Helping fishers identify endangered species

Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority with Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Poole Harbour Clam and Cockle Fishery

Amount awarded: £21,056

This project aims to widen fishers' skills in identifying protected species. The partnership between fishers and conservationists will produce an illustrated waterproof guide.  

The Poole Harbour Clam and Cockle Fishery partnership wants to find ways the small-scale fishery can reduce its impact on endangered, threatened and protected species. It will also create survey forms for fishers to submit recordings of interactions with species and habitats like salt marshes and seagrass beds, where animals such as seals or peacock worms live. 

The project aims to show other fisheries how they can improve sustainability through educational outreach. It will be particularly relevant for other cockle fisheries in the North Atlantic, the UK and those working in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).