Is there early evidence of the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone providing scallop fishery benefits?

Abstract:
Despite the implementation of several precautionary management measures in Scotland, evidence suggests that scallop fisheries based in the Firth of Clyde may not reach long-term sustainability. It is argued that only the establishment of No take Zones (NTZs) can restore the age structure and spawning biomass of scallop stocks.

The aim of this study was therefore to look for early evidence of the Lamlash Bay NTZ providing scallop fishery benefits by testing for differences in the density, body size, age structure and biomass of Pecten maximus and Aequipecten opercularis between sites located in and outside the NTZ. This was achieved by conducting a combination of diver surveys and scallop dissections.

The results revealed that the density of adult scallops did not differ between the two treatments despite their age, size and biomass being significantly greater within the NTZ. The abundance of juvenile scallops was, however, found to be greater within the NTZ. This difference was identified by multivariate analyses based upon neural networks to be related to the greater abundance of macroalgae inside the NTZ, which appeared to positively encourage spat settlement, and the protection afforded by the NTZ. It was concluded that Lamlash Bay NTZ does seem to be providing early scallop fishery benefits, but due to the short period since its establishment, any substantial improvements in scallop stocks will be more likely to be detected by future monitoring.

Leigh Michael Howarth York University Download full report

Leigh's report also formed the basis of paper which was published in Marine Biology:  Howarth et al (2011) Complex habitat boosts scallop recruitment in a fully protected marine reserve. (Mar Biol DOI 10.1007/s00227-011-1690-y) Read