Devon’s Aquaculture: Ropes to Reefs (Tavistock & W Devon Branch)

A talk by Amy Cartwright, Project Officer – Applied Marine Ecosystems Research Unit, University of Plymouth.

If managed well, offshore aquaculture could help address some of today’s most pressing challenges, including food security, habitat restoration and support for coastal economies. Along the Devon coast, the University of Plymouth has been monitoring Europe’s largest offshore mussel farm in Lyme Bay. Research shows that offshore mussel farming interacts with the marine environment in ways that differ from many other forms of aquaculture. Beneath the farm, reef structures have developed, creating new habitat and contributing to seabed recovery in Devon waters. The recent Ropes to Reefs project explored the farm’s benefits for local fisheries and its connections to other nearby aquaculture sites and the Lyme Bay Marine Protected Area.

DA members £3, non-members £5.