LIVING SEAS T


he fishery for prawns in the Irish Sea developed from a few tonnes in the early 1950s to over 15,000 tonnes in 2017 (worth


over £45m), making it one of the most valuable fisheries in the Irish Sea. The increasing importance of this fishery coincided with 80–90% declines in landings of cod, whiting and sole over the same time period due to over-exploitation. Trawling for prawns in the Irish


Sea has had a devastating impact on sensitive mud habitats and the marine life that lives there: leaving visible scars on the seabed; removing the top layer of the seabed; causing significant declines in the abundance and distribution of fragile marine creatures like sea pens and urchins; exacerbating the over- exploitation of other species which are caught as bycatch; and causing some fish to become ‘skinnier’ by reducing the quality of their prey and foraging areas. By working with local fishermen and


the Government’s nature conservation advisors – Natural England – we have been trialling the use of creels to catch prawns within the West of Walney Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ). Creels, much like lobster pots, are


atached together in strings and weighted to the seabed. They remain in place and have limited impact on the seabed compared to trawls which


“It’s been a very interesting project. I believe that this could be a sustainable fishery and hope to pursue it in the future.” Andy Bell, fisherman from Barrow


are dragged for miles over the seabed. Nephrops are atracted into the creels using bait and then, when the creels are recovered by the fishermen, any prawns that are too small or ‘berried’ can be returned to the sea alive, along with any bycatch.


The West of Walney MCZ is located


on the edge of one of the major prawn fishing grounds in the Irish Sea and, unusually, it is also co-located with five offshore windfarms. It was created in 2016 and, aſter three years of pushing for active management to protect the site, a byelaw finally came into force in July 2019 to prohibit botom trawling from a large majority of the site. This will allow the site’s special marine life and habitats to recover. Whilst it might sound


counterintuitive to use an MCZ as a trial site, there is actually good reason for it. Before the ban on trawling came into force, we were able to conduct creel surveys within the windfarm area where access for trawlers is limited, preventing the creels from inadvertently suffering trawl damage. Secondly, if the trial site could be scaled


up to a sustainable fishery within the MCZ, it would reduce the potential socio-economic impacts caused by restricting trawling. The development of a novel sustainable fishery could also benefit local fishermen by allowing them to diversify their business to target a wider range of species using low-impact methods. In addition, it opens a door for static fisheries (i.e. poting and creeling) in locations that may be inaccessible to trawlers, such as around developments or within marine protected areas, either now or in the future. Creeling for prawns is highly


DUBLIN BAY PRAWN (Nephrops Norvegicus)


n Also known as Norwegian lobster, langoustine or scampi.


n Live in deep, fine muddy habitats.


n Construct complex burrows in the mud.


n Only leave their burrows to feed and mate.


n Are opportunistic predators and scavengers.


n Females are 3 years old before reproducing.


n Mate in early summer, spawn in September, and carry eggs under their tails (described as being ‘berried’) until the following spring.


n Larvae develop in the plankton before setling to the seabed 6–8 weeks later.


successful in sheltered inshore waters and the lochs around Scotland. However, it is novel and more challenging off the coast of Cumbria, especially in offshore, more wave- exposed sites such as the West of Walney MCZ. Despite this, creeling for prawns typically results in a lower- quantity but higher-value product by catching larger, good-quality prawns with sustainable methods that can command a higher price. During our surveys this summer, we


have demonstrated that a good catch of large, high-quality prawns can be fished using creels in offshore areas such as the West of Walney MCZ, although weather conditions were challenging at times. We have also observed a variety of other species, from angular crabs to pipefish and juvenile whiting, that will be allowed to thrive now that trawling has been prohibited. Our next step will be to determine


whether the muddy habitats off the west coast of Cumbria could support a financially viable creel fishery for local fishermen. There are clear socio- economic and environmental benefits to promoting the use of low-intensity, low- impact sustainable fisheries, allowing important marine life to recover, both inside and outside protected areas, but also helping local fishermen to have a sustainable future.


Cumbrian Wildlife | September 2019


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