A new approach to shellfish management

in England

Juliette Hatchman

SAGB Annual Conference, 17 May 2011

The problem

Potting effort risen over past 5-10 years

Potential overexploitation of stocks, in particular brown crabs

Concerns about economic viability of shellfish industry

Latent licence capacity threatening effectiveness of future

management measures

Latent licence capacity within UK & English shellfish fleets - 2009

Source: MMO

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

UK England UK England

Dormant Under utilised

over 24m

15-24m

10-15m

up to 10m

3317 UK vessels with shellfish entitlements

Possible solutions

Management measures at national & local level

Move away from reactive management costs to industry

expected to be smaller

Take pre-emptive action to reduce potential for future growth in

capacity of shellfish sector

Reducing potential for future growth in capacity by

...capping overall fishing mortality within key shellfisheries

within English zone

introducing a rights based management system, which aims

to

Provide industry with greater responsibility of management of their

fishery

Provide means to take informed decisions on security & long term

financial viability of businesses

Incentivise industry to rationalise fleet & its capacity

Economically viable and sustainable industry

Latest proposals

Introduction of a rights based management system within

English zone of British Fishery Limits

Implemented through UK fishing licence

Allocation of user-rights to those wishing to prosecute key

shellfisheries

Applied to brown crab, lobster and whelk stocks to be kept

under review

Benefits for Industry and Government (and tax payer)

Learn lessons from existing systems in operation

Allocation of user-rights

User-rights equivalent to proportion of total allowable catch

(TAC) for an individual fishery

Allocated for fixed period of time (e.g. 5, 10 years)

TAC and user-rights based on historic landings data during

given reference period

Allocated to individuals, groups of individuals or communities

Allocation of user-rights

Current brown crab stock monitoring areas could be new stock

management areas?

Source: Final report: Future Management of Brown Crab in UK and Ireland, Nautilus report

Work in progress

Seeking UK agreement of proposals within English zone

Working with fishermen and delivery partners, designing how

system could be set up and run

Conditions applied to user-rights

Trade/transferability of user-rights

Safeguards

Provisions for new entrants

Research project to explore how a rights based management

system could be implemented

Next steps

Exploring possibility of closing off/reducing potential for other

member states vessels to undermine national scheme (starting with

French and RoI)

Formal consultation on reform of English fisheries management

system launched at start of April running for 12 weeks

Looking to implement fully by 2013 to coincide with completion of

reform of English under-10 metre fleet

Exploring ways to address data gaps

Summing up

Identification of priority issues

Work underway to explore options for addressing priority issues

in short term & longer term

Empowerment of industry key

Keen to continue working with SAGB and its members

Policy currently in development this is your opportunity to

influence it

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