ABPmer reviews fishing impact on seabird MPA features

To provide advice on the impact various fishing activities may have on MPA features, Fisheries Management Guidance documents have already been developed by the JNCC, in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England.

The documents produced to date have predominantly focused on impacts of fishing gears on seabed habitat features as well as several fish species. Prepared in association with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Consulting Ltd, these latest documents will help inform advice on management of seabird features.

Stephen Hull, Technical Director, at ABPmer said “We are delighted to be awarded this work with WWT. Seabirds can be sensitive to a range of pressures caused by fisheries; providing reference material on potential impacts can help inform MPA management options.

Working together we will review fishing gear impacts on seabird species to create short reference documents for key seabird feeding guilds. The final document will follow a similar format to the existing Fisheries Management Guidance Documents that have been produced for other MPA features.”

The work is due to complete in May 2016. The guidance when published will be made available on the JNCC website.