Researchers and fishermen working in the Lyme Bay Marine Protected Area have demonstrated for the first time, negative effects of pot fishing on both the benthic epibiota and the fishery, and that this effect is dependent on pot density. After 4 years, lower numbers of some key Reef Builders were observed in units subjected to a higher density of pots. This high fishing effort also led to a reduction in the quality and quantity of commercially targeted species. They determined that a pot fishing intensity ‘threshold’ exists and therefore that commercial pot fisheries can be compatible with management plans inside MPAs when maintained at low, sustainable levels often observed by small-scale inshore fishers. The evidence presented in the paper demonstrates a significant step towards informing and developing well-managed pot fisheries inside partially protected MPAs, underpinned by an ecosystem approach to management.

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