I'm really pleased to bring you a guest post by Vicky Brown, who has been based at Filey Bay in Yorkshire this summer for the RSPB, getting to know and working with the local netsmen. Vicky shares some of her experiences so far.
Filey Bay is a small quaint fishing town off the East Coast of Yorkshire. The Bay is home to seven licensed gillnet fishermen, who fish for sea trout and salmon between May and August. Fishing in Filey is both an income and a way of life, but one that is slowly dying out. It is sad to think that in my lifetime, I will be able to look out into the bay and see no salmon and trout fishermen fishing.
I have been working closely with the netsmen in Filey since May this year. By having a presence in Filey, we are trying to build a strong and lasting relationship with them and use our knowledge from here to develop projects in other fisheries along the coast. I have learnt a great deal both from working alongside the netsmen and liaising with RSPB partners, discussing factors influencing seabird bycatch in gillnets and ideas to reduce it.
(photo: Vicky Brown)
Over the last few years the netsmen have done a lot to try and reduce seabird bycatch in the bay. Their nets have been changed to a corline material, which is thought to be much more visible to birds, and the netsmen attend their nets at all times in June under the terms of a byelaw for the fishery. They have also undertaken bird handling courses, which allows them to remove birds from the nets in a safe manner and release them back to the water.
The netsmen are also aware that bycatch numbers can change from year to year, and it is important to remember that environmental conditions can also affect levels of bycatch. For example, if sea conditions lead to higher numbers of sandeels in the bay, this attracts a higher number of birds to feed, which could potentially come into contact with the fishery.
I have been in close contact with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Wold Ecology (who are monitoring bycatch rates in the bay), and in the last three years Filey has had very few seabird bycatch issues. This is great news for the RSPB and partners, and does reflect the effort the netsmen and agencies are putting in to address the issue. Interestingly though, and perhaps worryingly, the last three years have seen a considerable drop of birds coming into the bay. The RSPB is keen to try and understand why in the future.
This project with the fishermen in Filey is both exciting and challenging. Seabird bycatch in gillnet fisheries is happening all over the world and the number of birds caught globally in these fisheries is estimated to be higher than for longline and trawl fisheries combined. Compared to longlining, though, very little research has been undertaken on ways in which to tackle this issue. It’s therefore exciting that a fishery so close to home could be a testing ground for mitigation techniques for seabird bycatch that can be applied elsewhere.
The fishermen of Filey have been a pleasure to work with; my only request would be that they spent longer in bed in the morning, as meeting them for 4.30 am starts is a real struggle for a 23 year old. It has been an honour to experience their art of fishing, something I had not realised was so labour intensive, often for such little reward.
So what is the future for Filey Bay, its netsmen and seabirds? Currently I am halfway through my role at Filey and many ideas are currently being explored. By the end of September there will be a short report suggesting costed proposals for mitigation as well as development research and best practice guidance.
A terrestrial and marine extension has also recently been consulted on for the Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs Special Protection Area (SPA) that would extend the protected area to encompass the cliffs north of Filey and a 2km extension in the waters along the length of the SPA.
Due to this recent proposed extension I have found a lot of scope to extend my work to other fisheries up and down the coast that have heard of our work in Filey and are keen to invite us into their fisheries.
Watch this space!
Vicky Brown
Filey Safe Seas for Seabirds Officer