After the ban...

[jon_e]

I'm interested to hear the opinions of others on any changes they have noticed to the seabed on dives within the area covered by the recent scallop dredging/bottom trawling ban.

I get the feeling that the fish life on ledges in dredged areas is a lot more relaxed than it was, and it is SUCH a pleasure to go through a bag of 6 or 8 dozen scallops without seeing a cracked or damaged shell, and not seeing large boulders shattered where they have been torn apart -

Anyone else??
_________________
Heaven is a lobster in the bag.... Ecstasy is a leak in someone else's drysuit....

[RichardBB]

I prefer to see the creatures alive..but in response to your post....I was really struck by the number of small scallops I saw when we dived Swyre ledges last week. I think this is outside the dredging ban area but maybe the benefits are wider...

btw one of the benefits of the no take zones has been the replenishing of stocks firstly within the zones and then in the areas next to them. Mate of mine just back from Lundy said he was astonished by the number of lobsters he saw.

[jon_e]

I hope that the numbers of small scallops is a good sign - I certainly recall the area to the west of the Baggy being well covered with small scallops when it was left alone for a couple of years.

I also remember two particular dives there - on the first dive, there were literally thousands of small queen scallops coming up from ridges on the sea bed as I drifted along - a bit like walking through a forests of butterflies....

On the next dive a few months later I found a totally flat barren peneplain... dredged to destruction... and those on the boat above had to put up with my extreme anger and rage when I got back on board!

Hoping the former can be regained in the near future.
_________________
Heaven is a lobster in the bag.... Ecstasy is a leak in someone else's drysuit....

[jon_e]

Yes.. the signs are most encouraging! I spent a couple of dives over the weekend specifically drifting over scallopy areas...
Lots of life and growth starting to emerge on the areas that have been dredged hard. I watched the scallop divers unloading last night and thought how much easier their life will be in a little while!

Now longing for the winter storms to get rid of the lines of stones that mark where the last dredgers went.

Lots of brittle stars, whelks and queen scallops on the areas I explored on Saturday, and the areas by the Baggy are all nicely ridged up 'potato field' style again - long may they stay like it!
_________________
Heaven is a lobster in the bag.... Ecstasy is a leak in someone else's drysuit....