Bottom trawling: Lyme Bay 'still recovering'
Part of the seabed off the Jurassic Coast is "still recovering" from the effects of bottom trawling 17 years after it was banned there, marine researchers have said.A consultation is being held on government proposals to extend the ban on the practice of dragging large nets along the seafloor.Some fishing organisations have criticised the plans and questioned the environmental impact of bottom trawling.Dr Emma Sheehan, associate professor of marine ecology at Plymouth University said, ending bottom trawling when Lyme Bay, off the Dorset and Devon coast, became a Marine Protected Area in 2008 has made a "positive change".
The government proposal would expand the ban on bottom trawling from 18,000km2 to 48,000km2 (about 18,500 sq miles) of the UK's offshore areas that are already designated as protected. A UN Ocean Conference is taking place in France amid warnings from Sir David Attenborough that bottom trawling is destroying areas of the seabed and marine life.Researchers have studied the impact of ending bottom trawling in Lyme Bay since the introduction of the MPA.
Scallops and conger eels
Dr Sheehan said large areas of the bay had already been "heavily degraded" by 2008."[MPAs] tried to prevent the most destructive fishing methods so the seabed habitats that are so important for conservation and fisheries can be protected," she continued.Dr Sheehan said species including scallops, conga eel and black sea bream and appeared to have benefited from the ban."We keep seeing positive change, year on year. "We still haven't go a plateau in the recovery. We're nowhere near there - it's still recovering, year on year."The government's plan would see similar protections extended to 41 of England's 181 MPAs."It needs to happen - I'm in full support of this and it will have huge positive benefits for our marine environment," Dr Sheehan said.The UK's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has opposed the move to ban bottom trawling.Chief executive Mike Cohen previously said: "Trawling does not damage most of the seabed. "Trawls penetrate the sediment very little, if at all, in most areas and trawling has been carried out for well over 100 years," he said.A 12-week consultation will run until 1 September and will seek the views of the marine and fishing industry.
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Tory MP accused of asking for client's help with parliamentary questions
A former Tory minister allegedly asked for help in writing parliamentary questions from a company that paid him £60,000 a year. George Freeman canvassed the director of GHGSat, a green technology firm, on 'what to ask' Labour ministers about, according to leaked emails. On Saturday night, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, was facing pressure to strip the whip from the Conservative MP, who has referred himself to the Commons watchdog. Mr Freeman, who served as a science minister under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, said: 'I don't believe I have done anything wrong.' The Times obtained emails that were sent between him and a director at the firm, which hired him as a paid adviser last year. In the exchanges, the MP reportedly raised 'what to ask about' when he submitted written questions related to the sector in which the firm works. In one, he asked whether the business could help him 'get the wording right', which he could 'convert into parliamentary language'. The Times reported that some of the written questions he then submitted used the same phrases that had been suggested by the company. Commissioner to investigate Mr Freeman started working for the firm, which uses satellites and aircraft to help businesses monitor their emissions, last April. But a spokesman for GHGSat confirmed that he no longer worked for it, telling The Times: 'GHGSat retained George Freeman MP for a brief period to help GHGSat understand and navigate the geopolitical environment in the UK and Europe. 'GHGSat signed a services agreement with Mr Freeman that did not include any lobbying activities and was concluded on the basis of the terms laid out by the advisory committee on business appointments. GHGSat takes all applicable laws and regulations concerning lobbying extremely seriously.' As well as his role as a constituency MP, Mr Freeman also sits on the Commons committee on Science, Innovation and Technology. He has referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, who will investigate whether there was a breach of the rules. Labour and the Liberal Democrats called on Mrs Badenoch to remove the Tory whip from him whilst the investigation was carried out. A Labour spokesman said: 'George Freeman has referred himself for investigation, so now Kemi Badenoch must suspend him from the Tory whip.' Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said: 'This looks like the same old sleaze and scandal people have come to expect from the Conservative Party. 'Kemi Badenoch should immediately suspend the whip from George Freeman while this is investigated. Failure to act would confirm that, even after being booted out of government, the Conservatives are still hopelessly out of touch.' A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'George Freeman MP has referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. It would be inappropriate for the Conservative Party to comment further whilst the Commissioner's inquiries are ongoing.' 'Very concerned' over leaking of emails Mr Freeman was elected to his Mid Norfolk constituency in 2010. Were he found to have broken the rules, he could ultimately be suspended from Parliament. If an independent panel handed down a suspension of more than 10 days, that would trigger a recall petition for a by-election in the seat. In a statement, Mr Freeman said he was 'very concerned' at the leaking of his private emails, which he had referred to the police. He said: 'As a long-standing advocate of important new technologies, companies and industries, working cross-party through APPGs and the select committee, I regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology, and deeply respect and try to assiduously follow the code of conduct for MPs and the need to act always in the public interest. 'Throughout my 15 years in Parliament and government, I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism. 'I don't believe I have done anything wrong, but I am immediately referring myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and will accept his judgement in due course. I am very concerned at the unauthorised and targeted access to my emails and diary, which I have raised with the police and Parliamentary authorities.' The revelations will reignite the debate around MPs' second jobs and whether they leave them open to potential conflicts of interest.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Taxpayer cash spent on studying whiteness and helping women called ‘witches'
TAXPAYERS' cash is being blown on studying whiteness in South America and helping women called 'witches' to sing, a dossier reveals. An investigation found £16.5 million is being spent on 21 'woke' research projects at UK unis. They include almost £85k on a Newcastle University project called 'Combating Witchcraft-Related Violence through Song'. It looks at how singing helps elderly women in South Africa abused for being a 'witch' due to their ageing features. Over £1million has been earmarked for a University of Nottingham project 'decolonising' photos from British Malaya. A further £246k has been put aside for Sheffield University to develop a city tour app exploring 'whiteness' in statues and monuments in Chile. Nearly £783k is being spent by Queen Mary University of London on a scheme looking at 'Military Decarbonisation'. And £379k is going towards a Birkbeck College programme on children's crafting in West Africa. Cash was handed out by quango UK Research and Innovation. They were uncovered by founder of Doge UK Charlotte Gill, who said taxpayers will be 'fuming' to see where their cash goes. She said: 'Unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg, with thousands of similar taxpayer-funded grants being awarded under the UKRI - never mind the vast sums spent on the rest of the public sector.' A UKRI spokesperson said: 'International research collaboration is vital to help us tackle global challenges in a complex and interconnected world, improving security and prosperity in the UK and internationally. "Projects are prioritised for funding through independent expert peer review, as set out in the Higher Education and Research Act.'
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
South West police adopt early warning kit for dangerous drugs
Police across the South West have started to use technology that acts as an early warning system for dangerous and Cornwall Police worked with a team of chemists to develop the handheld devices which detect dangerous synthetic drugs in real time and can save help save force's drug expert Nick Burnett and his team worked with Team Harm Reduction, a group of scientists from across the UK and beyond, on the team was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Science Horizon Prize for its work. The scientists said the portable devices identify lethal synthetic substances within seconds, enabling police and prison officers to warn vulnerable drug users immediately about potentially fatal team said the technology had also proven critical in detecting synthetic drugs hidden in e-cigarettes and vapes which are putting young people in particular at Harm Reduction is a multi-institutional team spanning Bath, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester Metropolitan universities, Devon and Cornwall Police and international Supt Sheon Sturland of Devon and Cornwall Police said he was "extremely proud" of the force's drug team regarding its work on the said: "Devon and Cornwall Police is at the forefront of using this technology to give timely warnings of dangerous synthetic drug contaminates in circulation, and alongside our work to stop the flow of drugs into our region."It is invaluable in safeguarding vulnerable people." 'Building bridges' The force has also started using the devices to test for cannabinoids in vapes, commonly known as Spice, he Burnett said: "From a law enforcement side, having this technology has allowed us to work collaboratively with our drug treatment service and drug users to test drugs. "It has allowed us to build bridges so that we are not thinking just about prosecution, but also keeping the user demographic safe and preventing avoidable drug-related deaths."This year more than 60 individuals and teams from across the chemical sciences were awarded Horizon Prizes for a variety of scientific discoveries and innovations over the past 12 months.
