Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve

We have been working with the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority on a number of projects in recent years and in June we kicked off a project to look at the populations of periwinkles at the NNR and along the wider Northumberland coast.


NIFCA kindly penned this;

Periwinkle Surveys Holy Island - within Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve

In June, as part of intertidal fisheries monitoring surveys along the Northumberland coast, officers from the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) visited Holy Island on a lovely sunny day to collect important information about the health of the rocky shore.

NIFCA manages the exploitation of sea fisheries resources, ensuring that fishing activities, including hand gathering, are appropriately managed to achieve long-term sustainability in the marine environment. 

These surveys are monitoring the impacts of collection of edible periwinkle which takes place on rocky shores throughout Northumberland. They will provide information on the health of the habitats and populations of flora and fauna found on the shore. The information collected can be used to monitor rocky shore communities in areas where this activity takes place. Working closely with representatives from Natural England at the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, NIFCA was able to select the most appropriate site to begin this monitoring work and will continue these surveys year-round to determine the health of rocky shores on Holy Island in terms of the diversity and abundance of species found there.