Effects of bait collection on Nereis virens populations and macrofaunal communities in the Solent, UK

Abstract

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.

Estimating the frequency and extent of bloodworm digging in Maine from aerial photography

“…Polychaetes are harvested from intertidal flats around the world for their value as saltwater fishing bait (Creaser et al, 1983;Olive, 1993;Beukema, 1995;Cunha et al, 2005;Skilleter et al, 2006;Watson et al, 2007). Most of the 1000 tonnes of worms traded annually are composed of lugworms, Arenicola marina, and sandworms, Neries virens, from the United Kingdom and the Gulf of Maine (Watson et al, 2007).…”

“…Most of the 1000 tonnes of worms traded annually are composed of lugworms, Arenicola marina, and sandworms, Neries virens, from the United Kingdom and the Gulf of Maine (Watson et al, 2007). There are also 45 tonnes of Diopatra neapolitana harvested each year in the Rio de Aveiro, Portugal, as well as over 100 tonnes of bloodworms, Glycera dibranchiata, dug from the northeast coast of the United States and Nova Scotia (Klawe and Dickie, 1957;Creaser et al, 1983;Cunha et al, 2005).…”

Intertidal invertebrate harvesting: a meta-analysis of impacts and recovery in an important waterbird prey resource

“…Annelid worms are often targeted with high accuracy through bait harvesting (Blake 1979, Watson et al 2007, with harvesting efficiency of up to 70% reported in a study of digging for lugworm (Blake 1979). This higher efficiency is reflected in the larger initial reductions following the use of hand-held gears shown in Fig.…”

“…1. Furthermore, annelid worms may be sensitive to damage through non-target interactions with harvesting gear (Skilleter et al 2005, Griffiths et al 2006, Watson et al 2007. Baitworm harvesting targets the larger species such as the king ragworm Alitta virens and lugworms Arenicola spp.…”

Introducing a Regulatory Policy Framework of Bait Fishing in European Coastal Lagoons: The Case of Ria de Aveiro in Portugal

“…More broadly, there is also literature on the impacts of bait digging with the use of rudimentary or mechanized instruments in benthic ecosystems [17][18][19][20]. The economic implications of baitworm activity for fisheries and conservation management in North European coastal areas have been partly addressed [21][22][23].…”