Extreme storms can result in major damage to the seabed similar to that caused by prolonged periods of bottom-towed fishing, according to new research.
Extreme storms can result in major damage to the seabed similar to that caused by prolonged periods of bottom-towed fishing, according to new research.
However, important seabed habitats and species recover more quickly following extreme storms than in the wake of such fishing activity.
That is one of the key findings of a first-of-its-kind study which examined the impact of the 2013/14 winter storms on the Lyme Bay Marine Protected Area (MPA), off the coast of southern England.
Academics from the University of Plymouth have been monitoring the area using underwater cameras and other techniques since 2008, when a ban on bottom towed fishing was introduced as part of a range of conservation measures.
Read more at University of Plymouth
Image: By 2013 - five years after the designation of the Marine Protected Area - the seabed had seen the return of pink sea fans and ross coral, while fish and shellfish stocks had significantly recovered (Credit: University of Plymouth)
