The need for sustainable fishing of queen scallop has been recognised by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra); to address this, a queen scallop Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) development process is underway, and a public consultation has been launched.

As part of the FMP development, Defra commissioned ABPmer to provide support in reviewing the currently available information and management for queen scallop fishery. ABPmer’s information review supported Defra in gathering the evidence required to determine whether management measures and approaches applied make a worthwhile contribution to ensuring sustainable harvesting of stocks. The proposed FMP and supporting evidence is currently undergoing public consultation.

ABPmer’s work included:

• An overview of the queen scallop fishery, including stock boundaries and stock assessment data, fleet structure and spatial activity, existing management and technical measures, environmental considerations, evidence gaps, and stakeholder representation
• An overview of trends and performance of the Irish Sea Queen Scallop fishery over the last 10 years, including landings, stock status and markets
• Recommendations to support the FMP development

The recommendations will be based on the following criteria:

• Evidence regarding the Irish Sea queen scallop fishery in English waters
• Potential new management approaches and measures to improve the sustainability of the stock
• Other evidence and/or actions required to meet the broader obligations under the Fisheries Act, such as environmental protection

The development of the queen scallop FMP for English waters will be particularly interesting, given that the stock falls into the management jurisdictions of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man, and that, although only a small number of vessels directly target this species, most are fishing in English waters and landing in Scotland or Isle of Man.

The proposed queen scallop FMP is open to public consultation until 19 January 2025.

ABPmer supports policy-makers, regulators and the fisheries and aquaculture industry on marine environmental policy matters, assessment and management, including interactions between fisheries, marine protected areas (MPAs) and other marine developments.

Ready to discuss your next project? Get in touch.