Fishing

The History

Fishing has always been carried out in the reserve, though it has never been a major industry. The Marine Centre stands on the site of a former fisherman's hut, once belonging to the Marshall family, who fished out of Kimmeridge.

The tradition still continues today, with a few local families continuing to fish in the reserve - mainly for crabs and lobsters.

Fishing Methods

Fishing methods have changed over the last 50 years, becoming more mechanised and less labour-intensive. In the past, fishermen spent the winter evenings mending nets and making pots from locally grown willow (withy) ready for the coming season, while earning a living working in the local quarries.

In the spring and summer they used rowing boats to set their hand-made withy pots, which they hauled up by hand. Today motor-powered boats and winches make the fisherman's life a little easier and enable year-round fishing.

Lobster pots made from metal, plastic and nylon last longer and strings of 20 or so pots can be winched onboard in a fraction of the time it would once have taken.

Fewer Fishermen

The result of these fishing innovations has meant that fewer fishermen are needed to land the same amount of shellfish. Other types of commercial fishing in the reserve include diving for scallops and a small amount of gill-netting for species such as sole, bass and mullet.

As a result of the small scale and selectivity of these types of fishing, their impact on the marine ecosystem is much less than other methods such as scallop dredging or bottom trawling would be.

Fishing in the past using a withy lobster pot

Fishing in the Past