A recent study has revealed a win-win scenario for the Clyde scallop fishery, less than 2 years after the implementation of Scotland’s first No Take Zone. The findings, published jointly by York University and COAST in the journal Marine Biology, show that juvenile scallops were more abundant inside the No Take Zone in areas of healthy seabed habitat  compared to outside the protected area.

“York University’s research in this area is very important and these early results provide encouraging news for the future of the Clyde,” explained COAST director Howard Wood. “But until policy-makers acknowledge the significance of such research, the Clyde will not recover.”

The study was based on intensive surveying of the seabed, with data gathered from 40 dive surveys in Lamlash Bay and surrounding area last year. “The science is quite easy to get your head around. Scallops thrive in healthy habitat that hasn’t been damaged by dredging,” added Mr Wood.

The habitat favoured by juvenile scallops such as seaweed, hydroids and maerl is protected within the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone, as all extractive activities are prohibited. Studies in other marine areas around the world have shown that a healthy scallop population within protected areas will seed and regenerate scallop stocks more widely throughout surrounding coastal waters, providing tangible benefits for commercial fishermen. In the waters around the Isle of Man, the creation of closed areas since 1989 has turned around a struggling scallop fishery into a healthier, more productive marine environment, both supported and self-policed by the fishermen who benefit.

Lead author of the Lamlash Bay study, Leigh Howarth, was heartened by the study and excited about its potential to contribute towards further scientific understanding in the context of Scottish marine management. COAST chairman Howard Wood agreed: “To back up with hard science what seems intuitive to many coastal communities, plays an important part of wider marine management reform.”

However, information passed to COAST suggests that despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, there is still a policy stonewall in place at the gates of Holyrood, which continues to jeopardise the prospects of recovery of the Clyde fishery. Fisheries minister Richard Lochhead has stated that “existing scientific research into the effects of scallop dredging does not currently justify the implementation of legislation to prohibit or further restrict this practice.”

“Sadly, successive Scottish governments have prioritised the short termist economics of dredging the seabed to destruction rather than sensible long-term management for all stakeholders,” said the COAST chairman. ‘It is time the Scottish Government took this study seriously, but perhaps Mr Lochhead fears it will not boost his pre-election popularity in the north-east.”

Notes for editors:

The study 'Complex habitat boosts scallop recruitment in a fully protected marine reserve' is published in Marine Journal. The paper was co-published by York University and COAST. Supervised by Dr Bryce Beukers Stewart, the lead author of the paper is Leigh Howarth.   click link below

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h6tr120207621qx7/Leigh Howarth carried out the research during his MSc degree in the Environment Department at York. Click here for more background information about the study from York University.