Bait is an integral part of coastal life, but is perceived as a low‐value resource as fisheries are data‐limited, locally focussed and largely unregulated even though the ecological impacts of collection are considerable. An empirical assessment of three UK‐based ragworm fisheries combined with an analysis of published literature has produced the first global assessment of polychaete bait fisheries. The five most expensive (retail price per kg) marine species sold on the global fisheries market are polychaetes (Glycera dibranchiata, Diopatra aciculata, Nereis (Alitta) virens, Arenicola defodiens and Marphysa sanguinea). We estimate that 1600 t of N. virens per annum (worth £52 million) are landed in the UK with approximately 121 000 tonnes of polychaetes collected globally valued at £5.9 billion. Using remote closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor collectors, activity at local sites is considerable with a mean of 3.14 collectors per tide (day and night) at one site and individuals digging for up to 3 h per tide, although intensity differed seasonally and between sites. Collectors removed on average 1.4 kg of N. virens per person per hour, walking a considerable distance across the intertidal sediment to reach areas that were usually already dug. The implications of these human activity and biomass removal levels are explored in the context of fisheries and conservation management. At local, regional and national scales, polychaete bait fisheries are highly valuable, extract significant biomass and have considerable impacts; therefore, they urgently require governance equivalent to other fisheries.

Aspects of the reproductive biology of Squalus megalops were investigated in material collected from commercial and research trawl samples from the Agulhas Bank. The largest male measured 572 mm TL and the largest female 782 mm. The size at which 50% of the males in the population were sexually mature was ~400 mm; 50% of the females were mature at ~500 mm, and 50% were pregnant at ~510 mm. Litter size varied from 2 to 4 but only the largest females had the maximum litter size. Reproduction in S. megalops is aplacental-viviparous, and the pups are 232–277 mm at birth. The sex ratio of embryos was not significantly different from unity. Trawled dogfish had a sex ratio significantly different from unity, probably because of sampling bias; aggregations were apparently not adequately sampled over their entire distribution.

The marine aquarium industry has great potential to generate jobs in low-income coastal communities creating incentives for the maintenance of a healthy coral reef, if effectively managed. In the absence of current monitoring or legislation to govern the trade, baseline information regarding the species, number and source location of animals traded is missing despite being critical for its successful management and sustainability. An industry assessment to establish the number and provenance of species of ornamental polychaetes (sabellids and serpulids) traded was undertaken across UK wholesalers and retailers. Six geographical regions exporting fan worms were identified. Singapore contributed the highest percentage of imports, but of only one worm “type” whereas Bali, the second largest source, supplied five different worm “types”. Over 50% of UK retailers were supplied by one wholesaler while the remainder were stocked by a mixture of one other wholesaler and/or direct imports from the source country. We estimate that up to 18,500 ornamental polychaetes (16,980 sabellids and 1,018 serpulids) are sold annually in the UK revealing a drastic underestimation of currently accepted trade figures. Incorrect identification (based on exporting region or visual characteristics) of traded animals exacerbates the inaccuracy in market quantification, although identification of preserved sabellids using published keys proved just as inconclusive with high within-species variability and the potential for new or cryptic species. A re-description of the polychaete groups traded using a combination of molecular and morphological techniques is necessary for effective identification and market quantification. This study provides the first assessment of ornamental polychaetes but more importantly highlights the issues surrounding the collection of baseline information necessary to manage the aquarium trade. We recommend that future management should be community based and site-specific with financial and educational support from NGOs, local governments and industry members.

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The Solent European Marine Sites contain many tiers of habitat and species conservation, but also high levels of bait collection. Effective management strategies must be founded on up-to-date and locally based information from relevant studies of the impacts; these have been lacking for the collection of Nereis virens, a key bait species. The impacts on macrofauna were assessed through two approaches; (a) undug and dug sites in the Solent were compared over two years of repeat sampling; and (b) monitoring the long-term effects of simulated bait collection at an undug site through five years of yearly sampling. Dug sites had significantly higher densities of N. virens, but the mean weight was found to be significantly lower than those collected from the undug sites, but percentage maturity was not different. Organic content and sediment particle sizes differed between sites, and only the presence of gravel had a significant positive correlation with density. No clear patterns of other macrofauna species present were evident, although there was a significantly lower density of the terebellid polychaete Neoamphitrite figulus at the dug sites. Simulated bait collection did not alter overall macrofauna diversity, but certain species were affected. Abundance of N. figulus and the commensal Harmothoë glabra remained consistently lower in the dug area, whilst Cerastoderma edule numbers were reduced initially, but recovered. Numbers of Nephtys hombergii declined in both areas, but at a significantly greater rate in the dug area. A general decline in the abundance of many species, irrespective of digging, occurred over the period. The importance of these changes in Nereis virens populations and in the macrofauna community needs to be investigated prior to any management decisions on collection.