The creation of a marine reserve off the English coast five years ago has led to a major resurgence of lobster populations, a success conservationists say should lead to more protected areas in U.K. waters. The marine protected area, in which fishing and lobstering is prohibited, was created by Natural England and the Devon Sea Fisheries Committee in the waters off the Devon coast. Large lobsters in the protected zone are now six times as abundant as large lobsters in areas where commercial harvesting is permitted, according to scientists. Those increased populations will soon spill out of the protected areas, replenishing depleted stocks in nearby waters, scientists say. The Lundy “no-take” zone is the country’s only true marine protected area. Conservationists from Natural England say they will use the success of the Lundy experiment to lobby for the creation of a far more extensive network of marine protected areas.
Bounty In A Marine Reserve
More From E360
-
INTERVIEW
Marina Silva on Brazil’s Fight to Turn the Tide on Deforestation
-
Solutions
Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
-
INTERVIEW
With Sea Turtles in Peril, a Call for New Strategies to Save Them
-
RIVERS
Jared Kushner Has Big Plans for Delta of Europe’s Last Wild River
-
Energy
A Nuclear Power Revival Is Sparking a Surge in Uranium Mining
-
OPINION
Despite Official Vote, the Evidence of the Anthropocene Is Clear
-
INTERVIEW
At 11,500 Feet, a ‘Climate Fast’ to Save the Melting Himalaya
-
Oceans
Octopuses Are Highly Intelligent. Should They Be Farmed for Food?
-
Climate
Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
-
Solutions
As Carbon Air Capture Ramps Up, Major Hurdles Remain
-
ANALYSIS
How China Became the World’s Leader on Renewable Energy
-
Biodiversity
As Flooding Increases on the Mississippi, Forests Are Drowning