Mike Fennell The Politics Show South West

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Coral reef eroded by scallop dredgers?

Britain's wildlife and their habitats have never been so well protected - on land, that is. Beyond the coastline, it is a very different story.

Our marine species and fauna have never been at such risk.

The problem is how to protect them and, at the same time, look after the competing interests of other sea users - the fishermen, the leisure industry, the ports.

The Government is looking at a radical new management plan, a Marine Bill, which would tidy up the current mish-mash of regulations and bring them up to date.

Coral reef at risk?

Bridging the gap however at Lyme Bay in Dorset will not be easy.

Here the crew of the Katrina are in business to find scallops, gourmet fare for some but it's their meal ticket. But at what price to the environment?

Beneath the waves in Lyme Bay is a reef which is home to three hundred species of coral, some of them very rare.

Environmentalists say the reef is being eroded by the rakes of the scallop dredgers.

Five years ago the fishermen volunteered to stay away from the reef and the coral showed signs of recovery but the agreement's broken down and English Nature are now demanding a total ban on scalloping from Beer Head to Bridport.

Trawlermen angry

Skipper Nick Prust is angry: "This is completely over the top. We don't want to see the demise of the corals or the sea fauna, not at all.

"But we want our industry here for our sons and everyone to come along behind us.

But Paul Gompertz, the director of Devon's Wildlife Trust believes there is something even more important at stake than the corals: "They are very spectacular and they are very rare and protecting them would be a bonus.

"But what we are talking about is protecting some of the last remaining vestiges out in Lyme Bay of wild sea bed, if you like the equivalent of unspoilt wilderness."

Unprotected sea?

Nine per cent of land in Devon including the chalk cliffs at Beer Head is covered by Sites of Special Scientific Interest legislation to protect the wildlife.

But at sea there is only one protected zone in the whole of the UK - an area off the east coast of Lundy Island.

There has been no fishing there for three and half years.

That is too early to determine the impact on its rare corals and sponges.

But to the delight of Paul Davis, a maritime conservation officer with English Nature, the shellfish population, including lobsters and scallops, is recovering: "It's very significant.

"It proves these closed areas can work to protect bio-diversity in the UK and what this shows and helps us to understand is that we should be introducing now a network of marine protected areas to protect all the different habitats and species around our coast."

Marine Bill content

For many of the environmental groups a conference in London was the last chance to discuss what should go into the Marine Bill.

For many, Marine Protected Areas are high on their agenda.

Joan Edwards of the Wildlife Trust welcomed the bill as a first step: "Hopefully the legislation we will give us some sort of marine planning process within the sea.

"... But more importantly some protection for our wildlife because you have to realise only 0.001% of the sea bed is highly protected.

Chief Executive of the Southwest Fish Producers Association, Jim Portus, also backed the bill, but with reservations: "I don't think we need more regulations.

"We perhaps need to coordinate them to ensure that everybody's interests are taken into account

"... And that is where the Marine Bill comes in, but just simply to close fisheries for the sake of it, I do not think there is a place for that."

Bridging the gap when commercial and conservation interests collide is going to be a huge problem, but then, turning the tide, has never been easy.

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