What's meant by a coastline under pressure?
A coastline with a lot of human activity that can possibly damage the area.
Lyme Bay is a coastline on the South of England that is under pressure.
Scallop Dredgers
The Scallop industry is profitable and generates over £180,000/year. However, scallop dredging involves dragging heavy fishing equipment along the seabed. This causes high levels of physical damage. The dragging stirs up the sediment on the sea floor and smothers sensitive species.
In the long term, this can have a large effect on people who use the bay.
The Wildlife
Around Lyme Bay there are many natural habitats for animals, such as rocky reefs and the like. These areas have lots of sea-grass and maerl. Furthermore, these habitats are nursery grounds for commercially valuable fish. In turn, these fish are the food for sea birds such as the Auks and Gulls.
These habitats are extremely sensitive to physical damage, and must be looked after.
Anglers
Anglers bring a large amount of money to the local economy, roughly £250,000/year. They mainly fish things such as cod and bass.
However, angling actually has a minimum impact on the marine habitat, but the fishing lines may snag sensitive species, such as Pink Sea Tanks.
A coastline with a lot of human activity that can possibly damage the area.
Lyme Bay
Scallop Dredgers
The Scallop industry is profitable and generates over £180,000/year. However, scallop dredging involves dragging heavy fishing equipment along the seabed. This causes high levels of physical damage. The dragging stirs up the sediment on the sea floor and smothers sensitive species.
In the long term, this can have a large effect on people who use the bay.
The Wildlife
Around Lyme Bay there are many natural habitats for animals, such as rocky reefs and the like. These areas have lots of sea-grass and maerl. Furthermore, these habitats are nursery grounds for commercially valuable fish. In turn, these fish are the food for sea birds such as the Auks and Gulls.
These habitats are extremely sensitive to physical damage, and must be looked after.
Anglers bring a large amount of money to the local economy, roughly £250,000/year. They mainly fish things such as cod and bass.
However, angling actually has a minimum impact on the marine habitat, but the fishing lines may snag sensitive species, such as Pink Sea Tanks.
Tourism
Tourism brings lots of money to the local economy which can be used on leisure services such as:
- Sightseeing
- Sailing
- Waterskiing
- Jet-Skiing
- Power Boating
- Wind Surfing
The problem is, that you need to have an an attractive and healthy environment to continue to attract tourists, so it is vital for Lyme Bay to remain safe and balanced.
