Get your voice heard on the Fisheries Management Plan consultations

On 17 July, Defra announced public consultations on the first six 'frontrunner' (or pilot) Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). These are the first six of 43 FMPs originally put forward in the UK's Joint Fisheries Statement in November 2022, which will deliver on commitments proposed in the Fisheries Act 2020. 

FMPs are evidence-based action plans which set out measures and objectives for keeping stocks at sustainable levels, or restoring them to sustainable levels where needed. They detail how fishing is managed, by stock, fishery, or location. FMPs are a new approach to fisheries management in the UK, using the latest scientific evidence and stakeholder expertise to build a resilient, productive and sustainable fishing sector.  

The stocks covered by the frontrunner FMPs are: 

• Crab and lobster 
• Whelk 
• King scallop 
• Bass 
• Channel Demersal Non-Quota Species 
• Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel Mixed Flatfish 

All consultations on the frontrunner FMPs close on 1 October 2023.  

Crab, lobster and whelk Fisheries Management Plans

At Seafish, we have led the development of the Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) for crab, lobster and whelk in English waters. While all the FMPs share an overarching objective – to ensure the sustainability of one or several stocks – each has scope to set different priorities according to the data and management needs of the stock(s) covered. The key proposals for the crab, lobster and whelk FMPs are as follows:

Crab and lobster FMP, England

The key proposals of the crab and lobster FMP are to:

• Collate the existing science and react to evidence gaps such as stock boundaries and spatial inconsistencies in data collection/quality.
• Explore opportunities to standardise or increase lobster and crawfish minimum landing sizes across English waters to harmonise with existing IFCA measures.
• Prohibit the landing of soft brown crab for bait.
• Pilot management regimes for brown crab and European lobster in certain areas.
• Develop and refine measures for long term sustainability, of which seasonal closures, effort limits, and pot and catch limits are under consideration.

Whelk FMP, England

The key proposals of the whelk FMP are to:

• Collate the existing science and react to evidence gaps such as stock boundaries and especially abundance for this data limited stock.
• Introduce short term measures such as:
  • A permit/licence entitlement scheme to control effort and allow for adaptive management on a local scale.
  • Seasonal closures to protect spawning stocks.
• As the evidence base improves, long term measures will focus on exploring measures for long term sustainability, including minimum landing size variations, pot and catch limits, and gear design.

Ways to engage - Fisheries Management Plan consultation events 

Defra Events: Future Fisheries Management LIVE! 

Defra are running a series of in-person and online events through August and into early September. Attendees will be able to find out more about the frontrunner FMPs and provide feedback directly. Details of these events, including how to register, can be found at the link below:  

Seafish Events: Crab, lobster and whelk FMPs

In addition to Defra's live events, we will be running a series of in-person events throughout September focused on the crab, lobster and whelk FMPs.  

Anyone with an interest in these stocks has opportunity to gain more detailed insights into the measures set out by the plans. Details of these events are below.