Lynn Gilmore (2011)

An industry-led strategy for brown
crab management in Northern Ireland

Lynn Gilmore (Seafish), Dick James (NIFPO) and Rod Cappell
(Poseidon ARM Ltd.)

SAGB Conference,
Fishmongers Hall London, 18th
supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future May 2011

Overview
Background
Getting started
Aims of the project- ToR
The brown crab fishery in NI
landings, fleet, markets
Consulting the experts
Proposed management measures
Consulting the experts part 2
Other information
Research
Marketing
Proposed organisation
Next steps

supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future

Background
Significant brown crab (Cancer pagurus) fishery in the inshore waters of
Northern Ireland.
Fleet of small vessels targeting crab from July to December and targeting a
variety of other species outside this season- velvets, lobster, Palaemon,
buckie whelks.
Estimated that this industry is worth in the region of £1 million annually.
Taken together all inshore fishery landings are approaching the value of NI
Nephrops landings- very significant.
Report produced by Nautilus consultants in 2009 (engaged by the
Transnational Brown Crab Working Group) on the Future Management of
Brown Crab in the UK and Ireland confirmed that the Northern Ireland brown
crab fishery is discreet with no overlap in inshore and offshore areas.
It is worked on an inshore basis due to the ground topography around the NI
coast and is unique in its self containment.
Opportunity for this to be local management BUT . It s a tight squeeze!


Source: AFBI

Getting started
NIFPO were awarded funding from the Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) with a grant from
the European Fisheries Fund to develop a management
strategy.
Opportunity for local management using a bottom-up approach
NIFPO set up a steering group- industry representation from
catching and processing sectors from around the coast as well
as cross border representation. Group facilitated by Seafish.
Steering group developed Terms of Reference and appointed
Poseidon ARM Ltd. to carry out research.


Aims of project (ToR)
Assess the relative merits & impacts of key management measures for
the Northern Ireland brown crab fishery.
Examine the potential for development of a voluntary code of practice to
manage crab stocks.
Define quality standards required by processors and look at the potential
for sorting catch at sea to reduce mortality of crabs which are unsuitable
for the market.
Define the size and area of crab fisheries around Northern Ireland e.g.
plotting of information on GIS to include areas fished, gear used and key
spawning grounds.
Assess the framework for enabling local management of brown crab
resources
Look at marketing of crab and lobster in NI & recommend a strategy.


First steps
Preliminary research was carried
out on the fleet, the NI industry,
markets.
Desk based and one-to-one
consultation with industry,
Department, fisheries scientists.


The Brown Crab fishery in Northern Ireland

landings
fleet
market


Brown crab
landings-
by location

10% landed on North coast & growing

30% from Ards peninsula / Strangford

60% crab from south Down ports


Landings-
Over time


NI Fleet-
all sectors

95- 05: 22% increase in <10m fleet & 34% drop in over 10 s
05-now: increases in both (9% in <10m & 3% in over 10 s)
184 <10m vessels (86%) hold a shellfish entitlement.
23 >10m vessels (16%) hold a shellfish entitlement


The NI Brown Crab market

Most going to Co. Down & Donegal processors, some live.
Price has dropped due to over-supply
No payment/ poor payment for low quality crab supplied
BUTno clear disincentive to land it.
800t of NI crab landed in 2009 (3% of the UKs 24,400t)
NI crab operators are price-takers
Small volume + added transport = difficult market position.


Consulting the experts
First round of stakeholder meetings in November/ December 2010-
Annalong, Bangor and Cushendall.
Key element of the project.
Main aim of meetings- narrowing down potential management tools.


Cushendall

Bangor

Annalong


Proposed management measures
These were categorised into
4 areas:
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
QUALITY
CONSERVATION


INPUTS
Stakeholders considered:
Limit on shellfish licenses- sunset
clause to remove unused shellfish
licences (latent capacity)/ permit

Maximum vessel size in inshore
waters

Pot Limits

Gear measures - permit certain
types or sizes


OUTPUTS
Introduce TACs and quotas

Increase MLS

Further restriction on hobby
fishermen

Curfews


QUALITY
Ban the landing of cripple crabs

Landing of crab claws

Landing of white crab

Landing of diseased crab

Ban on landing berried crab


CONSERVATION
Stock conservation
Closed seasons to protect spawning or soft-shelled crab

Wider conservation
Closed areas
Escapement
Biodegradable clips
Escape gaps

MSC Certification??


Assessment of measures
Industry consulted at meetings

Given opportunity to give views afterwards by:
Contacting the team directly
Completing a simple questionnaire

Analysis of costs/ benefits and practicality of measures
carried out by consultants


Change in Code of
Management measure Sub-options
legislation conduct

a Permit
c. Crab permit based on
x
track record
b Limit type of vessels permitted
inshore a. size of vessel x

c Increase Minimum Landing Size
d Limit on hobby fishermen x
e Prevent the landing of white crab
x
f Ban landing crab claws
g Ban on landing berried crab

h Escapement
a. Escape gap
i Eco-labelling e.g. MSC
x


Consulting the experts part 2
This table of proposed management measures was proposed
to industry- April 11.
Aim- to ensure we were on the right lines.
Wide support for all the measures proposed but divided
opinion on whether these should be parcelled up in a permit.


Research
To better understand the NI crab fishery and inform its management:

1. Improve the knowledge and resolution of inshore potting activity by introducing
GPS/VMS for inshore vessels (link to improved catch reporting as below);

2. Develop a monitoring programme that collects individual log book records from
volunteer skippers
whole fleet or sentinel fleet?

3. Gain a better understanding of stock dynamics and status through larval surveys
and a tagging & recapture project.

4. Develop a long-term stock assessment programme assessment methods
require size and sex ratio information
could work with processors may have some historic information on grades &
sexes


Marketing
Overall Northern Ireland crab remains in a difficult market position as it is:

highly dependent on an export market;
logistically more remote than competing suppliers;
with a comparatively low volume of landings; and
no clear market distinction of Northern Irish product

So the marketing strategy should:
1.Focus on the catching sector. Promote the positive actions and buyers
can then incorporate as they see fit.

2. Establish quality assurances: adopting an industry-wide code of conduct
including landing of white and diseased crab.

3. Highlight sustainable credentials: low impact, small scale, improved
management. Further support this with MSC labelling (pending pre-
assessment result).


Proposed
North Coast Shellfish Assoc.
Organisation
local
code

Northern
Ireland
North Down Shellfish Assoc.
Shellfish
Management local
Plan code

local Strangford Lough Shellfish Assoc.
code
South Down Shellfish Assoc.
4 area associations feed into the plan.
Each represented on the main council delivering local
the plan. code


Proposed Organisation 2
Delivering the plan Scientists (AFBI & Unis) &
industry:
data collection & applied research
NI Shellfish Council:
Chair (?)
Seafish (sec & liaison)
North Coast Assoc. (2)
North Down Assoc. (2) NI Shellfish
Strangford Assoc. (2) Management Plan
South Down Assoc. (2)
DARD
AFBI
Irish link (BIM rep?)
DARD:
Others?
legislation & enforcement


Next steps
Review feedback from these 3 meetings- permit accepted in 2 of 4 areas

Draft a final report by end of May

Steering group will review and when approved, will submit to DARD as a
proposal.

Present to industry at a workshop in June

Meeting with DARD to agree process likely to be more formal sector
consultation on the management plan

Revise where necessary and look to implement the final management plan

So realistically could see management in place from next year (2012)
onwards.


Thank you for your attention

And thanks to project team:
NIFPO
Dr Rod Cappell (Poseidon)
Dr Colin Bannister
Steering Group members

Contact details:
Lynn Gilmore
l_gilmore@seafish.co.uk
02842738963
07966585816


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Lynn Gilmore (2011)

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