Marine Life Bounces Back After Fishing Ban

Five years ago, the waters off the eastern coast of Lundy Island became the United Kingdom's only "no-take" zone, where fishing is completely prohibited. Set up by Natural England and the Devon Sea Fisheries Committee in concert with local fishermen, the ban has allowed the area's marine life to recover from years of overfishing. Lobsters, for example, are now seven times more populous within the protected zone than outside.

Scientists are tagging lobsters within the no-take zone, and asking fishermen to alert them when they catch one to show migration patterns out of the area. Conservationists see a win-win situation for lobsters and fishermen: Having a protected zone where females can reproduce undisturbed will lead to larger lobster catches outside of the zone. The absence of fishing in this area also allows sponges, coral and other marine species to thrive.

GET INFORMED

• Read "Fishing Ban Brings Seas to Life" (Scientific American, July 16, 2008)
• Learn more about overfishing at Overfishing.com
  

GET INVOLVED

• Sign the Pew Environment Group petition urging the US National Marine Fisheries Service to stop overfishing
• Download the Environmental Defense Fund's "Pocket Eco-Friendly Fish Selector"
  

photo courtesy asbjorn.hansen, Creative Commons