Sadly, after struggling for half an hour, my wretched machine was only capable of displaying the first page, e.g. the headings. I just don’t get on at all well with PDF files.

I dared not pursue for longer, as my time is fully occupied with masses of concerns over the recent massive escalation of coastal erosion here in Norfolk and Suffolk.

I wonder if I dare suggest that you write an item for our website on this issue using the latest CEFAS material ? It would be of great interest to our readers. If you could submit such to our MARINET editorial scrutiny group via Stephen it would really be appreciated.

We could do with some items from more dedicated experts such as your good self anyway.

There’s a more up-to-date review of recovery of the seabed following dredging at http://www.cefas.defra.gov.uk/media/463535/monograph2-web.pdf. It indicates that recovery does occur, albeit over a variety of timescales depending on local conditions. This seems to run contrary to what the fishermen say, however, the reference discusses recovery of seabed fauna rather than fish. Could it be that the dearth of fish is simply due to the massive over fishing that has occurred in recent decades?

Finally, it seems a bit simplistic to compare the experience of such a site specific, targeted, and highly managed activity such as oyster fishing with the more random, wide scale and opportunistic activities of the offshore mobile gear fleet. In my view not a good analogy…

I may contact Cefas – sounds like they may have more information to share.

It might not be a bad idea to contact CEFAS to ask them if they have looked at the same areas since.

Of course, up to now, apart from a few exclusions, e.g. prohibition due to navigational dangers, military exrcises, etc. fishermen may fish as they will where they will, so the actual floor areas covered could be far greater than that allocated for dredging.

The latest report I have from the (few remaining) local fishermen is that the areas aggregate dredged well over twenty years ago are still as dead as the proverbial Dodo, but apparently dredge fishermen, such as the Oyster gatherers at West Mersea, visit the same areas with a productive degree of success time and time again.

Do let me know what CEFAS says. They are usually quite good with their replies. It might spur them to look at the same areas again so to provide the answer.

You still imply that there is a lack of recovery of the seabed after dredging – it that really the case? I’ve checked out your suggested reading and, not surprisingly, it shows that dredging does affect the seabed, but the indication is that recovery does occur once dredging has stopped.

Good luck with securing funding for the submarine!

Thanks for bringing the Oxford Journal paper to my attention. Some excellent statistical information in that.

I wish MARINET owned a submarine !

http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/3/453.full.pdf+html

It states that fishing affects 5.4% of the UK continental shelf (and may be as high as 21.4%) whilst the most extensive effect of dredging – plumes – only affects 1.2%.

Also, you said the damage from aggregate dredging was irreversible. Are you saying that recovery of the seabed never occurs after aggregate dredging?

On the other hand, scallop dredging and chain dredging only scrapes the sea bed surface, bruising but leaving much of the flora bruised and damaged but still rooted so as to permit regrowth. Much is only rolled over. Smaller molluscs, fish, etc. can escape between and around the rakes as powerful suction is not used. That’s quite bad enough, but recovery soon follows.

There are our pictures of the seabed before and after aggregate dredging to be seen in our briefing at http://www.marinet.org.uk/campaign-article/marinet-briefing-paper and more in the CEFAS pages to be located by first going to http://www.marinet.org.uk/campaign-article/cefas-centre-for-environment-fisheries-aquaculture-science-find-no-recovery-of-eco-system-damage-after-offshore-dredging

For fine detail evidence also please go to the following:

http://www.marinet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/entrainment.pdf as well as http://www.marinet.org.uk/campaign-article/seabed-recovery-following-dredging and see our video at http://www.marinet.org.uk/campaign-article/marinets-video-on-the-impact-of-offshore-aggregate-dredging-2

There are many more items on our website Marine Aggregate Dredging that should fully convince you.

Only a brief two second appearance on the lunchtime ITN News, with nothing seen on BBC or Ch.IV, but nevertheless highly effective showing with impact, the first time that MARINET has had a showing on TV to my knowledgeand demo. I didn’t even know we had a banner !

Norma and I were with you in spirit, sadly not in person as the health problems that come with aging have dictated that our marching days are long over.

Let’s hope we can get more of such in the future and so achieve a wider recognition beyond our membership.

I can’t see that anyone reading your treatise here can possibly disagree with anything you have pointed out.

But the problem is – how do we get it out to those vested interests who benefit from the exploitation of our seas and their powerful lobby ?

We must all try to use the media as much as possible to take up the issue and so bring it to wide public concern.

Letters to our MP’s and MEP’s, newspaper editors and getting the facts and their importance out by the means of TV and Radio would seem to be the best path.

Regards, best wishes and power to your pen.

Pat Gowen

Best wishes and regards,

Pat

It were not ever thus, and cannot go on much longer before public reaction is engendered, it being another example of a totally unsustainable system.

The Brit’s, to put it kindly, are a very tolerant bunch (some would say apathetic) but they have their limits.
Let us hope that this limit is soon reached.

Future polls will show a very low turnout. But this is not apathy, only recognition that there is no point in voting when the policies of the major parties are so alike on the main issues and when electoral pledges and promises made in their pre-election manifestos are broken.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on their false reassurances given on environmental issues.

Best wishes,

Pat

I know only too well from experience that it takes a lot of effort to get these things moving, but once rolling can lead to eventual total success.

Congratulations !

Best wishes,

Pat