Fish and shellfish
Monitoring work at many Managed Realignment (MR) and Regulated Tidal Exchange (RTE) schemes (Freiston, Paull Holme Strays, Brancaster, Goosemoor and Beltringharder Koog) has shown that these sites are used as nursery and feeding grounds for fish and also that they can support many species (e.g. bass, sprat, herring, eel, flounder, bass and sand goby) often in high numbers within a relatively short space of time (Abbotts Hall, Allfleet’s Marsh). They also have potential as shellfish bed/hatcheries but aside from a few sites (Abbotts Hall, Allfleet’s Marsh) the potential for this has not been well studied or realised.
The fish and shellfish value of restored habitats has never been a key motive for habitat creation and is typically never more than a tertiary consideration if it is addressed at all. However, there is increasing recognition of the potential socio-economic importance of such sites for commercial and recreational fishing as well as food-production in their own right (possibly in mitigation for losses of at-risk arable land). Also legislation such as the Water Framework Directive and the Eel Regulations should provide a legal impetus to thinking about this issue more now than ever before.
This paper reviews the evidence from past studies and identifies the future work that needs to be undertaken to realise the potential of MR for fish and shellfish production.