2024 September - ongoing University of Plymouth (UoP) Isles of Scilly Trawling Impact BACI Survey

A new byelaw is expected to be passed which will close 43% of the Isles of Scilly district to bottom-towed fishing gear. The byelaw will allow permits to be distributed to up to six fishing vessels to use otter trawl and scallop dredge. The grounds around Scilly have not been trawled for over a decade, however there is now renewed interest to fish the water around Scilly. This creates a unique opportunity to conduct a Before-After-Control-Impact study on the impacts of bottom-towed fishing gear. This data set comprises of marine epibenthos quantified in 2024 September at sites to the east of the Isles of Scilly. At each site 3x45 minute BRUV video and 2X100m TUV transects were completed. This survey was carried out to establish a baseline against which changes to habitat complexity and biodiversity of associated communities can be quantified following resumption of trawling. This survey was also replicated at sites which will fall under the byelaw extension, which will act as reference sites.