Scallop divers have condemned plans to ban them from working in parts of Cornwall, denying claims that their methods cause serious damage to the marine environment.
Scallop divers have condemned plans to ban them from working in parts of Cornwall, denying claims that their methods cause serious damage to the marine environment.
Proposals by Cornwall Sea Fisheries to ban scallop divers follows an outright ban on dredging in a 35 sq km exclusion zone within Falmouth Bay last year.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it closed parts of the bay to scallop dredging in October in a bid to protect the environment. Scallop dredging is considered to be one of the most damaging fishing practices in the world.
However, Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee members later voted to introduce a bylaw to prevent the removal of scallops by any method from the Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in order to establish an experimental Marine Protected Area (MPA). If agreed by Defra, the bylaw would apply to the taking of scallops for recreational and commercial purposes and make it punishable by fines of up to £5,000.
Divers hand-picking scallops is considered to be a sustainable fishing practice by marine conservationists, who say dredging causes untold damage to reefs.
Dave Thomason, a director of the Cornwall Scallop Company and representative of the British Spearfishing Association, said there was no good reason why sustainable fishing should be stopped in the area.
'We are going to be objecting to this in the consultation phase,' Thomason told DIVE. 'It is ridiculous to say divers can cause serious damage by scallop diving. The damage proven to be done by dredging shows how important it is to encourage more sustainable practices. This will have a big effect on our business and what we do.'
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