So many birds were being killed that the Environment Agency suspended net fishing for two weeks.

The “cooling-off” period has now ended and the nets have once again been set, prompting fears of a wildlife disaster.

The netsmen are licensed by the Environment Agency to catch salmon and sea-trout using fixed nets – an activity that has taken place in the bay for the last 50 years.

But the bay also provides a main source of food for razorbills, guillemots and puffins who dive for small fish to feed to hungry chicks. As they pursue prey underwater they are blundering into the nets and drowning.

The agency’s area environment manager Mark Scott said: “The agency worked with the fishermen, Natural England and the RSPB to put a voluntary agreement in place to suspend fishing for two weeks because we wanted to find a sustainable solution that would provide far greater protection for the seabirds and allow a fishery to continue.

“The agency does not have direct legal powers to close the fishery this season so we have met with the fishermen over the past two weeks and asked them to make some further voluntary changes to their netting practices for the rest of the season.

“These included not leaving their set-nets unattended, not deploying nets overnight, agreeing to release any trapped birds as quickly and as carefully as possible and to report all dead birds to an Environment Agency researcher so that we can really get a more accurate picture of the issue.”

An agreement was reached last year between the Environment Agency, Natural England, RSPB and the fisherman to voluntarily stop fishing when certain trigger levels of seabird by-catches are reached.

These levels have been set by Natural England and adopt a “precautionary approach” that prevents the fishery from having an impact on the internationally important seabird colonies of Flamborough Head.

Mr Scott added: “The agency is also funding research at Filey Bay which will allow us to make some sensible decisions to provide greater protection to the seabird colonies and also allow the traditional fishery to continue to operate in a sustainable way.

“This a unique set of circumstances which have required us to find a way forward that is in everyone’s interests.”

The RSPB said it was extremely concerned that many more birds will die with the reopening of the fishery. .

Kate Tanner, a marine policy officer with the RSPB, said they would have preferred it if the opening had been delayed for another two weeks.