The Marine Conservation Society urges the UK government to implement better management of declining crab and lobster populations
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has updated its Good Fish Guide in line with the latest scientific advice, which sees 146 ratings updated, with 29 moving down the sustainability scale, 93 staying the same, and only 10 improving.
This season, the charity has reviewed all of its ratings for crab and lobster fisheries in England and Wales, which includes 26 ratings for brown crab and 28 for European lobster caught in UK seas.
Of all the updated ratings there is currently only one green-rated crab fishery, in Shetland, and one green-rated lobster fishery, in Jersey. MCS says that both fisheries are well managed and ‘pave the way’ for sustainable fishing practices across the UK.
Crab and lobster are typically caught in baited pots, traps and creels, which are lowered to the seafloor and then hauled to the surface, where the fishers can choose which crab or lobster they land – a very selective process, protecting young and breeding individuals.
There is, however, no limit set by the UK government as to the number of pots that can be used, nor how many crabs and lobsters can be caught, which the Marine Conservation Society suggests is potentially unsustainable for populations. Although some areas have a local pot limit in place, there is no data to show if these help improve the stock.
This autumn’s update to the Good Fish Guide sees crab fisheries in Northumberland, Kent and Essex, Southern, Isles of Scilly and Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (IFCA) districts all receive a lower score due to decreases in population numbers – although each remain at ‘amber’ levels in the MCS traffic-light system of sustainability, where green is the best choice; amber for fisheries where improvements are needed; and red indicating fish to avoid.
‘We are really concerned about the picture of crab and lobster across the UK,’ said Kenneth Bodles, Head of Innovative Conservation at the Marine Conservation Society. ‘If managed well, crab and lobster could be flagship species for sustainable fishing in the UK, supporting local people whose communities have been built on fishing for these iconic species. Crab and lobster fisheries are doing well in some areas, and we need the UK Government to adopt similar management measures across the UK.’
The UK Government published a Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) for crab and lobster in December 2023. FMPs are a requirement of the Fisheries Act 2020, the UK Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), and a commitment in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 for England.
FMPs assess the status of stocks and must set out policies to restore stocks to, or maintain them at, sustainable levels, although MCS says it’s not clear how the measures set out will achieve this, or to what timescale they are working.
‘The Good Fish Guide shows us that we need better management measures for these fisheries right across the UK,’ said Alice Moore, Good Fish Guide Manager at the Marine Conservation Society. ‘The Fisheries Management Plan set out by the UK Government is welcome, but it doesn’t currently go far enough in specifying the measures and timescales needed to effectively restore populations of crab and lobster.
‘The examples of the crab fishery in Shetland and lobster in Jersey provide evidence that better management can achieve sustainable fishing and still allow populations to thrive.’
MCS says it would like to see regular stock assessments in place across the UK (at least every 2 years) to better monitor populations. The charity says it would also like to fisheries management measures that are responsive to changes in stock levels, and capture methods that minimise habitat damage and the impact on vulnerable species.
Find the latest sustainable seafood advice for wild-caught and farmed seafood on the Good Fish Guide, downloadable to your phone from www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide.
