Mud. Fish, fishing and fisheries management in an extreme estuarine environment

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1 Mud. Fish, fishing and fisheries management in an extreme estuarine environment Dr Elizabeth (Libby) Ross Senior Environment Officer Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority Institute of Fisheries Management Annual Conference 2015

2 The Severn Estuary An extreme environment An extremely important environment An extremely misunderstood environment An extremely dynamic environment to fish Extremely difficult challenging fisheries to describe and manage = Seven characteristics of Severn fisheries

3 The Severn Estuary an extreme environment One of the largest coastal plain estuaries in Europe, and the largest in the UK. The Severn has the second largest tidal range in the world Taff, Usk, Wye, Severn, Avon and Parrett as well as numerous smaller water bodies drain into the estuary One of the most dynamic estuary systems in the world Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Gloucester

4 An extremely important environment National, European and International conservation designations SSSI, European Marine Site (SAC and SPA), Ramsar. 73,715ha of European and International conservation designations SAC and SPA contribute around 30% of the total UK Natura 2000 resource for estuaries.

5 An extremely misunderstood environment Thank goodness for salmon and eels! BUT ~80 species of fish recorded at Hinkley Important nursery function bass, cod, lemon sole, sole, plaice very little data on habitat use Cod, bass, herring, sprat, thornback rays, whiting Outer estuary Watchet & Minehead elamsobranchs; blonde & small-eyed rays, juvenile tope, aggregations of smoothhound.

6 An extremely misunderstood environment What do fisheries look like? Not in the Severn!

7 Why are Severn Estuary fisheries different? Not because there aren t any fish! Estuarine fish populations typically less stable than fully marine environment Tidal Range excludes many methods which allow fishing on a commercial scale economically viable Fish diversity limited consumer demand Dynamic estuary environment -dangerous Restrictions due to sensitive species & habitats Perceptions e.g. pollution & heavy metals But fisheries DO exist

8 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 1. Unique methods have evolved Photos: By kind permission, Nigel Phillips, Somerset Wildlife Trust

9 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 2. Great heritage value

10 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 3. Temporally very variable

11 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 4. Small scale

12 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 5. High levels of recreational activity 5% of the population in the South West are sea anglers Total direct spend of 1.23 billion in England in 2012 Directly supports 10,600 jobs Recreational = valuable

13 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 6. Hard to detect

14 Seven Characteristics of Severn Estuary fisheries 7. Part of a much wider system Estuarine habitats are unique in that in addition to being important in their own right, they also provide links between other marine, coastal, freshwater and terrestrial areas..changes within estuaries, therefore will ultimately affect the health of sea fisheries Elliot 2002

15 A challenging environment to manage Further work to map and understand fisheries Bass PhD distribution of nursery areas within the Severn Estuary and distribution and ecology of other life-history stages Ray distribution and ecology, movement between Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel tagging programmes Habitat and fisheries interactions in sensitive habitats Assessment of new Burnham, Berrow and Brean Angling Zone Netting consultation for new permitting byelaw

16 Thank you Thanks to Nigel Phillips, John May and Roy Igglesden for additional photos