Student gets grant to investigate no-take-zone

Thursday 01 June 2023

The Société Jersiaise has awarded a grant of £750 to a student to aid further research into the Portelet Bay no-take-zone.

Katherine Dunn, a Master's student with the Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies (JICAS), will gather data in the bay, which became a no-take-zone last year.

This meant it became an offence to remove any marine species from the zone, or to use a fishing boat in it, with exceptions made for some scientific investigations.

Katherine's work will include using non-invasive survey methods such photo-identification to examine species such as rays, which the Société says are likely to become "more important with increasing changes to the marine ecosystem due to climate change and over-exploitation".

Pictured: Portelet Bay became a no-take-zone in May 2022.

Société President Nicky Westwood said: "The outcomes of this project will contribute to the ongoing monitoring of the Portelet Bay No-Take-Zone, the first marine protected area of its kind in Jersey. The successful and effective monitoring of this highly protected area will build a base from which future marine management decisions can be developed."

She continued: "This will promote the sustainable management of Jersey’s waters in line with current and emerging research. The continued success of Jersey’s marine protected areas will benefit the fishing industry through improved fish stocks, and sustain Jersey’s tourism through the protection of its diverse marine life."