Laxey Bay (Manx:Baie Laksaa) is a coastal feature andMarine Nature Reserve on the east coast of theIsle of Man in the northIrish Sea. Geographically it is bounded by Laxey Head (Manx:Kione Laksaa) to the north and Clay Head (Manx:Kione ny Cleigh) to the south.
The bay is home to eelgrassZostera marina which is a highly protected species in Manx law, therefore a large part of the bay is close to potting and anchoring, with fines of £10,000 for infringement.
Laxey Bay was first protected as a "Fisheries Restricted Area" in 2009 to facilitateking scallop ranching, whereby the areas could be seeded with scallops, protected from fishing and then harvested at a later date. The bay was seeded with young scallops, however subsequent surveys indicated that densities remained very low (among the lowest of sites surveyed in Manx waters), likely owing to limited good scallop habitat within the bay.[1]
ABangor University survey in 2016 surveyed the habitats within the bay. On the basis of the presence of habitats of conservation importance, includingmaerl and eelgrass (Zostera marina), the survey recommended that they bay remain closed to mobile fishing in the long term. TheDepartment of Environment, Food and Agriculture thereafter consulted the public and stakeholders on making the bay aMarine Nature Reserve.
Tynwald granted Laxey Bay full statutory protection as a Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) under theWildlife Act 1990 from 1 September 2018.[2] It is now one of ten Marine Nature Reserves found around the Isle of Man, covering over 10% of the country's territorial waters.
The reserve lies west of a line drawn between two points at the following co-ordinates: Carrick Roayrt by Bulgham Bay (54° 14.3742’ N, 04° 21.9420’ W) and Kione ny Cleigh / Clay Head (54° 11.8044’ N, 04° 23.2338’ W), up to and including the shore to the level of the Highest Astronomical Tide. The reserve encompasses an area of 3.97 km2 which equates to 0.48% of the Island’s territorial seas in the 0-3 nautical mile zone. Laxey Bay MNR also includes a highly protected Eelgrass Conservation Zone within Garwick Bay.
The reserve is managed by theDepartment of Environment, Food and Agriculture in collaboration with its fisheries science advisors and other stakeholders including the fishing industry and recreational users.
The Manx Marine Nature Reserves Byelaws 2018 prohibit theextraction of sand, gravel or rock, the deposition of any substance or articles, the use of mobile fishing gear (dredges and trawls) and long lines and the taking of either queen or king scallops whilst diving.
Within the Eelgrass Conservation Zone even anchoring and the use of static fishing gear (pots) is prohibited to protecteelgrass, a protected Manx species and important marine habitat.
While there is currently no speed restrictions for vessels in the reserve, theIsle of Man Government requests mariners have consideration of the impact of high speed on marine animals and other users.[3]
The bay is a "core marine area" of the Isle of Man'sUNESCO Biosphere Reserve.[4]
The rocky coast of Kione ny Cleigh/Clay Head is listed as one of the top 40 geological sites in the Isle of Man and is a candidateRegionally Important Geodiversity Site.[5]
The primary marine conservation features of Laxey Bay are maerl beds to the north and east, eelgrass meadows in Garwick Bay,kelp forest, rocky reef, thedog whelk (Nucella lapillus) population and relatively large numbers of the long-lived bivalve, theocean quahog (Arctica islandica).[1]Thornback ray, spotted ray andsmall-spotted catshark eggcases are regularly found on Garwick Beach, suggesting nearby breeding populations.
Laxey Bay is also notable for its seabird populations, including breedingshag,black guillemot,Eurasian eider,herring gull,great black-backed gull and small numbers oflesser black-backed gull.red-billed chough,peregrine,Eurasian oystercatcher,Eurasian curlew,great cormorant,grey heron andnorthern fulmar are also commonly seen. Within the bay small numbers ofgannet can be seen spectacularly diving for fish, as can large groups (50+) of feeding shag.
Harbour porpoise regularly use the area and occasionallygrey seals may be spotted.[1] Between October and March large pods (up to 200 individuals) ofbottlenose dolphins and small groups ofminke whales (in the autumn) can also be found. Less commonly small pods ofRisso’s dolphin and the occasional large pod (over 100) ofshort-beaked common dolphin can be seen.
Historically the bay was overfished by the scallop industry, a very environmentally destructive form of fishing, however it is expected the bay will recover in time. Several fish species in the widerIrish Sea, such as cod, herring and skate species have undergone population collapse or decline, which will have impacted populations within the bay.[6]
As of 2025, raw, untreated and unfilteredsewage is still discharged into Garwick Bay, bringing with it larges amounts ofplastic waste. Both the Laxey River and Gawne River also bringagricultural runoff into the bay, which combined with the sewage, results in both Garwick and Laxey Beaches often failing to achieve minimum bathing water standards during monthly testing.
Media related toLaxey Bay at Wikimedia Commons
