Nephrops Fishery Improvement Project

The Nephrops Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) is a collaborative, industry-led partnership designed to improve the sustainable management of UK Nephrops fisheries and strengthen social responsibility across the fleet. 

Nephrops is a small, pale orange lobster also known as langoustine, Norway lobster or Dublin Bay prawn. It is the UK’s most valuable shellfish stock making it a vital fishery for many coastal communities.

The Nephrops FIP is supported by the UK catching sector, processors, retailers and fisheries scientists, and builds on the former Project UK FIP, which ended in June 2024. Seafish acts as the facilitator of the Nephrops FIP.

The FIP paves the way for renewed focus on key challenges facing the fishery. An Action Plan has been developed in collaboration with industry, which sets out a roadmap to drive improvements and achieve sustainable and well-managed fisheries in line with three core principles: the sustainability of the stock, ecosystem impacts and effective management. 

The FIP applied to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Improvement Program in December 2024, which supports fisheries to make measurable, independently verified progress towards MSC certification. The FIP’s application is currently under review by a third-party Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), and an update on the application is expected in early 2025.

More information on the Nephrops Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) will be published soon.

To find out more about the Nephrops FIP, please contact Fiona Birch-Green (Fisheries Analyst) by emailing fiona.birch-green@seafish.co.uk.