IFMAC 14/10
INSHORE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION (IFMAC) GROUP
30 SEPTEMBER 2014
INSHORE UPDATE
Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Group – Consultation
Over the summer Marine Scotland issued a consultation seeking views on proposals
developed by the Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Group. The consultation
covered:
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Increasing the Minimum Landing Size of brown crab, velvet crab and lobsters;
Prohibiting the landing of ‘crippled’ female lobsters;
Decreasing the Maximum Landing Size of Lobsters.
The consultation has concluded and we expect to announce the outcome shortly.
IFG Fisheries Management Plans Data Gathering
NAFC IFG Pilot for Landings and Effort Monitoring in Selected Fisheries
MS Inshore Fisheries Policy has commissioned the NAFC Marine Centre to
undertake a pilot investigation involving the detailed collection of commercial fishing
information at the 25 square nautical mile level. This project investigates the
potential for detailed reporting of landings, effort and location information to be
undertaken by vessels as a way of improving information for inshore management.
Currently all landings are routinely reported to ICES statistical rectangle level with
limited or no correlation to fishing effort.
The NAFC database has been updated to provide a 5nm (approximate) grid for the
Scottish coastline and volunteer vessels have been sought to engage with the data
collection process. Vessels in the Western Isles, Solway Firth and Tiree are currently
involved with the trials.
EFF Data Gathering in Support of Sustainable Scottish Inshore Fisheries
This £1.4m project was initiated in June. MASTS have been appointed as the
project managers and are working with two project facilitators. Full details of the
progress with delivering the work programmes are contained within the separate
report submitted to this IFMAC meeting.
IFMAC 14/10
Inshore Fisheries Projects
During 2013/14 all IFGs submitted projects for consideration for funding. Nine
projects were successful with around £70,000 awarded. These IFG projects
included:
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Development and study of lobster habitats – Orkney
Cockle Survey – Western Isles
V-notching project and Creel Escape Panel Project – South West
Hand-line mackerel quality improvement study – East Coast
Educational visit to Orkney – North West
A further call for projects closed on 19 September and 13 bids have been received.
In the coming weeks a panel of Marine Scotland officials will consider the
applications.
Creel Support Fund
The Scottish Creel Support Fund was established earlier this year to provide
financial assistance to the creel sector, which suffered a considerable loss of fishing
gear and a significant drop in catches due to the exceptional weather of winter 201213. Awards of £2,000 each were made to 153 fishermen, for a total of £306,000.
A further £100,000 has gone towards developing new and existing markets for creelcaught produce, in partnership with Seafood Scotland. A working group made up of
catchers and processors has been set up to decide on the direction of this work.
Scallop Consultation
Marine Scotland will shortly be issuing a consultation on the introduction of new
restrictions in the Scottish scallop fishery.
This consultation will focus on those recommendations of the Review of the Scottish
Scallop Fishery which aimed at managing effort in the fishery and increasing
spawning stock biomass.
The consultation will seek views on:
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Increasing the minimum landing size of scallops;
New restrictions on the number of dredges that can be used;
Restricting the upsizing of replacement vessels (the power of replacement
vessels should be no greater than those they are replacing);
Limiting the time that vessels can spend at sea (either through an overnight
restriction or through a days at sea regime).
IFMAC 14/10
Solway Cockles
Marine Scotland has engaged with stakeholders over the past 2 years and received
a strong message that the fishery should only be opened if managed sustainably and
for benefit of local fishermen.
Marine Scotland established a management study involving joint working from a
range of partners that combined rigorous health and safety measures, tight controls
over hand gathering activity on the shore, direct transfer of all catch to a central hub
and all sales occurring from that hub.
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The study began in November 2013 but was postponed in December because
of the poor quality of the cockles;
Re-commenced in August but once again, buyers had issues with the quality
of the produce which was reflected in the price offered;
The contractor subsequently withdrew from the contract due to difficulties in
marketing cockles of inconsistent quality in a difficult market.
Positive outcomes despite the above issues:
 Still able to draw conclusions and analyse options for a regulated and robustly
managed fishery;
 Valuable lessons learned on operating a fishery;
 Local workforce is now highly trained, safety aware and in a better position
than ever before to participate in the cockle fishing industry anywhere.
Marine Scotland is hopeful of opening the Solway cockle fishery within the next year
in a safe, controlled and sustainable way which brings economic benefit to the local
area.
Inshore Team
Marine Scotland
September 2014