Our Mission “British farmers are paid to conserve on land. Our project will try to find ways in which fishermen can derive similar benefits from conservation at sea.”

Supporting Local Fishermen

One of our aims at the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve is to support the fishermen who have committed to sustainable fishing practices within the Reserve. Helping them achieve best quality for their catch with the installation of chiller facilities, ice-machines, development of the Reserve Seafood brand and promotion of locally caught seafood have helped to achieve this aim.

The fishermen that operate within the Lyme Bay Reserve commit to the use of sustainable fishing practices by signing up to a voluntary Code of Conduct which sets limits on the fishing effort and methods used within the Reserve, based on best available scientific evidence of sustainable fishing limits. The vessels fishing within the Reserve commonly have only one fisherman, fish no more than 6 miles from the shore, and use low-impact methods such as pots, a static net, or rod and line.

To help the fishermen ensure the best possible quality of their sustainably caught seafood, chiller units, insulated fish boxes and ice machines have been installed, funded by BLUE Marine Foundation and the European Fisheries Fund. Their catch is immediately iced on the boat, landed that day and stored in chiller units for collection by a dedicated van funded by BLUE to transport fish direct to market. The catch is kept fresh from the moment it lands on the deck to the moment it arrives at market offering a guaranteed way to source extremely fresh and sustainable seafood within hours of being caught.

These facilities have brought significant benefits to fishermen’s income and standard of living;

“Before the scheme, I would cut up many white fish I caught for bait or would have to drive two hours to market as they would not keep. Being able to get fish on ice the minute it’s caught and stored in the chiller unit until it can be picked up has increased the amount I can earn and taken time off my working day.” Reserve Fisherman, October 2016

The units are owned and managed by the fishermen in each port and the running costs of the units and how they are covered vary from unit to unit.

To promote this quality, sustainably caught seafood, the Reserve Seafood brand was developed and is promoted through social media and direct promotion to fish buyers. See Reserve Seafood page for more information and a list of outlets where you can buy Reserve Seafood.

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