Crab & Lobster
The timeline for the UK Crab and Lobster FIP came to an end in April 2023. The final annual review of the FIP indicated that no performance indicator would be expected to fail in an MSC assessment, however there are still activities underway to ensure the fishery demonstrate best practice against the MSC Standard.
Demonstrable progress against the majority of the remaining actions is reliant on the delivery of the national Crab and Lobster Fisheries Management Plan by Defra, which is due to be published by the end of 2023. These actions include the implementation of a harvest strategy and harvest control rules, fishery specific objectives and decision making processes.
To reach the best practice level of the MSC Standard (SG 80), this FIP is focussing on:
Principle 1 (stock status):
Developing a harvest strategy that is aligned across relevant management authorities; and
Developing harvest control rules and tools at stock level, including adaptive management mechanisms that ensure management is responsive to the status of the stock.
Principle 2 (environmental impact):
Understanding the catch composition;
Reviewing alternative management measures to minimise mortality of all non-target species;
Identifying interactions with endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species and developing additional management requirements in an ETP strategy; and
Documenting current habitat management measures in place, both from within IFCA-managed areas and outside six nautical miles.
Principle 3 (management):
Developing a Fisheries Management Plan (FMP);
Developing short- and long-term fishery objectives; and
Identifying and agreeing management needs and objectives with trans-boundary management authorities, for example across relevant IFCAs, and with the French and Irish management authorities.
Progress and updates
The priorities and challenges are highlighted in the MSC Performance Indicator Graph (right) and correspond to the three principles of the MSC Standard. More detail on the progress against these actions can be found in the FIP Action Plan.
The crab & lobster FIP is independently assessed by FisheryProgress.org. The FIP pre-assessments (conducted in 2016) are available here for crab and lobster.
In 2022, the funders and Steering Group members reviewed the impacts of Brexit and the global pandemic on the progress of the FIP actions. They agreed to extend this FIP by one year to ensure that all identified actions impacted by these unforeseen events have the time and attention required to complete them. The updated action plan focuses on progressing the harvest strategy and harvest control rules, in alignment with the national Crab Management Group, who are responsible for drafting the crab and lobster Fisheries Management Plan.
More information about the FIP’s activity in its final year can be read in the Project UK Annual Report (2022-2023)
Scoring levels across MSC Performance Indicators for the crab & lobster FIP at the end of Year 6.
The crab & lobster FIP is supported by a dedicated steering group of experts representing a cross-sectoral range of stakeholder organisations.
Participants
Centre for Environmental & Fisheries Science (Cefas) • Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) • Cornwall College • Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) • Direct Seafoods • Falfish • Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (Cornwall, Devon and Severn, Scilly Isles, Southern) • Labeyrie • Macduff • Marine Management Organisation • Morrisons • Natural England • North Devon Fishermens Association • Poseidon • Seafish • Seafood & Eat It • South Devon and Channel Fishermen • The Blue Sea Food Co • The Real Cornish Crab Company Ltd • Waterdance • W Harvey & Sons • WWF
Meeting Minutes
2021
19/01/2021
Minutes: Principle 1 and 3 Meeting.
26/01/2021
Minutes: Principle 2 and harvest strategy Meeting.
24/06/2021
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
2019
19/09/2019
Minutes: Management Sub-Group.
12/08/2019
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
06/06/2019
Minutes: Management Sub-Group.
30/04/2019
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
2018
27/11/2018
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
03/07/2018
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
25/06/2018
Minutes: Management Sub-Group.
07/02/2018
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
2017
26/10/2017
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
03/07/2017
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
18/01/2017
Minutes: Steering Group Meeting.
Additional Documents
2023
Round 1 Crab & Lobster: Year 6 report (April 2023)
2022
Round 1 Crab & Lobster: Year 5 report (April 2022)
Project UK south west crab management workshop (June 2022)
South west crab and lobster management options (Note: this is a working document, correct as of Feb 2023)
2021
Fishery Progress: Three Year Review (June 2021)
Photos by ©South Devon and Channel Shellfishermen (Image 1) and ©Sam Dell (Images 2 & 3)