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A seaside town has become the first in the UK to introduce a strict code - for CRABBING.

Thousands of tourists and residents flock all year round to the harbour in Looe with their buckets and nets to take part in the popular pastime.

But the activity has become so popular in recent years it can cause the crabs to suffer and is adding to the growing problem of marine litter.

The duo problem has now led to a new set of rules to keep the seaside tradition sustainable fir future generations..

A total of 18 signs have now been put up across the Cornish town with seven instructions.

These are to refresh sea water regularly, only use a net bag for the bait, no more than three crabs in a bucket, keep crabs in the shade, remove crabs who are fighting, carefully put crabs back in the water and take all equipment home with you.

Amelia Bridges, 24, chairperson of Looe Marine Conservation Group which is behind the plan, said they did not want to be the "fun police" but said such action was necessary to preserve the hobby for everyone.

She said: "We have hundreds of thousands of people each year crabbing. It is so popular that I would say more than 95 per cent of families that come to Looe do some crabbing.

"I grew up here and always enjoyed crabbing. We don't want to be the fun police or stop it. But we need to make sure it is done responsibly and remains sustainable.

"It can be distressing for the crabs and it is horrible to see a bucket of them in such condition. Crabbing will never be banned and I don't think anyone would dare put a by-law in place. And I wouldn't support that. But this is just ensuring it remains as sustainable as possible so we can preserve the fun.

"The vast majority of the feedback we have had so far has been very positive.

Amelia said the idea behind the code was to remind people of 'best practice' and encourage a behavioral change.

She said it has already had a positive reaction with many other 'crabbing towns' looking to bring in a similar code.

She added: "There are no restrictions on what can be caught as long as long as they follow the code and don't take them away from the harbour.

"Crabbing has always been a hugely popular pastime in Looe but recently we have noticed all along the quay it has been overcrowded with buckets.

"Some have been left in the sun and there has also been a lot of litter in the harbour associated with it. Lines, nets and wrapping has been all been left.

"We have just introduced guidelines that outlines what people should be doing.

"No-one will be walking along enforcing it, but there is a social policing aspect behind it, with people informing others of the code if they are not adhereing.

"It is a welfare and litter issue and is about showing people who visit the town we do care about these things."

Amelia said it had been a joint project with the University of Exeter and they had worked with masters student Sam Gill on it.

She said: "It is also about giving people a behavioral nudge. If 98 per cent of people follow the crabbing code the two per cent that don't will stand out and hopefully fall into line.

"We are the only place with one at the moment but we have had a lot of interest from other towns who say they would love to have it. The reaction has been very positive.

"A lot of the people crabbing aren't from Cornwall or other seaside towns, so what we see as obvious - like not keeping a bucket of water in the sunshine - they might not make those links.

"I don't think people make a deliberate choice to leave litter on the quay that ends up in the river. I don't think they leave crabs in warm water with any intention of harming them.

"I just don't think they sometimes understand the full implications and this is about getting them to think about something they haven't thought about previously.

"When you walk down the quay of any seaside town you often see families having competitions of who can catch the most crabs. You can see upwards of 30 in a tiny bucket all struggling to consume oxygen. They are effectively suffocating them.

"They compound this by leaving the buckets in the sunshine and it is effectively a welfare issue. It is also about reducing impact in the ocean.

"We don't have an issue of people trying to take crabs away with them. But what we did have was people throwing crabs back into the river at low tide. They were pouring the bucket over and essentially providing a free lunch to the seagulls.

"The only issue we have had is a few people dobbing others in to the harbour commission for not following the crabbing code."

New of the code has been widely welcomed by those crabbing in Looe this week.

Jill Davies, 41, who is visiting Looe on holiday from Bromley with her children Sarah, 12, and Emma, 9, said she had enjoyed crabbing on family trips for years.

She said: "I have been doing this for years and at times I have been concerned about some of these issues as well. Everyone enjoys it but that doesn't excuse leaving rubbish behind.

"I think if we were all a bit more conscientious then this is something we can all continue to enjoy for many years to come."

Local fisherman also said action was necessary as crabbing had become a "litter nuisance."

Warwick Collings, 53, a charter skipper, said: "It's irresponsible to dispose of the crab lines - when they get stuck in the river they just get left or cut off.

"The assistant harbour master makes his best efforts to keep it clear but I don't think he can really keep up with the number of people that are doing it.

"They get left around the harbour and the line can go round a boats propeller, when it does the friction of the shaft causes the plastic to melt and it goes up and wrecks the cutlass bearing.

"If you have to get a boat raised out the water it will cost around £300 but then you'll have to have the associated work done, and there's the down time - when it's busy you can't afford to have the time off.

"This is an expense we could do without and it's damaging the environment, the amount of crab lines that are discarded.

"There could be better designed crab lines with natural materials, more bins around the quayside, or they could make crab lines more expensive so they are rented out and aren't seen as disposable."

Matt Slater, marine awareness officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "Crabbing is fun, educational and a big part of a day at the seaside but we must all make sure that we are sensitive to the welfare of the animals and look after the wider environment.

"We are delighted that Looe Marine Conservation Group have created a crabbing code and we hope that it encourages lots of people to continue enjoying crabbing while minimising stress on crabs and loss of plastic fishing line."

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