In this month’s Manx Wildlife Trust column">column, Lara Howe takes a look at the Manx Marine nature">Nature Reserve of laxey">Laxey Bay.

Laxey Bay, once a fisheries closed area, may not be the largest of our reserves at 3.97km2, but encompasses a diverse range of habitats, including rocky reefs, sandy seabed, kelp forests and seagrass meadows.

These habitats provide shelter for a wide variety of marine life.

Previously, the bay was trailed as a scallop ranching area, with 100,000 individually tagged juvenile scallops (50mm in size) released into the bay from Ireland. While some scallops survived and grew, the project largely ceased in 2014. However, the area continues to contribute to larval production.

One of the most significant features of Laxey Bay is its thriving seagrass (Zostera marina) beds, which serve as crucial nursery grounds for various species.

Conservation efforts in recent years have focused on monitoring and protecting these delicate underwater ecosystems to ensure their continued health.

Monitoring has shown that the eelgrass bed has extended further north in recent years. Additionally, an area of maerl, a calcified red seaweed that forms nodules on the seafloor, has been identified.

The expansive sandy seabed is home to a range of burrowing species such as heart urchins and masked crabs.

Notably, the rare fan mussel (Atrina fragilis), first sighted in the Isle of Man in Laxey Bay, can also be found here.

The bay also provides a home for one of the longest-lived marine species, the Iceland clam (Arctica islandica), which can live to 500 years old.

Additionally, common whelk (Buccinum undatum), an important commercial species, are found in numbers within the bay.

The reserve’s rocky reef supports a wide variety of marine organisms, including two of our commercial important species; the European Lobster (Homarus Gammarus) and the edible crab (Cancer pagurus).

The name Laxey originates from the Norse word Laksaa, meaning salmon, reflecting the bay’s connection to our rivers.

Atlantic salmon and sea rout migrate upstream to breed, whilst the European eel leave our rivers to breed at sea.

These species have complex life cycles, making them vulnerable to numerous hazards, and they are protected both within the nature reserve’s and under fisheries legislation.

Laxey Bay is also a haven for some marine megafauna, such as bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).

Bottlenose dolphins are commonly seen in the winter months, often forming super pods of over 100 individuals.

Minkes whales are typically spotted off the coast in the autumn, feeding on schooling fish that spawn south of Douglas.

The mobile nature of these species highlights the importance for a connected network of marine nature reserves.

The bay is also an important habitat for birdlife, with over 100 recorded species.

Key seabirds include herring gulls and shag, which breed on the cliffs, while the bay serves as an essential feeding ground for a variety of species including black guillemots and great black gulls.