Lyme bay survey

[Paul J]

Below is a request for help ref the Lyme Bay Closures the survey runs to the end of the month:

 

Dear Sea Angler

 

You may be aware that on the 11 July last year, the UK government closed sixty square miles of Lyme Bay to boats using scallop dredges and heavy demersal trawls in order to provide protection against damage to marine ecosystems incurred as a result of towed benthic gear. The area, however, remains open to sea anglers, scuba divers, fishers using pots and nets and other recreational users.

 

Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), University of Plymouth and Marine Biological Association of the UK have since been awarded a contract by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to monitor, over the next three years, the economic, social and ecological impacts of the 60 square nautical mile closed area. PML will specifically assess the impact of the closure from economic and social perspectives. As part of our remit we will aim to interview all relevant stakeholders to build an accurate picture of the socio-economic implications of the closure to them.

 

 

We have therefore developed a questionnaire (available at http://web.pml.ac.uk/lymebay/ ) to collect views from sea anglers. This questionnaire applies if you have been sea or shore angling at any location in Lyme Bay (including sites near Portland, Start Point, Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Exmouth, Lyme Regis etc). We would appreciate it if you could fill in the online questionnaire so we can take your views into account. Alternatively if you would like to arrange a telephone interview please give me a call on the number listed below. If you have club members who would be interested in participating in this research please could you forward this e-mail onto members of your club. The questionnaire will remain available until the end of the month.

 

Many thanks,

 

Sian Rees

 

 

 

A521

 

Portland Square

 

University of Plymouth

 

Drake Circus

 

Plymouth

 

PL4 8AA

 

 

 

Tel 00 44 (0) 1752 584732