Western Seas & Channel Monkfish
The Western Seas and Channel Monkfish FIP launched in 2017 and concluded in 2024 after seven years of dedicated work from the Steering Group.
Representatives from 30 UK organisations and 59 individual members over the lifespan of the FIP contributed significant time and expertise towards trying to support this fishery’s journey towards MSC certification. This FIP identified 11 actions that would deliver the necessary improvements to increase the fishery’s sustainability and move towards a point where it could enter full MSC assessment.
Summary
During the last seven years, the Steering Group has been working on key areas of the fishery, focussing on stock health, managing any impacts of fishing on habitat and other species, and better clarifying aspects of fisheries management systems. Since the beginning of this improvement project, our understanding of the health of the monkfish stocks has significantly improved, thanks to a full analytical stock assessment of both species. Bespoke identification guides for ETP species have been created for fishers and a number of research projects have been commissioned.
Annual progress against the FIP’s actions can be seen in the charts opposite.
Next Steps
Over the seven - year lifespan of the monkfish improvement project, this fishery has made significant strides in increasing the knowledge and data underpinning its management. The Monkfish FIP has helped to develop an environment of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in this, and the other related South West Fishery Improvement Projects. To continue progress against the remaining few actions needed for this fishery to aim for MSC certification, a number of recommendations were made by the technical consultants to the FIP, Poseidon.
These recommendations included a need for the fishery to be better informed of the spatial extent and location of the under 12m fleet, and their effect on other species including ETP species, as well as habitat interactions.
To maintain the momentum of progress towards MSC certification, the FIP will be taken forward by the recently formed South West Seafood Sustainabilty Hub, which is focused on delivering validated sustainable fisheries in the south west of England.
For a full list of the remaining actions, milestones, and MSC scoring indicators, please see the Year 7 Annual Review by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management.
The monkfish FIP was supported by dedicated experts representing a range of stakeholder organisations:
Participants
Brixham Trawler Agents • Centre for Environmental & Fisheries Science (Cefas) • COOP (Switzerland) • Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) • Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) • Devon and Severn IFCA • Falfish • Interfish • Marine Management Organisation (MMO) • Marks and Spencer • Natural England • Sainsbury’s • Seafish • South West Fish Producers Organisation • Western Fish Producer Organisation • WWF • WWF Switzerland
Resources
Research & Outputs
FIP Steering Group Meeting Minutes
2024
2023
2022
06/21 Fishery Progress: Three Year Review
2021 Literature review post-discard survival elasmobranchs towed gear (2021)
02/21 Research paper supporting a genetics-informed fisheries management approach - Aguirre-Sarabia et al
2021 Riberio Santos, A (2021), Catch composition for Monkfish fishery in Celtic Sea - beam trawl, demersal trawl and tangle/trammel and gillnets
19/01/21 Minutes: Principle 3 meeting
28/01/21 Minutes: Principle 1 and 2 meeting
22/06/21 Minutes: Principle 3 and commercial update
24/06/21 Minutes: Principle 1 and 2 meeting
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
02/06/16 Minutes: Steering Group Meeting
