Assessment of recreational and commercial collection of organisms

Project leader

Dr Clare Fitzsimmons

Dates

January 2013 - December 2014

Project staff

Dr Catherine Scott (Natural England)

Sponsors

Natural England

Partners

NIFCA

NEIFCA

Description

There has been little or no recent assessment of the level of the collection of organisms. That is across the various EMS sites in the Northern North Sea region.

But the amount of biomass removed over the whole area of various EMSs is significant.

Organism collection impacts habitats. It affects other components of the ecosystem such as bird assemblage feeding within designated sites.

Examples include:

• Budle Bay in the Berwickshire
• North Northumberland Coast
• BNNC

Research has generally focused on a few specific areas of known, high levels of organism collection (e.g. Fenham Flats at Lindisfarne).

This work provides a broader, timely assessment of the impact of organisam collection activities in EMS sites. It includes potential coastal MCZs in the Northern North Sea area.

The project investigates the importance of zoned areas in achieving sustainability. Zoned areas do not allow organism collection/managed organism collection.

This work aims to inform the development of management plans and bylaws.

These plans and bylaws regard the collection of organisms in the following areas:

• Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast (BNNC)
• Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast (TCC)
• Humber Estuary European Marine site (EMS)

Administered by a combination of the following:

• Regional IFCAS (Northumberland and North Eastern) and County Council authorities within 0-6nm
• The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in EMSs (and MCZs) within 0-12nm