyme Bay and Torbay SAC.
  • An initial MOU was signed by all parties involved, including local fishermen, conservation agencies, scientists, IFCAs and MMO representatives to promote and implement best practice in fishery and conservation management.
  • The voluntary code committed fishermen to engage with managers and scientists to improve knowledge and understanding of fisheries and wildlife and to respect experimental monitoring areas within the Reserve.
  • The first voluntary measures were put in place limiting the size of nets and number of crab and whelk pots. Fishermen who complied with the code were allowed to sell their catch for a premium via the Reserve Label.
  • Succorfish SC2 iVMS was installed on board vessels on a voluntary basis to monitor compliance and fishing activity within the bay and sensitive habitat areas.
  • This allowed the fishermen and Blue Marine Foundation to build an accurate picture of who is catching what and where to protect habitats and improve fish stocks.
  • The iVMS was initially rolled out as a 12 month trial in Lyme Bay, where fishermen signed a formal agreement with the MMO to test the system and not use their demersal towed fishing in the specified sensitive areas within the Lyme Bay and Torbay SAC. This was jointly run with the Southern IFCA and Devon & Severn IFCA.
  • A black box was been fitted to 50 vessels. A tag fitted to each line has a unique identification number, which is linked to gear and fishermen. As each pot is brought aboard, it triggers an automatic reader. A tag attached to each line registers which pots have been lifted and the exact position they were fishing.
  • The voluntary measure of banning bottom-towed gear expanded into an SI closure from Defra. The Southern IFCA and Devon and Severn IFCA continued to issue byelaws to conserve the reef and associated reef species.
  • A study reported that the fishermen involved have also expressed increased wellbeing and profitability. This model of sustainable coastal fisheries management is being explored in other parts of the UK and abroad, through knowledge and skills exchange.

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“The great value to us has been in the collaboration between fishermen, the Blue Marine Foundation scientists and the powers-that-be, all meeting together in one room and getting to the root of the problems we’ve had.”

Jim Newton, fisherman and Chairman of the East Devon Fisherman’s Association

“I am lucky that I was involved in forming the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve, and I am very proud of having helped to forge the links between fishermen, conservationists, regulators and scientists in order to maintain a healthy and sustainable marine reserve within Lyme Bay – one that will benefit fishermen and conservationists. 

David Sales, retired fisherman

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