Voluntary Fisheries Management in Lyme Bay

The Fishery

Characterised by small-scale fishing vessels under 10m long with the exception of two vessels
Majority of boats use pots & 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. Fish species including plaice, bass, pollack and bream attract both recreational sea anglers and commercial fishers
Lyme Bay is an abundant fishing ground with a diverse seabed and strong tides, the change of seasons have made it a prime inshore fishing ground year round for centuries.
It is home to important reef habitats that support a number of rare and threatened marine species.

Traditionally, fishermen used pots, traps, set nets, seine nets and hand lines to catch fish in Lyme bay
When towed bottom gears were introduced, this created spatial and gear conflicts between mobile gear (primarily scallop dredgers) and static gear (lobsters and crab pots) which incurred damage to the marine life and habitat.
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), creating a de facto Marine Protected Area to allow benthic habitats to recover (rocky reefs, stony reefs, rare corals and sea fans) from damage sustained from fishing with mobile gear
However, the removal of mobile gear resulted in a large increase in the use of static gear (pots and nets) within the closed area, which led to overfishing of some stocks.

Following the establishment of the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve, a group was set up in 2011 with a memorandum of understanding to develop and implement best practise in fisheries and conservation management
The code of conduct included voluntary measures including the fitting of iVMS (real-time monitoring) systems and limits on the volume of fishing gear deployed by vessels within the Lyme Bay
As a combined result of the ban on mobile gear and the collaborative approach introduced by BLUE, 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 (250%) in landings of brown crabs

Blue Marine Foundation and the local fishers developed a Lyme Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Voluntary Code of Conduct within the Lyme Bay and Torbay Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
An initial Memorandum of Understanding (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 protection of the reef habitat from bottom towed gear was primarily a voluntary management measure and expanded into a Statutory Instrument (SI closure) from Defra, covering 90 square miles
The Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (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