Over the past year, Waterdance’s vessels, Monty of Ladram and Margaret of Ladram, have supported new studies and projects aiming to build a better understanding of the impact of fishing on the release of blue carbon.
2025 study
Last year, a study by Bangor University and partners, including Western Fish Producers’ Organisation (WFPO), looked to challenge widely held assumptions on the negative impact of bottom trawling and dredging on the release of carbon sorted in the seabed – otherwise known as blue carbon.
For the study, the Monty of Landram, participating on behalf of WFPO, towed in an area which had been left untouched by fishing boats for the preceding three months. Tows were closely followed by Bangor University’s own research vessel which conducted sediment and water sampling to compare against samples taken in the area before fishing.
The study indicated that the type of seabed being trawled was crucial in understanding the impacts on the release of carbon. Previous research, which pointed to highly negative findings, focused on fishing over areas of muddy sediment, whereas this new study highlighted that coarser sediments were of much less concern.
Because many of the fishing grounds around the South West are chatracteried by coarse or rocky sediment, the findings of this study suggest that previous calculations have significantly overestimated the impact of fishing on blue carbon release. This work is therefore key to informing future marine policies.
The study concluded that trawling coarse or rocky sediments did not significantly increase carbon release and highlighted that more information is needed to build a complete picture – which is why we continue to support research into this area.
SeaSTORE project
Earlier this year, another of our vessels, the Margaret of Ladram, was used in a follow-up, £2.1 million NERC-funded project led by SeaSTORE, aiming to build a better understanding of the actual carbon impact of bottom trawling on different sediments – including sandy habitats in the Irish Sea.
Skippered by Adam Cowan-Dickie, the Margaret of Ladram was used as the working fishing vessel in the first at-sea trial of the project, towing in carefully selected locations in the Irish Sea, allowing the team from Bangor University to sample the water column directly in her wake.
By working under real fishing conditions and using standard commercial gear, the trial ensured that any data that was collected reflected real-world fishing practices, helping to strengthen the relevance of the findings.
The Maragret of Landram’s day in the Irish Sea was a small but significant step towards gathering robust, site-specific data that can be used to inform future decisions affect UK fisheries and marine environments.
The project will continue with a three-week cruise taking place this summer, when warmer waters will introduce a new dynamic for researchers to investigate.
