Selsey lobster fishermen fit escape hatches SUSSEX fishermen are spearheading a new initiative to conserve valuable shellfish stocks by installing hatches on their lobster pots to enable under-sized animals to escape. The Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee, working closely with the Selsey Fishermen’s Organisation, has received funding from industry body Seafish to provide innovative lobster escape hatches to the Selsey fleet. Studies have shown that conventional pots catch a high proportion of lobsters under the minimum legal size, necessitating their return to the sea. However, there is evidence that this entrapment and subsequent release by fishermen can result in some damage and mortality to lobsters. The provision of escape hatches into the pots has been shown to reduce this problem by allowing them to escape by their own accord. There is the added benefit of reducing the amount of time it takes fishermen to clear their pots. The escape hatch is a simple device comprising a rectangular plastic square that is laced into the side netting of the pot to create a gap for the under-sized lobster to crawl out. This new conservation initiative has been introduced on a voluntary basis by Selsey fishermen, with full participation by all 14 vessels based at the West Sussex port. The fleet also fishes for crab and whelks. Anticipating a possible future increase in the minimum legal landing size of lobster, the hatches have been manufactured so that they can easily be altered to a larger size should the need arise. The ‘Technology and Innovation Primers’ grant from Seafish that has enabled this conservation scheme to get underway was set up to provide funding to the fishing industry for the development of innovative techniques and technology. Robert Clark of the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee said: “This grant means that the committee and Selsey fishermen can work together to introduce a conservation measure that will bring real benefits to the fishery.”
For a detailed scientific report on the value of the use of lobster escape hatches click here |
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