Latest publication with results from research carried out over the last 11 years in Lyme Bay since its designation as a Marine Protected Area. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of excluding using bottom-towed fishing across the MPA while still allowing static gear, rod and line and diving fishing methods.

• Overall, the number of taxa significantly increased in the MPA relative to the open controls while total abundance increased in both treatments.
• Exploited fish showed increases in number of taxa (430%) and total abundance (370%) inside the MPA over 11 years.
• Likewise, but to a lesser degree in the open controls, number of taxa of commercially Exploited fish increased over time, potentially showing ‘spillover’ effects from the MPA.
• Non-Exploited fish did not show such changes. Regardless of constituting the majority of the fishery value, highly valuable Exploited invertebrates showed no significant changes over time.

The authors conclude that the results show the importance of protecting a whole site, with its mosaic of different benthic habitats which, through the protection of sessile organisms that contribute to essential fish habitat.  Click here