Identification of indicator species to represent the full range of benthic life history strategies for Lyme Bay and the consideration of the wider application for monitoring of Marine Protected Areas

The work presented in this report is part of a larger project funded by Defra which focuses on assessing the various changes that may ensue as a result of protection of a 60nm area of Lyme Bay to mobile fishing gear, both in ecological and economic terms. The ecological monitoring includes monitoring of representative indicator species of the reef to examine recoverability and to “assess the long-term effects of fishery area closures on long lived and sessile benthic species”. The current report outlines the selection of such indicator species for Lyme Bay and the wider application of this and alternative methods to monitoring MPAs.