Bottom Towed Fisheries : Southern IFCA

Bottom Towed Fisheries

Bottom Towed fishing gear is used throughout the Southern IFC District in the coastal waters of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Bottom towed fishing gear includes scallop, mussel, oyster and clam dredges, trawl nets and bait draggers. However, there are many areas all over the District in which all Bottom Towed Gears are prohibited in order to protect sensitive marine habitats. For more information about the location of these area’s see the Bottom Towed Gear Regualtions Page , or for more information regarding why these areas are protected see the relevant Conservation Page.

In Dorset's Lyme Bay and, the East Solent, scallop dredgers collect king scallops from seabed sediment habitats using dredges. Dredges are also used to collect clams and cockles in Poole Harbour and Southampton Water. A Southern IFCA permit is required to use a dredge in either Poole Harbour, Southampton Water or the Solent. For more information on these activites visit the Solent Dredge Fisheries Page and the Poole Harbour fisheries Page .

Bottom trawls (light otter trawls and beam trawls) are used to target a variety of fish species including cuttlefish, sole, plaice, squid, skate and rays, throughout Lyme Bay, Weymouth Bay, Poole Bay and in the Solent.

In 2021, more than 1,114 tonnes ¹ of fish and shellfish were caught in ICES Rectangles 29E7, 30E7 and 30E8 using bottom trawls and dredges. This total is dominated by mussels (380), scallops (253) and manila clams (240). Mussels are harvested in Dorset as mussel seed (juvenilles) and then relayed on the seabed to grow on to reach market size. The largest amount of fish in this total is Plaice at 40 tonnes.

¹ Data recieved from the Marine Managment Organisation, 2022. ICES Rectangles 29E7, 30E7 and 30E8 cover the majority of the Southern IFC District and some areas outside.

Credit: Georgie Bull

Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw 2023

The Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw 2023 has been ratified by the Secretary of State, updating prohibited areas for bottom towed fishing gear (BTFG) activity within the Southern IFCA District.

The Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw 2023 has been developed following the Authority's decision to review and, where necessary, develop updated regulations for BTFG in National Site Network Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern IFCA District. The Byelaw was made by the Authority in June 2023 and, following a period of Formal Consultation, the Authority agreed to submit the Byelaw to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) for confirmation by the Secretary of State. The Byelaw was confirmed on 7th July 2025.

In line with the duties of Southern IFCA for managing fisheries within Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and within or adjacent to Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under the Conservation Regulations, the review considered changes in the National Site Network of Marine Protected Areas through the addition of new MCZs in 2019 and updates to the best-available evidence on designated feature extent and location in MCZs, SACs and SPAs.

The BTFG Byelaw 2023 extends some existing BTFG prohibition areas and introduces some new prohibition areas, as well as maintaining the requirement for BTFG to be inboard and above the sea whilst a vessel carrying BTFG is transiting through a prohibited area. Management is feature-based and considers sensitive designated features for MCZs, SACs and SPAs based on best available evidence.

The BTFG Byelaw 2023 can be viewed on the Bottom Towed Gears Regulations page or the All Regulations page.

The following supporting documents accompany the Byelaw:
BTFG Byelaw 2023 Impact Assessment
BTFG Byelaw 2023 Management Intentions Document

The Management Intentions Document seeks to provide clarity of intention and process which has underpinned management decisions concerning BTFG in the Southern IFCA District.

Marine Protected Area Assessments

Southern IFCA has a duty to undertake assessments of existing and potential commercial fishing activities within Marine Protected Areas throughout the District. The purpose of the assessments is to determine, whether or not in the view of Southern IFCA, the activities will hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives of the relevant Marine Protected Areas. If this assessment finds that the activity could hinder the site from achieving its conservation objectives, Southern IFCA must create appropriate management measures to mitigate the risks.

As of 2020, Southern IFCA has been required to introduce a number of management measures as a result of the following assessments. Please note that some of these assessments are recent and therefore Southern IFCA is currently undergoing the process of introducing the required management measures.

For more information on the Management Measures introduced to date please see the Bottom Towed Gears Management Page.