Scientists, mussel farmers and fishers on the Devon and Dorset coast are this month beginning the tagging work that will help them assess the impact of offshore aquaculture on the general health of the ocean.
The Ropes to Reefs project - funded through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) scheme, part of the Government's UK Seafood Fund - is looking to assess the wider benefits of the UK's first large-scale offshore mussel farm, located in Lyme Bay.
It is being led by scientists at the University of Plymouth working with a range of partners, including producers such as Offshore Shellfish Ltd, Scallop Ranch Ltd, Biome Algae Ltd and various local and national fishing and conservation organisations.
During March, work is beginning to tag lobsters living in and around the mussel farm so the project team can gain a better appreciation of their movements and the habitats they favour.
This will be followed up over the coming months with the tagging of thornback ray, black bream and thick-lipped mullet, giving researchers a clearer picture of the mussel farm's impacts on various species that are critically important to the region's fishing industry.
The project has been developed to fill scientific knowledge gaps on fishes and crustaceans in the region, to better inform future management strategies, and to understand how aquaculture installations such as the offshore mussel farm may benefit surrounding fisheries.
It is also envisaged it will support the aquaculture industry to meet ambitious targets around sustainable food production, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Ropes to Reef project builds on more than a decade of research at the University, funded by Offshore Shellfish Ltd, with a previous study - published in 2022 - suggesting that mussel farms could have wider environmental benefits.
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