East Coast Crab

Summary

This FIP area was identified based on the southern North Sea brown crab (Cancer pagarus) stock. This stock overlaps with several key fishing ports on the East coast of England, from Cromer to Bridlington.

In 2024, FaSS funding was awarded to engage further with the crab fishing communities that target this stock, to gauge the capacity to make the proposed improvements. Members of the MSC UK & Ireland outreach team held outreach sessions in Wells-next-the-Sea, Grimsby and Bridlington to meet members of the fishing industry, supply chain and management organizations to begin this process, and are now reviewing the potential next steps in conjunction with the MSC Improvement Program.

The pre-assessment conducted in 2022 found that improvements need to be made in various areas, including:

  • Stock status (& stock rebuilding if necessary)

  • Harvest strategy & Harvest Control Rules

  • Interaction with the wider habitat

    …in order to pass an MSC assessment.

Please contact projectuk@msc.org with any enquiries.

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Scoping report

Assessing opportunities for brown crab Fishery Improvement Projects in the Southern North Sea 

Access the full report here. 

This report sets out the findings of scoping work undertaken by Project UK to assess the potential for developing an industry-led Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for brown crab (Cancer pagurus) in the Southern North Sea (ICES area 4c). The work builds on an updated pre-assessment completed in 2024 and follows outreach and engagement carried out in 2025 to understand where conditions are most favourable for progressing a FIP in the near term and what steps would be required to move this work forward. 

The report identifies North Norfolk as the strongest near-term opportunity to develop a credible, industry-led FIP, reflecting engagement from both the catching and processing sectors and the potential for industry to make progress on actions within its control. It also outlines why a FIP is not recommended at this stage in Bridlington & Holderness or Grimsby and sets out considerations for future engagement in these areas. 

The findings are intended to inform the sequencing and focus of Round 3 of Project UK, ensuring that future FIPs are evidence-led, appropriately scoped, and positioned to deliver meaningful improvements. 

This work was funded through the UK Government’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FASS) and generously matched by the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust (FCFCT).