New bylaw bans scallop dredging

Posted By Sara-Lise Haith on Monday Mar 24, 2008 @ 09:36 in FreeDiving

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DEFRA and Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee are introducing in a bylaw banning scallop dredging in the Falmouth and Helford Special Area of Conservation (UK) in order to protect the maerl beds and other sensitive benthic habitats.

The Cornwall County Council has the following link which publishes the new laws and also information on scallop management and trawling methods.  There has been a rumour of protest within the diving community as the laws would mean that all the scallop beds in Cornwall would be unaccessible to divers/spearfishers.

There is a consultation on draft order for measures to protect Fal and Helford Special area of Conservation (SAC) from the impacts of fishing with scallop dredges and other bottomtrawls. It covers possible impacts of measures.  To read this consultation use this link.  Local freedivers and spearfisher have suggested to the public that they join forces in supporting the dredging ban, but objecting to a blanket ban on the take of scallops.

A contact email has been provided for Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee, who will be discussing the scallop ban at their next meeting is Enquiries.seafisheries@cornwall.gov.uk