Seafish has questioned the need to close the outer Fal and Helford Special Area of Consultation (SAC) to scallop dredging and other towed demersal gear, and has called instead for a restricted scallop fishery and a robust scientific survey of the site.
Seafish has responded to the Defra consultation on measures to protect the Fal and Helford SAC from the impacts of fishing with dredges and other towed gear.
This area, within the Falmouth Bay off the southern Cornish coast, has been designated a SAC for a number of its habitats and features, including sandbanks and maerl bed communities. Scallop dredging has taken place within the area for the past 30 years.
Mark Gray, Seafish environmental advisor, said: “There is not enough evidence to show scallop dredging has caused significant deterioration of habitats and disturbance of species within the Fal and Helford SAC. Rather than considering just one option, namely the closure of the fishery, there is a lot of merit in allowing a very restricted scallop fishery to continue whilst at the same time collecting valuable conservation data. We believe this could be a ‘win-win’ situation.
“This approach would also support the direction in which fisheries governance is going – namely to invite more local participation in environmental management. A local voluntary agreement was in place, which we believe has been adhered to. This closed the SAC to all scallop dredging from January through to October and allowed local vessels to fish for 15 days a month in November and December, in a strictly defined area.
“We support this approach to fishery management and the collapse of such agreements sends out the wrong message to the fishing industry, and could potentially jeopardise future industry engagements in similar voluntary local marine conservation initiatives,” said Mark
