Interim advice request Natural England clarification note Natural England 12/11/2015 - Ingrid Chudleigh V2.3 Kent and Essex IFCA 12/01/2016 15/01/2016 - Will Wright, Jane Heywood and Foster V0.3 Natural England and Kent and Essex IFCA 28/06/2016 22/07/2016 - Natural England: Ingrid Chudleigh, Mike Quigley, Mark Duffy and Lucy Abram V0.5 Kent and Essex IFCA, Will Wright 02/09/2016 Margate and Long Site of Community Importance (SCI) MMO Fisheries Assessment 1. Summary Table 1 shows a summary of the outcomes of this assessment of the impact of fishing in this SCI. Matrix Gear Type Part A Outcome Part B Outcome In-combination Assessment Subtidal coarse sediment and Subtidal mixed sediments and Subtidal sand Beam trawl (whitefish) LSE Adverse effect No adverse effect with proposed management Beam trawl (shrimp) Beam trawl (pulse/wing) otter trawl Multi-rig trawls Light otter trawl Pair trawl Mussels, clams, oysters No LSE No adverse effect Pump scoop (cockles, clams) Suction (cockles) Gill nets No LSE No adverse effect Trammel nets Entangling nets Drift nets (demersal) Pots/creels (crustacea/gastropods) 2. Introduction 2: Details of Area Name of site(s) Legal status features
are slightly covered by sea water at all times Activity does not occur at the site* Scottish/fly Dredges (towed) Scallops Static - pots/traps Cuttle pots Fish traps Seine nets and other Beach seines/ring nets Shrimp push-nets Fyke and nets Miscellaneous Bait dragging *Activities either intertidal/inshore, beach seines/ring nets, shrimp push-nets, fyke and stake nets, expert opinion has informed the MMO that activities do not take place. Potential pressures exerted by the activities on the feature For the remaining activities, potential pressures were identified using Natural England’s draft conservation advice package identified in table 5 and associated advice on operations tables. All pressures identified other than those categorised as ‘not relevant’ were included (table 7). Table 7: Potential pressures on the feature Sub-feature Aggregated method Potential pressures Subtidal coarse sediment and Subtidal mixed sediments and Subtidal sand Anchored nets/lines Demersal trawl Dredges Hydraulic dredges Traps Abrasion/disturbance of the substrate on the surface of the seabed Introduction of other substances (solid, liquid or gas) Introduction or spread of non-indigenous species Litter Penetration and/or disturbance of the substrate below the surface of the seabed, including abrasion Removal of non-target species Anchored nets/lines Demersal Dredges Organic enrichment Demersal trawl Dredges Hydraulic dredges Changes in suspended solids (water clarity) Physical change (to another seabed type) Siltation rate changes (High), including smothering of vertical sediment overburden)
below the surface of the seabed, including abrasion seabed and this will be minor and localised Removal of non-target species LSE – nets may catch crustacea or entangle and remove branching epifauna identified as key species at this site LSE – gears are non-selective LSE – Pots may remove Organic enrichment No LSE – Margate and Long Sands is subject to strong tides and currents and nutrients will be moved out of the area quickly Changes in suspended solids (water clarity) No LSE – interaction with the seabed is minor and will create localised changes in sediment which will disperse quickly LSE - This pressure may result from physical disturbance of the sediment, along with hydrodynamic action caused by the passage of towed gear, leading to entrainment and suspension of the substrate behind and around the gear components No LSE – interaction with the seabed is minor and will create localised changes in sediment which will disperse quickly Physical change (to another seabed type) No LSE – Only the anchors will penetrate the seabed and this will be minor and localised No LSE – gears are used on sandbank which will remain as sandy substrates after fishing has occurred No LSE – Only the anchors will penetrate the seabed and this will be
Medium] does not cause alteration to the biotopes, and stability, across the habitat. Supporting processes: physico-chemical properties Maintain the natural physico-chemical properties of the water. Pressures do not affect physic-chemical properties. Supporting processes: sediment movement and hydrodynamic regime Maintain all hydrodynamic and physical conditions such that natural water flow and sediment movement are not significantly altered or prevented from responding to changes in environmental conditions. Important. Abrasion/ penetration/ disturbance of the surface of the seabed may affect sedimentation rate. Supporting processes: quality - contaminants Restrict aqueous contaminants to levels equating to (High / Good) Status (according to Annex VIII and X of the Water Framework Directive), avoiding deterioration from existing levels Pressures do not affect quality. Supporting processes: water quality - dissolved oxygen Maintain the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration at levels equating to High Ecological Status (specifically ≥ 5.7 mg per litre (at 35 salinity) for 95 % of the year), avoiding deterioration from existing levels. Pressures do not affect water quality. Supporting processes: water quality - nutrients Maintain water quality, specifically mean winter dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) at a concentration equating to High Ecological Status (mean winter DIN is < 12 µM for coastal waters), avoiding deterioration from existing levels. Pressures do not affect water quality. Supporting processes: water quality - turbidity Maintain natural levels of turbidity across the habitat. Not relevant. Pressures do not affect water quality.
Table 20: Spatial footprint values for fishing gear types 0-6nm Assessment P-value footprint Table (0-6nm) VMS (0-6nm) NON VMS (0-6nm) Pots Mech. Beam Neph Trawl Set Gillnet Pots Nets Otter Trawl Beam Trawl Nets Year 2009 1 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0003 2010 1 0.003 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0003 2011 40 0 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0003 2012 2 0 4 52 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0006 2013 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0003 2014 40 0 52 62 0.1029 10 0.0003 Table 21: Spatial footprint values for fishing gear types 6-12nm VMS (6-12nm) TOTAL (VMS) Beam Trawl Neph Trawl Otter T- unsp Otter T - bottom Boat Dredge Demersal Gillnet -unsp Boat Dredge TOTAL Year 2009 27 0.2651 3 0.0088 2 0.0059 1 0.0034 2 0 0.2798 0 0.0034 0.283 2010 116 1.139 21 0.091 4 0.0136 1.23 0 0.0136 1.244 3 7 3 7 3
Annex 4c: Sighting data per unit effort for netting within Margate and Long Sands EMS 5a: Kent and Essex IFCA trawling sightings data (2010 – 30/07/2015) Annex 5b: Kent and Essex IFCA potting sightings data (2010 – 30/07/2015) Annex 6: UK Landings Data for ICES rectangles 31F1 and 32F1 Values Species Group 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Grand Total Annual average (over 5 VMS based estimate of annual activity in detailed site Quantity landed (tonnes) Crustacean 42 44 71 70 55 283 57 7.0 Demersal 717 566 698 560 648 3,188 638 36.5 Mollusc 196 322 507 849 2,496 4,369 874 11.5 Pelagic 169 5 3 242 426 85 0.0 Total 1,124 937 1,282 1,482 3,441 8,266 1,654 55.1 Value landed Crustacean £141,789 £171,924 £425,638 £278,317 £235,584 £1,253,252 £0.25mn £0.10mn Demersal £2,042,791 £1,588,954 £2,102,063 £1,285,074 £1,161,874 £8,180,756 £1.64mn £0.12mn Mollusc £158,440 £229,375 £380,832 £633,070 £1,593,312 £2,995,028 £0.60mn £0.01mn Pelagic £48,863 £4,288 £5,688 £3,082 £68,187 £130,108 £0.03mn £0.00mn Total £2,391,883 £1,994,541 £2,914,221 £2,199,542 £3,058,958 £12,559,144 £2.51mn £0.23mn
Harvesting machines £75,972 £63,340 £130,124 £82,656 £947,904 £1,299,996 £0.26mn £0.08mn and lines £3,415 £6,422 £4,531 £20,444 £11,849 £46,662 £0.01mn £0.00mn Miscellaneous gear £466 £466 £0.00mn £0.00mn Seine nets £66,198 £35,499 £7,111 £40,261 £59,384 £208,452 £0.04mn £0.00mn Traps £148,578 £278,776 £639,862 £753,457 £807,916 £2,628,588 £0.53mn £0.00mn Trawls £635,550 £391,147 £803,939 £464,621 £543,882 £2,839,138 £0.57mn £0.15mn Total £2,391,883 £1,994,541 £2,914,221 £2,199,542 £3,058,958 £12,559,144 £2.51mn £0.23mn