Fisheries: UK Celtic Sea Nephrops-directed fisheries technical measures

Overview

The government’s objectives in the Celtic Sea mixed fishery are to improve selectivity in the fishery as a whole, help enable depleted stocks such as cod and whiting to recover, and to enable the continuation of a sustainable fishery. Following engagement with industry, the UK developed a package of technical measures for otter trawl and bottom seine vessels in UK waters. These measures are expected to be introduced on 5 September 2021 (MMO 2020 New Fisheries Technical Measures). The alterations to the technical measures in the Celtic Sea planned for September do not affect Nephrops-directed fisheries. This consultation is about a possible further set of technical measures that does affect vessels targeting Nephrops.

This consultation focusses on possible changes to technical measures relevant to vessels targeting Nephrops, also known as Norway lobster or langoustine, in UK waters in the Celtic Sea. We would like to invite your views and responses in relation to the proposed changes and we will consider these in detail in deciding whether to implement changes to existing measures and if so, what the changes should be. We anticipate that amendments to these measures will be implemented later this year.

We are working closely with Welsh Government on this, as the technical measures are relevant to both the English and Welsh zones of British Fishery limits in the Celtic Sea. We will share the responses to this consultation with them, as well as keeping Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive informed.

This consultation will run for 4 weeks from 16 July to 13 August 2021.

What happens next

Following closure of the consultation a summary of responses to this consultation will be published on the Government website at: www.gov.uk/defra.