page_title: Bridgwater Bay
section_title: Fishing
hierarchical_section_title: Bridgwater Bay / Fishing
caption_attribution_description: English: Flatner Turf Boat on display at the Watchet Boat Museum
context_page_description: Bridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It stretches from Minehead at the southwestern end of the bay to Brean Down in the north. The area consists of large areas of mudflats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering an area of 3,574.1 hectares since 1989, and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
  Several rivers, including the Parrett, Brue and Washford, drain into the bay. Man-made drainage ditches from the Somerset Levels, including the River Huntspill, also run into the bay. The mud flats provide a habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. These include some nationally rare plants, beetles and snails. It is particularly important for over-wintering waders and wildfowl, with approximately 190 species recorded including Eurasian whimbrel, black-tailed godwit, dunlin and wigeon.
context_section_description: The intertidal mud flats of the bay have a long history of use for fishing, with structures on Stert Flats being dated by dendrochronological analysis to between 932 and 966. It is the last site in England used for 'mudhorse fishing' in which a wooden sledge is propelled across the mudflats to collect fish from nets. Catches include: Thinlip mullet, plaice, dogfish, cuttlefish, skate, shrimp, prawns, sea bass, and sole. Watchet Boat Museum displays the unusual local flatner boats which were used for fishing in the bay, along with associated artefacts.
caption: Flatner in the Watchet Boat Museum.
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