FISHING should be restricted in certain areas of Jersey’s waters during the black bream breeding season to protect the species, a new study has recommended.
The Environment Department project was established to find out more about the behaviours of black bream by exploring where they build their nests and analysing their habitats.
Following the study, the department suggested that areas containing “key nesting sites” should be closed – for several months during the spring and summer months – to protect bream populations while they spawn. Multiple nests were identified in an area to the north of Jersey that had previously been targeted by trawlers during the spawning season.
The proposed no-fishing zones are an area between the Paternosters and Ecréhous reefs; an area off the south-east coast and a zone to the west of the Minquiers reef.
The Environment Department has also recommended conducting additional surveys to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the locations to make sure the right areas are closed at the right time of year.
Black bream are vulnerable to commercial exploitation – with stocks having declined significantly in recent years – and concerns have been raised about extensive fishing by local and French vessels in areas of Jersey’s waters known to contain high numbers of breeding adults.
The study employed various techniques to collect data, including tracking fishing vessels, recording underwater videos and conducting sonar surveys which use sound waves to map and study the ocean floor. It found that nests of black bream were generally located in areas with a combination of small rocks and sediment, and were often found near larger rock formations.
Researchers also found that black bream nests were frequently situated near certain marine life, such as the fungus deadman’s fingers, and the invertebrate species hornwrack.
