2018
Shellfish Stocks and Fisheries
Review 2018
An assessment of selected stocks
The Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara
The data that underpins the advice provided in this book is collected under the Data Collection Framework, which is financed by the Irish government and the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund as part of the EMFF Operational Programme for 2014 -2020
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Acknowledgement: Data presented in this report originates from a variety of sources including voluntary submission of information by fishermen, through core funded projects from the Marine Institute, and is part supported by the Irish government and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund as part of the EMFF Operational Programme for 2014-2020
Photographs on cover by Y. Reecht (Oyster sampling featuring J. Fahy), Man vyi (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coques.jpg) (Cockle) (this image was cropped to fit on cover), O. Tully (Oyster and Scallop), M. Ó’Cuaig (Razor sampling), M. Ó’Cuaig (Scallop), S. Clarke (Fishing vessel)
© Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara 2018
Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material contained in this publication, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Neither the Marine Institute, BIM nor the author accepts any responsibility whatsoever for loss or damage occasioned, or claimed to have been occasioned, in part or in full as a consequence of any person acting or refraining from acting, as a result of a matter contained in this publication. All or part of this publication may be reproduced without further permission, provided the source is acknowledged.
ISBN: 978-1-902895-63-5
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1 CONTENTS
Table of Contents
Contents 1 Introduction ...... 4 2 Shellfish Fleet ...... 5 2.1 Fleet capacity ...... 5 2.2 Fleet structure ...... 5 2.3 Fleet capacity transfer rule ...... 6 2.4 Vessels targeting Shellfish ...... 6 i a i g ...... 10 4 Overview of Management Measures, Stock Status and Exploitation Status ...... 12 4.1 Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptor 3 (Fisheries) ...... 12 4.2 Exploitation and Stock Status criteria for Shellfish...... 13 4.2.1 Description ...... 13 4.2.2 Quality of the criteria ...... 14 4.2.3 Current Status by Species ...... 15 5 Razor clam ( i i i ua and i ag u ) ...... 20 5.1 Management advice ...... 20 5.2 Issues relevant to the assessment of the razor clam fishery ...... 20 5.3 Management Units ...... 21 5.4 Management measures ...... 21 5.5 North Irish Sea ...... 22 5.5.1 Landings ...... 22 5.5.2 Survey 2018 ...... 24 5.5.3 Stock biomass indicators ...... 26 5.5.4 Depletion corrected catch advice ...... 28 5.5.5 Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) ...... 30 5.5.6 Economic viability of the fishery ...... 30 5.6 South Irish Sea ...... 32 5.6.1 Landings ...... 32 5.6.2 Survey 2018 ...... 32 5.6.3 Catch advice ...... 34 5.7 Waterford Estuary ...... 35 5.8 Inisbofin ...... 36 5.9 Killary Harbour ...... 37 5.10 Ballinakill Bay ...... 40 6 Cockle (C a a u ) ...... 42 6.1 Management advice ...... 42 6.2 Issues relevant to the assessment of the cockle fishery ...... 42 6.3 Management Units ...... 43 6.4 Management measures ...... 43 6.5 Dundalk Bay ...... 43 6.5.1 Biomass and landings 2007- 2018 ...... 43 6.5.2 Survey in 2018 ...... 44 7 Oyster ( a u i ) ...... 47 7.1 Management advice ...... 47
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2 CONTENTS
7.2 Issues relevant to the assessment of the oyster fishery ...... 47 7.3 Management Units ...... 48 7.4 Survey methods ...... 48 7.5 Inner Tralee Bay ...... 49 7.5.1 Stock trends ...... 49 7.5.2 Biomass and landings in 2018 ...... 49 7.5.3 Size distribution 2018 ...... 51 7.6 Lough Swilly ...... 52 7.6.1 Native oyster ...... 52 7.6.2 Pacific oyster...... 54 7.7 Galway Bay ...... 56 7.7.1 Stock trends ...... 56 7.7.2 Survey November 2018 ...... 56 8 Scallop ( a i u ) ...... 59 8.1 Management advice ...... 59 8.2 Issues relevant to the assessment of scallop ...... 59 8.3 Management Units ...... 59 8.4 Management measures ...... 60 8.5 Offshore scallop fisheries ...... 61 8.5.1 Landings ...... 61 8.5.2 Catch rate indicators ...... 62 9 Spatial restrictions on fisheries for environmental protection (Natura)...... 64 9.1 Article 6 (Habitats Directive) Assessments and Mitigations ...... 64 9.2 Fisheries Natura Declarations ...... 64 9.3 Site specific Fisheries Mitigation Measures ...... 64 9.3.1 Roaringwater Bay ...... 65 9.3.2 Saltee Island and Hook Head ...... 65 9.3.3 Blacksod Bay ...... 66 9.3.4 Clew Bay ...... 67 10 Glossary ...... 69
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3 INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction This review presents information on the status of selected shellfish stocks in Ireland. In addition, data on the fleet and landings of shellfish species (excluding and mussels) are presented. The intention of this annual review is to present stock assessment and management advice for shellfisheries that may be subject to new management proposals or where scientific advice is required in relation to assessing the environmental impact of shellfisheries especially in areas designated under European Directives. The review reflects the recent work of the Marine Institute (MI) in the biological assessment of shellfish fisheries and their interaction with the environment. Stock status and exploitation status indicators are presented, where estimated, as a contribution to the assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) of shellfish for Descriptor 3 (Commercial Fisheries) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Mitigation measures to protect habitats within Natura 2000 sites, which have been developed in response to Habitats Directive Article 6 assessments and in consultation with the industry, are summarised. The competent authority for the management of these sites is the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government oversees the implementation of the MSFD in Ireland.
The information and advice presented here for shellfish is complementary to that presented in the MI Stock Book on demersal and pelagic fisheries. Separate treatment of shellfish is warranted as their biology and distribution, the assessment methods that can be applied to them and the system under which they are managed, all differ substantially to demersal and pelagic stocks.
Shellfish stocks are not generally assessed by The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and although they come under the competency of the Common Fisheries Policy they are generally not regulated by TAC and in the main, and other than crab and scallop, are distributed inside the national 12nm fisheries limit. Management of these fisheries, by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) is based mainly on minimum landing sizes but increasingly also by the use of input or output controls.
A co-operative management framework introduced by the Governing Department and BIM in 2005 (Anon 2005) and under which a number of fishery management plans were developed was, in 2014, replaced by the National and Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums (RIFFs). These bodies are consultative forums, the members of which are representative of the inshore fisheries sector and other stakeholder groups. The National forum (NIFF) provides a structure with which each of the regional forums can interact with each other and with the Marine Agencies, DAFM and the Minister.
Management of oyster fisheries is the responsibility of The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) implemented through Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). In many cases, however, management responsibility for oysters is devolved through Fishery Orders or 10 year Aquaculture licences to local co-operatives.
The main customers for this review are DAFM the RIFFs, NIFF and other Departments and Authorities listed above.
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4 FISHING FLEET
Shellfish Fleet 2.1 Fleet capacity The total registered capacity of the Irish fishing fleet, as of December 2018, was 62,835 gross tonnes (GTs) and 2,004 vessels. The polyvalent general segment was the largest and included 31,270 GTs and 1,384 vessels. The polyvalent potting segment had 337 registered vessels and 716 GTs while the bivalve (specific) segment had 2,298 GTs and 153 vessels.
2.2 Fleet structure The Irish fleet is, currently divided into 5 segments. Of these five segments (Aquaculture, Specific, Polyvalent, Beam Trawl and RSW Pelagic) two are broken into sub-segments, namely the Polyvalent and Specific Segments. Aquaculture vessels do not have fishing entitlements. Beam trawl vessels fish mixed demersal fish using beam trawls and RSW Pelagic are large pelagic vessels with refrigerated seawater tanks and target pelagic species. The o nt nt is divided into the following four Sub-segments;
(1) Polyvalent [Potting] Sub-segment; vessels of <12 m length overall (LOA) fishing exclusively by means of pots. Such vessels are also <20 GT. Target species are crustaceans and whelk. (2) Polyvalent [Scallop] Sub-segment; vessels ≥10 m LOA with the required scallop ( a i u ) fishing history. These vessels also retain fishing entitlements for other species excluding those listed in Determination No. 21/2013. (3) Polyvalent [<18 m LOA] Sub-segment; Vessels with fishing entitlements for a broad range of species other than those fisheries which are authorised or subject to secondary licencing as listed in Determination No. 21/2013 (http://agriculture.gov.ie/fisheries/). (4) Polyvalent [≥18 m LOA] Sub-segment; Vessels with fishing entitlements for a broad range of species other than those fisheries which are authorised or subject to secondary licencing as listed in Determination No. 21/2013.
The ci ic nt, which entitles vessels to fish for bivalves only, is divided into the following two Sub-segments; (1) Specific [Scallop] Sub-segment for vessels ≥10 m LOA with the required scallop ( a i u ) fishing history (2) Specific [General] Sub-segment for all other Specific vessels irrespective of LOA.
In December 2018 almost 75% of vessels in the fleet were under 10 m in length. These are typically open or half-decked traditional fishing vessels that fish seasonally in coastal waters. Ninety five percent of polyvalent potting vessels were less than 10 m in length and all were under 12 m. Approximately half of the specific fleet of 153 vessels were under 10 m.
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5 FISHING FLEET
2.3 Fleet capacity transfer rule The following rules apply to the transfer of capacity within segments;
(1) Polyvalent capacity is privately transferable within its segment. Where an applicant for a polyvalent fishing licence has evidence of holding such capacity (a capacity assignment note) and has an approved fishing vessel then a fishing licence will be issued to such an applicant. This applies to over 18 m and under 18 m sub-segments. (2) Excluding the fisheries licenced by secondary permit the polyvalent capacity is not coupled to any given quota or entitlement. The capacity assignment note simply enables the vessel owner to complete the registration of a vessel. (3) In the case of fisheries fished with a permit or secondary licence the authorisation to fish such stocks is effectively coupled with the capacity if the capacity is transferred i.e. this transfer is essentially a transfer of track record in the particular fishery. Such entitlement is, however, also governed by TAC & Quota and any other policies or harvest control rules that might apply to those stocks. (4) Polyvalent potting capacity is not transferable within its segment other than to first degree relatives of the person to which the capacity was originally assigned. (5) Polyvalent general capacity that is not attached to a registered vessel for a period of more than 2 years expires. (6) When polyvalent potting capacity is no longer attached to a registered vessel then the capacity reverts to the licencing authority. This capacity is not re-issued other than to first degree relatives.
2.4 Vessels targeting Shellfish The shellfish fleet is here defined as vessels under 13 m in length as the vast majority of such vessels depend largely on shellfish. This cut off, however, is not reflective of any licencing or policy condition and many of these vessels also fish for other species. In addition a number of vessels over 18 m target crab mainly in offshore waters (vivier vessels) and 13 vessels over 10 m in length were authorised to fish for scallops in 2018.
The number of vessels in the Shellfish fleet increased significantly in 2006-2007 as a result of the ‘Potting Licence Scheme’ which regularised many vessels that were operating outside of the registered fleet prior to 2006. The number of vessels in the polyvalent potting segment is declining year on year due to de-registration or transfer from this restricted segment, which limits fishing entitlement. There were 26 fewer such vessels in 2018 compared to 2017. The number of vessels in the polyvalent general segment increased year on year between 2006 and 2012 by an average of 53 vessels per year. This trend was reversed in the period 2012- 2017 during which time the number of vessels declined by 98. Between 2017 and 2018 the polyvalent fleet under 13m fleet increased by 29 vessels. The specific segment, targeting bivalves, increased by 13 between 2017 and 2018 mainly due to increased participation in the razor clam fishery (Table 2.1, Table 2.2, Figure 1).
The average length and capacity of vessels in the polyvalent and specific segments declined between 2006 and 2012. A further decline in the size of specific (bivalve) vessels occurred in 2015. Polyvalent vessels under 13 m in length were on average 0.7GT smaller in 2014 compared to 2007.
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n n the tot o me o he i h n e inc e e igni ic nt com e to e io e hi inc e e e m in to highe n ing o o n c n he hich inc e e o im te tonne n tonne e ecti e o e ot e o he i h e c ing m e n in o im te €53mi ion
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le sti tes f nnual landings (tonnes) and value (€) of crustacean and bivalve shellfish (excl. prawns ssels i t el s e e l ti s s les tes f essels e it l e e il is f s les te t the s es Fi es i l f sf ie Scientific Name Common 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Unit Value name Price 2017 2017 Cancer pagurus Edible crab 9,527 10,827 9,251 7,640 6,614 8,622 6,372 6,691 6,510 7,105 7,229 11,181 10,284 €1.40 €14,397,600 Pecten maximus King Scallop 1,277 742 953 1,322 1,325 1,950 2,203 2,701 3,154 2,834 2,209 2,464 2,649 €4.03 €10,675,470 Homarus Lobster 5 635 625 308 498 431 477 735 249 374 456 371 398 399 €15.00 €5,985,000 gammarus Littorina littorea Periwinkle 1,139 1,210 609 1,141 1,103 1,280 64 103 218 1,135 €2.45 €0 Buccinum Whelk 5 4,151 3,144 3,635 1,947 2,239 2,976 2,828 3,440 2,660 2,172 3,296 6,292 5,089 €1.62 €8,244,180 undatum Palaemon serratus Shrimp 5 151 319 325 180 228 135 111 152 157 301 250 361 307 €15.10 €4,635,700 Ostrea edulis Native 5 3 94 233 291 88 327 349 100 100 214 265 153 190 168 €4.50 €756,000 oyster Aequipecten Queen 75 172 26 4 748 1,002 1,479 285 100 31 205 48 €0.90 €43,200
11 opercularis scallop Necora puber Velvet crab 245 281 142 268 205 342 160 168 365 283 406 289 301 €2.03 €611,030 Spisula Surf clam 26 14 55 150 162 73 15 37 67 48 51 45 €3.00 €135,000 Maja Spider crab 141 153 70 153 443 415 290 818 229 210 190 108 118 €1.07 €126,260 brachydactyla Palinurus elephas Crayfish 30 34 16 18 28 30 25 33 34 23 25 8 9 €32.90 €302,680 Ensis spp Razor clams 404 547 356 451 293 410 473 428 723 1,040 840 927 1,005 €6.10 €6,130,500 Chaceon affinis Red crab 294 152 83 44 105 91 106 0 0 0 33 6 0 €1.30 €130 Carcinus maenas Shore crab 27 46 91 72 244 129 74 253 31 49 30 165 154 €0.43 €66,220 Cerastoderma Cockle 107 7 643 9 173 5 401 400 374 3 0 321 442 €1.85 €817,700 edule Veneridae Venus clam 217 4 €0 Total 29,533 18,514 18,522 16,813 13,890 13,908 18,121 15,017 17,030 15,365 16,043 15,111 22,966 21,018 €52,926,670
Overview of Management Measures, Stock Status and Exploitation Status 4 1 a ine S a eg a e i e i e S es i ishe ies 5 3
3 3 3 3 3
ith many finfish stocks which are categorised as ‘data poor’ (ICES Stock 3
3 3 3 3 3 5
3 3 3
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4 2 l i a i n and S S a s i e ia f Shellfish escription ro y primary criteria for stock stat s of She fish are deri ed from commercia or s r ey ased trends
Criteria for e p oitation stat s and stock stat s ( a e identifying the degree to which either technica meas res or catch contro s inc ding ann a C constrains e p oitation are descri ed as
E p oitation stat s o he spawning potentia ratio (S which defines the ratio of spawning nder c rrent ( ike y fishing morta ity rate to that of an ne p oited stock ( o imit and target reference points for S are genera y accepted to e and respecti e y ased on meta ana ysis of fish stocks response to e p oitation ence S o corresponds to msy here the S is not defined ana ytica y it can e descri ed y the re ationship etween si e at mat rity and si e at first capt re ( inim m anding Si e or inim m Conser ation eference Si e C S especia y where discard morta ity is neg igi e as is the case for most she fish she fish ha e an C S which is designed to ena e some spawning escapement and which pro ides for a gi en S o he har est ratio ( or catch iomass ratio which is the proportion of the iomass remo ed ann a y corresponding to msy wi ary etween stocks i e some species can s stain higher e e s of or than others or stocks where reference points are na ai a e the s staina e is nknown In these cases the response of the stock to the s and which are contro ed y C are monitored o er time and adapted Stock stat s o Stock iomass can e descri ed direct y from s r eys where s ch s r eys pro ide estimates of a so te iomass and y pro ies s ch as iomass indicators from s r eys or catch per nit effort (C E from commercia data he stock stat s re ati e to msy is not genera y known t pro ies co d inc de trends in s r eys or C E and comparison of c rrent or recent position against ong term trends his sho d howe er e a ified gi en that the historic trend is ike y to a ready represent an e p oited stock time series and tr e o ( ne p oited or msy remains nknown hese time series can a so e ana ysed sing ario s stock assessment proced res and may pro ide estimates of msy
o r categories or com inations of stock stat s e p oitation stat s criteria can e descri ed eference to ow and high in these categories descri ed e ow is s a y defined y the ratio of c rrent or SS re ati e to or SS S reference points or she fish therefore where these reference points are not a ai a e the categorisation is ased on trends in the case of stock stat s or in the case of e p oitation stat s can e descri ed in terms of S contro s or si e at first capt re
oth e p oitation stat s and stock stat s are deemed to e ow his descri es stocks which ha e not reco ered from pre io s y higher e e s of e p oitation or which ha e s ffered recr itment impairment or high morta ity independent of fishing morta ity ersistent y ow stock e e s may infer that the e p oitation e e s e en if they are regarded as ow are inappropriate that other
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so rces of morta ity e ist or that the stock recr itment re ationship has f ndamenta y changed E p oitation e e s are ow and stocks are prod cti e hese are deemed to e s staina y fished stocks E p oitation e e s are high and stock stat s is ow hese stocks are deemed to e fished at ns staina e e e s E p oitation is high and stocks are prod cti e his co d refer to stocks with a short history of e p oitation for instance he stock is n ike y to remain prod cti e o er the ong term if e p oitation rates are not red ced
a le is ing mortalit and spawning stock iomass indicators ow t e proxies for fis ing mortalit and stock si e translate to and , respectivel ed does not meet t at criterion reen does meet t at criterion re unknown ndicator escription res old ategor S arget reference point ased on meta ana ysis ≥35% ishing orta ity (e p oitation rate C ar est atio or Catch iomass ratio Stock specific C E ratio omina a erage C Erecent years a erage C Etime series ≥ Spawning Stock iomass C s r ey trend trends in iomass estimates from s r eys ≥1
ualit of t e criteria Exploitation status io ogica data on si e at mat rity is s a y a ai a e Si e at first capt re is defined y C S ( anding si es in most cases and discard morta ity for most species of she fish is ow here is high confidence in these cases that S or spawning escapement e ow the si e at first capt re is protected
he S ratio is dependent on knowing the c rrent position with respect to an ana ytica y deri ed estimate of ann a fishing morta ity rate ( is deri ed essentia y from the si e fre ency distri tion of f y recr ited si e c asses com ined with information on growth or she fish the shape of the si e fre ency can e high y aria e spatia y which comp icates samp ing and assessment of rowth parameters a so ary spatia y and constr ction of growth c r es in these scenarios is diffic t
or species reg ated y C there is a constant har est strategy he har est rate is not estimated with respect to a reference point or forecast t is simp y a gi en proportion of the stock iomass estimated from s r ey er time the response of the stock to these har est rates can e estimated and har est rates ad sted here is a degree of adapti e management in these cases rotoco s de e oped y the Inshore anagement ro p and Ind stry for e p oitation of new fisheries for i a es sets o t the approach to management of these fisheries and the need for preca tion when reference points are nknown
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Stock status rends in stock stat s indicators deri ed from commercia data are c rrent y reported as nomina time series i e o ser ed data hese series can drift o er time which may ead to ias i e the indicator may not e a tr e ref ection of changes in stock his might e d e to changes in catcha i ity changes in techno ogy on oard esse s or some en ironmenta change that a ters the re ationship etween the indicator and the nder ying stock stat s o offset this the nomina time series sho d e standardised to remo e effects of changes in catcha i ity ork is ongoing in this area
Indicators or a so te estimates of iomass from s r eys are reported as trends t not in re ation to reference points Sta e or positi e trends in these series do not infer that stock stat s is at S t show recent stat s against the onger term mean if the time series is a ai a e he s r ey time series for she fish is ite short hese trends are therefore on y indicati e of impro ing sta e or deteriorating stat s ased on direction of change in the indicator
urrent Status Species Stock and e p oitation stat s indicators y Species and stock nit are reported in a e
i a he C S of mm ( mm from e is higher than S (which is mm and protects S and spawning potentia eca se discard s r i a is high Stock stat s as meas red y E time series may e dec ining in areas where effort is increasing t this is n ike y to e d e to recr itment o erfishing and more ike y to e ca sed y high in season har est rates and in season stock dep etion ear sat ration effects a so inf ence the E indicator i e as the amo nt of gear increases E dec ines e en if the stock stat s is nchanged
a he C S of mm or mm is higher than S and protects S iscard or dredge contact morta ity howe er red ces the effecti eness of the C S Commercia C E indicators show positi e trends in a areas other than the Ce tic Sea here may e some techno ogy creep in the C E series d e to increased se of gro nd discrimination techno ogy
he C S of mm is ess than S and does not protect S s fficient y he com ined technica meas res of C S a C S ( mm and notching pro ides S etween and C E E and E (recr itment indicators genera y show positi e trends
he C S ( mm is significant y ess than S S is poor y protected Stock trends are nknown
i Seasona c os res and grading at sea ( o ntary protect against growth and recr itment o erfishing Stock stat s is recr itment dependent and this is high y aria e and en ironmenta y dri en
a i C S is higher than S and protects S at ra morta ity rate is often high in areas infested y a ia a or ns ita e en ironmenta conditions on ega si e oysters is e treme y high in most areas Stocks o tside of ra ee ay are dep eted a tho gh s r ey iomass estimates are genera y sta e andings are ow re ati e to historic e e s
u a iomass andings and C E in the orth Irish Sea are a dec ining Strong recr itment in ed to increased andings and effort he stock is dep eted
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a ecent introd ction of C S at mm wi protect f t re spawning potentia Stock stat s nknown ep eted in some areas
i a he C S protects spawning potentia argeted fishery in ra ee ay and y catch e sewhere ange and distri tion may ha e e panded recent y
i C S is higher than S and protects S he stock is dep eted andings ow re ati e to historic e e s
u a aterford est ary s r ey trend sta e imited to of standing stock Stat s of other stocks nknown t many of them are not c rrent y e p oited
a a orth Irish Sea S dec ining andings higher than catch ad ice s r ey trend ( years negati e onger term trends in commercia E negati e So th Irish Sea o oss are C osed s r ey trends show increasing iomass and strong recr itment o C rrac oe Stat s nknown S r ey pending o est coast stocks S r ey trends sta e constrained at
C nda k ay S r ey trends positi e constrained at ther c os re conditions in p ace to protect ha itats and irds Cast emaine and r mc iffe ay Stat s nknown andings are ow
16 S
a le Stock and exploitation status for s ellfis stocks ased on indicators descri ed in a le Species Stock nit is ing ata source Management measures MS Exploitation MS Stock status Exploitation Stock met od status status status Edi e cra a in She f rap C E Sea and ort C S mm ay C S S S S at C E ratio Ca samp ing imit pro a e agu u So th est rap C E Sea and ort C S mm ay C S S S S at C E ratio samp ing imit pro a e So th East rap C E Sea and ort C S mm ay C S S S S at C E ratio samp ing imit pro a e orth Irish Sea rap C E Sea and ort C S mm ay C S S S S at samp ing imit pro a e ing Sca op Ce tic Sea redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 0.9, ↓ samp ing wday imit a i u S Irish Sea redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 1.1, ↑ samp ing wday imit E Irish Sea redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 1.2, ↑ samp ing wday imit Irish Sea redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 1.6, ↑ samp ing wday imit 17 Eastern Channe redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 1.1, ↑ samp ing wday imit S Ire and redge C E Sea and ort C S mm C S S C E ratio 1.5, ↑ samp ing wday imit o ster ayo onega rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 1.3, ↑ a u samp ing mm notch S S S ga a u C are a way rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 0.7, ↓ samp ing mm notch S S S erry rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 1.4, ↑ samp ing mm notch S S S Cork rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 1.3, ↑ samp ing mm notch S S S aterford e ford rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 1.5, ↑ samp ing mm notch S S S orth Irish sea rap C E Sea and ort C S mm a S C S S C E ratio 1.1, ↑ samp ing mm notch S S S he k So th Irish Sea rap C E ort samp ing C S mm height C S S nknown u i u Inishowen rap ort samp ing C S mm height C S S nknown u a u Shrimp e ford rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment
S Table 4.2. Stock and exploitation status for shellfish stocks based on indicators described in Table 4.1 (continued)
a a rading at sea dependent
a u a way ay rap o c rrent program Season Sept ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent C ew ay rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent Connemara rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent est onega rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent orth Irish Sea rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent Shannon rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent ra ee rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent antry rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent enmare rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent 18 oaringwater rap o c rrent program Season g ar S S at pro a e Short i ed recr itment rading at sea dependent ati e oyster o gh Swi y redge S r ey C S mm C S ep eted s r ey trend →=1 a u i acksod ay redge S r ey C S mm C S ep eted s r ey trend →=1 chi redge o c rrent program C S mm nknown nknown
C ew ay redge S r ey C S mm C S ep eted s r ey trend →=1
i kieran ay redge S r ey C S mm C S ep eted s r ey trend →=1
a way ay redge S r ey C S mm C S ep eted s r ey trend →=1
ra ee ay redge S r ey C S mm ann a C S rod cti e s r ey trend C →=1 een orth Irish Sea raw assessment C S mm msy SS im sca op Inishowen raw o c rrent program C S mm nknown ui u a i e et cra rap Commercia C E C S mm C S S nknown a u ser er
S rf c am aterford ar o r redge S r ey C S mm ann a rod cti e s r ey trend i u a i a C →=1 C ifden ay redge o c rrent program C S mm
S Table 4.2. Stock and exploitation status for shellfish stocks based on indicators described in Table 4.1 (continued)
a way ay redge o c rrent program C S mm
Spider cra ra ee ay rap o c rrent program C S mm a e C S S nknown a a mm fema e a a a Crayfish So th west ang e Commercia C E C S mm C osed C S S ep eted rend nknown a i u u net ser er area to netting a a or c ams orth Irish Sea ydra ic S r ey C S mm S S S s r ey trend ↓<1 C E i i i ua redge ratio 0.7, ↓ oss are ydra ic S r ey C S mm S S C osed e i ding redge C rrac oe ydra ic Commercia C E C S mm nknown S r ey pending redge aterford Est ary ydra ic S r ey C S mm ann a s r ey trend →=1 redge C a or c ams C ifden ay ydra ic S r ey C S mm ann a s r ey trend →=1 i ag u redge C a inaki ydra ic S r ey C S mm ann a s r ey trend →=1 redge C
19 Inis ofin i ary ydra ic S r ey C S mm ann a C osed pending s r ey s r ey trend →=1 redge C Iniskea Is ydra ic S r ey C S mm ann a C osed pending s r ey s r ey trend →=1 redge C Shore cra rap o c rrent program one nknown nknown Ca i u a a Cock e nda k ay ydra ic S r ey C S mm C s r ey trend ↑>1 C a a redge C E rate c os re u season r mc iffe ay and one nknown nknown athering Cast emaine r ractor one nknown nknown dredge
C S
Razor clam (Ensis siliqua and Ensis magnus) anag m n a i ll commerciall exploited ra or clam stocks are assessed surve w ic provide estimates of iomass si e or grade eekl s appl to vessels in t e nort and sout ris Sea ll vessels report i MS data oluntar agreements and management plans were in place for lifden a , aterford Estuar and allinakill a in ased on advisor arvest rate ese smaller scale fis eries operated successfull in under voluntar measures
e nort ris Sea fis er expanded significantl in t e period ll indicators dail landings per vessel, catc per our s ow significant and persistent declines over time Surve s in and indicated a iomass of , and , tonnes, respectivel , and an approximate annual exploitation rate of arge si e classes are eing depleted and t e fis er is increasingl reliant on small and less valua le clams due to growt overfis ing e Spawning otential ratio S as declined over time as t e average si e and a undance of larger clams as declined epletion corrected average catc assessment for t e ort ris Sea indicates t at landings s ould e significantl reduced from current levels current estimates, wit some assumptions, suggest a reduction to tonnes per annum
andings and effort in t e ort ris Sea in and were similar ut declined in e num er of vessels in t e fis er increased from in to in and and in e decline in landings and num er of participating vessels in ma indicate increasingl difficult conditions in t e fis er ime and cost to catc weekl uotas increased, due to declining catc rates
e sout ris Sea fis er opened in and expanded uickl to nnual landings declined from e osslare fis er was closed voluntar agreement in and due to low iomass of commercial clams strong recruitment event in pro a l was o served in t e surve and increased in iomass significantl etween and surve s ew management arrangements to avoid overfis ing of t is iomass s ould e developed
Man ra or clam fis eries or potential fis eries occur wit in or close to atura sites e conservation o ectives for species and a itats in t ese areas are integrated into a or clam fis er management plans on t e west coast and pressures and impacts of t e fis er on seafloor a itats are monitored in t e ris Sea
ssu s l an ass ssm n a lam is
a or c ams ( i i i ua occ r a ong the east coast of Ire and in m d and m ddy sand sediments from nda k to in and from Cahore to oss are and in n mero s areas a ong the west coast second species i ag u is a ndant in c ean sand s strates on the west coast oth species may occ r in the same area he distri tion is c rrent y known from the commercia fishery which operates in water depths of m and from s r eys where there are no fisheries ishing depth is imited eca se of the fishing method which ses hydra ica y press rised water to f idise sediments in front of the dredge he distri tion of ra or c ams may e tend to deeper water o tside of the range of the fishery as the species occ rs at depths of p to m owe er there is no e idence that significant iomass occ rs o tside of those areas a ready fished
20 C S
he efficiency of the hydra ic dredge sed in ra or c am fisheries in the has een meas red at he dredge therefore is ery efficient at remo ing organisms in the dredge track his is in contrast to non hydra ic dredges sed in other i a e fisheries s ch as sca op and oyster where dredge efficiency may e in the region of iscard morta ity rates are nknown t may e significant gi en that damage can e o ser ed on the she of discarded fish and no ser ed she damage may occ r at the dredge head
i i i ua is s ow growing reaches a ma im m she ength of appro imate y mm and has re ati e y ow prod cti ity he apparent resi ience to date of the species in areas s ect to persistent fishing y high y efficient gears may possi y e e p ained y immigration of eni e and ad t ra or c ams from areas o tside of the fishery Some e idence of si e stratification y depth has een shown in a es and gi en the known mo i ity of the species s ggests that post sett ement mo ement and recr itment into fished areas may occ r i ag u is faster growing occ rs in higher densities and reaches a sma er ma im m si e than i i ua
hysica dist r ance of sediments and remo a of i y the fishery potentia y a ters the i a e species composition and genera y the fa na comm nities in enthic ha itats In sha ow waters changes in the a ndance and species composition of i a es may ha e a negati e effect on di ing sead cks (Common Scoter that feed on i a es his species is designated nder the irds irecti e in oth nda k S in o th and a en S in e ford he fishery may a so res t in changes to ha itat d e to the deep physica dist r ance ca sed y the hydra ic dredging process
anag m n ni s Stock str ct re is nknown ar a dispersa and mo ement of eni es and possi y ad ts s ggest that the stock str ct re is re ati e y open a ong the east coast of the north Irish Sea and that indi id a eds are n ike y to e se f recr iting ishing is contin o s from north nda k ay to a ahide Stocks in the so th Irish Sea are ike y to e separate to that north of in gi en the different hydrodynamic and tida regimes in the two areas
ther iso ated stocks occ r in many ocations on the so th and west coasts isheries occ r in C ifden ay Iniskea Is ands in ayo a inaki ay and aterford est ary
anag m n m asu s ew management meas res were introd ced for the oss are – Cahore fishery in ecem er hese inc de an increase in S from mm to mm fishing ho rs from to tonne ota per esse per week (c rrent y kg dredge per esse not to e ceed cm width and with ar spacing not ess than mm prior notice of intention to fish and ad ance notice of anding mandatory s mission of gatherers docket information on andings date and ocation of fishing a re irement to transmit S position of the esse on a min te fre ency and a defined fishing area to minimise o er ap with at ra sites he oss are ay fishery was c osed y o ntary agreement in and d e to growth o erfishing
In the north Irish Sea the week y esse C is kgs (from an st with a prohi ition on anding on S ndays (SI he fishery is c osed in ne d ring the spawning season he minim m anding si e increased to mm in
isheries on the west coast ha e o ntary C arrangements in p ace ased on s r ey iomass estimates and an agreed har est rate
21
is a
and n
22 23
r r on o n or razor clam n nor r a n and rom da a
r nn al land n o Ensis siliqua n nor r a ( ) o rc d rom lo oo ll a r r da a and al no n m r o l land n razor clam ac ar o n or and rom o
r
z d r on
24
r z d r on l n r la on and d r on or razor clam n r
oma
a l oma o razor clam n or r a n and oma ( onn ) an n oma oma mm oma oma mm r nc oma oma mm
25
r r on o oma o razor clam n nor r a n (l ) and n (r )
oc oma nd ca or
26
r ra da l con nm n ( ) r mon r cord d n a r r doc o n a ra o d cl n o r da r mon n con nm n ol m o rc
r on l r nd n land n r da n n l l r or n n and
27
r nn al r nd n land n r dr d o r n n l l r or n n and n or r a
l on corr c d ca c ad c
𝐵𝐵𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝐵𝐵0 𝐹𝐹𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝑀𝑀 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆0 𝐵𝐵𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝐵𝐵0 𝐹𝐹𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝑀𝑀 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀/𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆0
28
−1 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 ∙ ℎ Figure 9
𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝐹𝐹 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿/𝑀𝑀𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠−𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 / 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 0 ∆ = 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 0 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿0
r d a an mod l a arl r nd and a ocorr la on R( ) n mon ( l m an and ) al r a n d o ma d l a o mod l ar o n n r d
Figure 10
r Estimated posterior distribution of the “optimistic” sustainable yearly yield ac al arl ca c ar al o o n or com ar on
29
pa nin otential atio
i ure pa nin otential atio estimates for recently e ploited areas areas hich ha e been fished for lon er periods of time and for economically collapsed stoc s relati e to an reference point of estimated assumin that of ma imum recruitment occurs at o here is the une ploited biomass
Economic iability of the fishery €2.21 in 2010 to €6.20 in varies from €3.50 for clams less than 160 to €
30
ther than la o r costs iesel is the main o eratin cost. ther costs have not een estimate at this oint an the cost earnin s ratio is not f ll no n. ail f el costs increase from 2010 2012 an ecline from 2012 2016 a le 5.2 . et val e of clams ca ht er hr s ent at sea increase from 2011 2015 an ecline in 2016 an si nificantl in 201 .
rofita ilit eclines ith eclinin catch rates eca se fishin costs to ta e the ee l ota increases i re 12 . n 201 the net val e of the ota estimate from the si e str ct re of the stoc from the 201 s rve mar et rice ata 201 catch rate ata an allo in for certain costs an minim m a e a ment to one mem er of cre was approximately €2 000. he availa ilit an catch rate of ver lar e clams ecline from 6 in 201 to 2 in 201 . ar e clams ecline from 26 to 22 . his tren is e ecte to contin e iven the c rrent fishin rate an ill f rther ero e the val e of the ota eca se either the nit rice ill e lo er or fishin costs ill increase if o erators hi h ra e in an attem t to maintain nit rice.
able nnual trends in fuel costs hrs at sea price of clams E and net of fuel alue of the catch bet een and aily iesel per rs at sea rice of s clams per et alue of et alue fuel itre per day clams per dred e hr daily landin s per hr at sea cost €208 €0.65 13.2 €2.21 32.20 €599.00 €244 €0.80 1 .1 €2.54 20. 2 €638.00 €36.90 €272 €0.92 1 .2 €3.45 20.22 €669.00 €45.60 €227 €0.88 1 . €3.79 1 .03 €702.00 €45.70 €180 €0.79 12. €4.60 1 . 1 €908.00 €65.00 €148 €0.73 12.6 €5.60 1 . 1 €1,185.00 €88.00 €136 €0.60 13. €6.20 15. €1,077.00 €85.00 €193 €0.62 15. €5.90 13.1 €1,027.00 €64.85
€3,000
€2,500 €2,519 €2,599 €2,398 €2,196 €2,000 €1,794 €1,500 201 €1,000
et of alue catch 2016
€500 €585 et alue of catch minus minimum a e cre €0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 s of clams per hr
i ure et alue of the ee ly ra or clam essel uota of s relati e to catch rate per hour based on si e rade structure of the stoc in the sur ey payment of minimum a e to cre and allo in for hourly fuel cost of €10.20 and other weekly operating costs of €233. The vertical lines indicate the catch rate per hour in and
31
31
u is a . .1 andings e is ery ope e i arter 4 o 2010 a la i s i rease a ally p to 2013 to o er 350 to es i re 13 . a i s e li e a ally rom 2013 to 95 to es i 2018. e is ery o rs mai ly i osslare ay a rt er ort at rra loe. e osslare ay is ery was lose y ol tary a reeme t i 2017 a 2018 e to e li e i t e a aila ility o lar e lams. pproximately 12 essels is i t e area t t is m er a es seaso ally wit some essels mo i to t e ort ris ea.
400
350
300
250
200 o es 150
100
50
0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
igure 13. nnual landings esti ated fro a co ination of log ook and gatherers data of ra or cla s in the south rish ea 2010 201 . The fishery opened in uarter of 2010.
. .2 urvey 201 s r ey was omplete ri st 2018 i re 14 . e easter o ary o t e s r ey exte e eyo t e easter o ary o t e lassi ie pro tio is ery area . e iomass o ra or lams i t e s r ey area o 10.5 m2 was 4,174 975 to es. e iomass o lams o er 130 mm i t e s r ey area was 2,000 to es a t e iomass o er 150 mm was 443 to es. iomass wit i t e was 3,866 to es a le 5.3 . is was 1,275 to es i er t a i pril 2017 or t e same s r eye area. e iomass o er 130 mm was 1,730 to es, w i was 1,011 to es i er t a i 2017 a iomass o er 150 mm was 372 to es represe ti a e li e o 134 to es ompare to 2017.
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32
igure 1 . istri ution of io ass and density of ra or cla s in osslare ay in ugust 201 . Total on left cla s over 130 on right.
Ta le .3. io ass of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua in osslare ay in ay 201 and ugust 201 201 201 ifference ean ean tonnes tonnes otal 2,590 2,169 3,119 3,866 3,348 4,378 1,275 er 130 mm 718 587 824 1 30 1,509 1,967 1,011 er 1 0 mm 506 429 597 372 337 413 -134
e si e istri tio o lams i pril 2017 was omi ate y, w at is t o t to e, a si le a e lass o lams wit a si e mo e o 108 mm i re 15 . ase o estimate rowt rates t ese lams were approximately 4 years ol i 2017. e mo al si e i 2018 was 128 mm i i ati a approximate a al rowt o 20 mm s ell le t etwee a e 4 a 5.
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33
igure 1 . i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua in osslare ay in ay 201 and ugust 201 . The ini u landings si e 130 is shown.
. .3 atch advice i e o at optio s or ra or lams atio ally as ee ase o a o 10 15 . is wo l e a le a at o 387 580 to es rom t m o 2018 to t m 2019 or osslare ay. is is i er t a pre io s a al la i s rom osslare a rra loe e s om i e w i pea e i 2014 at approximately 400 tonnes. The commercial value of the catch at €3.50 per kg would be between €1.35 and €2.03million given that almost all the clams, especially in the production area, wo l still e less t a 160 mm i 2019. ormatio o rowt rates to pro e t t e expe te si e istri tio i to 2019 s ows a rt er i rease i si e wit a pre i te mo e at 140 mm ompare to 128 mm i 2018 . er 52 o lams wo l e o er 140 mm i mi 2019 ompare to st 15 i st 2018 i re 16 . e proportio o er 160 mm wo l e 3.5 i 2019 ompare to 0.5 i 2018.
m lati e si e istri tio s i 2018 a 2019 1.2000 2018 2019 1.0000 0.8000 0.6000 0.4000 0.2000 0.0000 0 50 100 150 200
igure 1 . i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua in osslare ay in ugust 201 and pro ected ased on growth rate esti ates to id 201 .
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34
a Es ua survey of ra or clams in aterford estuary was completed in ovember 201 . The ra or clam stock is distributed in two areas in arrylock ay and on the west side of the estuary at readon ead. The clam bed is distributed over an area of at least 4.2 km2 igure 1 .
The total biomass of ra or clams in the estuary was 2 tonnes. pproximately 21 tonnes were over 130 mm and practically all the biomass was over the legal landing si e of 100 mm Table 5.4 . The si e distribution was skewed towards larger si e classes igure 1 typical of unexploited ra or stocks and in contrast to previously heavily fished stocks such as osslare ay see section 5. .2
atch advice for 201 and as agreed by the management planning process was 40 tonnes.
Ta le . . sti ates of io ass of ra or cla s in aterford estuary in ove er 201 io ass tonnes confidence intervals ean edian ower pper iomass all si es 2 .2 2 . 231.5 30 .1 iomass 130 mm 21 . 21 . 1 3. 241.5
igure 1 . istri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua in aterford estuary in ove er 201 .
35
35
igure 1 . i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua in aterford estuary in ove er 201 .
nis in n area south west of nisbofin was surveyed on ug 22nd 201 . ag u is the main species in this area with small numbers of i i ua too low to estimate biomass . ineteen stations were surveyed over an area of 0.34km2 igure 1 .
The biomass was 105 tonnes almost all of which was over the minimum landing si e igure 20, Table 5.5 .
o fishery occurred in 201 and no catch advice or management plan was developed.
igure 1 . istri ution of ra or cla s Ensis magnus south of nis ofin in ugust 201 .
3
36
igure 20. i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis magnus south of nis ofin in ug 201 and ept 201 .
Ta le . . sti ates of io ass of ra or cla s south of nis ofin in ugust 201 . ean io ass ower pper E magnus 104. . 14 .5 E magnus 100 102.0 .0 144.4
illa a u The approaches to illary arbour were surveyed on ugust 13th 201 . ifteen stations were sampled in shallow water. eeper areas could not be accessed during the survey so 201 and 201 data were combined to provide a biomass estimate for the stock area. o fishery has occurred in the area recently. The stock is distributed over an area of 0. km2 although density is much lower in the deeper part of the area.
i i ua and ag u occur in the area in commercial uantities i was recorded in low numbers igure 21, igure 22 .
stimated biomass of ag u and i i ua was 24 tonnes and 1 tonnes respectively. o confidence intervals are available due to difficulty in estimation caused by poor survey coverage in deep water. lmost all of this biomass was over the minimum landing si e igure 23, igure 24 .
o fishery occurred in 201 and no catch advice or management plan was developed.
Ta le . . sti ates of io ass of ra or cla s at the illary approaches 201 201 pecies io ass tonnes Ensis magnus 24.1 Ensis siliqua 0. Ensis magnus 100 23. Ensis siliqua 130 .
3
37
igure 21. istri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua at the approaches to illary ar our in ugust 201 .
igure 22. istri ution of ra or cla s Ensis magnus at the approaches to illary ar our in ugust 201 .
3
38
igure 23. i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis magnus at the illary approaches in ugust 201 .
igure 2 . i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis siliqua at the illary approaches in ugust 201 .
3
39
allina ill a allinakill ay was surveyed for ra or clams in pril 201 . The most abundant species present was i ag u with lower densities of i i ua. The area surveyed was 0.4 km2. o fishery has recently occurred in the area.
The total biomass of i ag u in the ay in pril 201 was 5 tonnes. pproximately 4 tonnes was over 100 mm in shell length igure 25, Table 5. . This estimate is lower than the 111 tonnes estimated in 201 over a smaller area and much lower than the biomass extrapolated to the area of potential habitat available from the 201 survey. The si e distributions are similar in both surveys. The 201 estimate is more precise than that of 201 although in both cases the estimates are uncertain. This is largely due to the way the stock is distributed along a narrow strip of sand along the north shore in particular making interpolation and estimation difficult. The biomass of i i i ua was 5 tonnes.
The si e distribution was skewed towards larger si e classes typical of unexploited ra or clam stocks igure 2 .
atch advice for 201 , was 15 of biomass or 13 tonnes for ag u and 1 tonne for i i ua.
igure 2 . istri ution of ra or cla s in allinakill ay in pril 201 .
40
40
igure 2 . i e distri ution of ra or cla s Ensis magnus in allinakill ay in pril 201 .
Ta le . . sti ates of io ass of ra or cla s in allinakill ay in pril 201 io ass tonnes confidence intervals ean edian ower pper Ensis magnus io ass all si es 5 4 5 30 .1 iomass 100 4 3 4 241.5 Ensis siliqua iomass all si es 5 4. 3
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41
Cockle (Cerastoderma edule) a a eme t ad e The undalk ay cockle fishery is anaged under a atura 2000 site fisheries anage ent plan and declaration. The stock is assessed y annual survey and in season data. Trends in other ecosyste indicators enthic ha itats ird populations are integrated into anage ent advice. T is 33 of total io ass on condition that ecosyste indicators for designated ha itats and ird populations are sta le.
aintenance of good environ ental status in the intertidal ha itats in which these fisheries occur is a pri ary anage ent o ective in order to reduce the risk of future recruit ent failure and to ensure that conservation o ectives for designated ha itats and species are protected. ny cockle fisheries in s or s in other areas should e su ect to anage ent plans considering their potential effects on designated ha itats and irds.
re fishery su er surveys in undalk ay 201 showed strong recruit ent and good over wintering survival of cockles. io ass in 201 was 1 tonnes. The T for 201 was 2 tonnes. andings were tonnes.
The harvest control rules which have een in place since 200 should e continued ut the li it reference io ass at which a fishery takes place should e increased fro 0 tonnes to 1 00 tonnes or harvest rates etween 0 and 1 00 tonnes should e reduced.
ssues rele a t to t e assessme t o t e o le s er There are a number of cockle beds around the rish coast, however in recent years the main fishery has occurred in undalk ay.
ecruitment of cockles in undalk ay occurs regularly but overwinter survival, in particular, is highly variable. s a conse uence biomass, in some years, is insufficient to support a fishery. ecruitment failures occur fre uently in the aterford estuary and overwinter survival is also generally low. n most areas growth rates are lower than in undalk and cockles need to survive over 2 winters to reach commercial si e compared to 1 winter in undalk.
nnual surveys, provided they are completed close to the prospective opening date for the fishery, provide good estimates of biomass available to the fishery and the prospective catch rates. rowth and mortality result in significant changes in biomass over short periods of time.
undalk ay is under a atura 2000 site management regime and a fishery natura plan for cockles. ockle is both a characterising species of designated habitats within these sites and also an important food source for overwintering birds. anagement of cockle fisheries takes into account the conservation ob ectives for these habitat and species.
ontinuing commercial fisheries for cockles in atura 2000 sites will depend on favourable conservation status of designated environmental features that may be affected by this fishing activity or a clear demonstration that changes to designated features are not due to cockle fishing.
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a a eme t ts ockle stocks occur in intertidal sand and mud habitats. These habitats occur as isolated and discrete areas around the coast and as a conse uence cockle stocks occur as locally self recruiting populations.
lthough there are many cockle populations around the coast only undalk ay has supported commercial dredge fisheries in recent years. There is a small scale commercial hand gathering fishery in astlemaine arbour erry . ommercial stocks also occur in Tramore ay and oodstown o. aterford and in lew ay o. ayo but these stocks have not been commercially fished in recent years. n addition cockle stocks occur in ayo other than lew ay , erry, ligo and onegal in particular but these have not been surveyed and are not commercially fished.
a a eme t measures The management measures for the undalk fishery are described in 5 year management plans 2011 201 and 201 2020 and specified in annual legislation in the form of atura eclarations www.fishingnet.ie .
n undalk ay a cockle permit is re uired to fish for cockles either by vessel or by hand gathering. The number of vessel permits is limited to 32. The permit is transferable.
nnual T is set at 33 of biomass estimated from a mid summer survey. The fishery closes if the average catch per boat per day declines to 250 kg even if the T is not taken. This provides additional precaution given uncertainty in the survey estimates. pening and closing dates are specified annually. The latest closing date of ovember 1st is implemented even if the T has not been taken or if the catch rate remains above the limit for closure. essels can fish between the hours of 0 00 and 22 00. aximum landing per vessel per day is 1 tonne. redge width should not exceed 0. 5 m in the case of suction dredges and 1.0 m for non suction dredges. The minimum legal landing si e is 1 mm but operationally and by agreement of the licence holders the minimum si e landed is 22 mm. This is implemented by using 22 mm bar spacing on drum graders on board the vessels.
nvironmental performance indicators are reviewed annually as part of the management plans and the prospect of an annual fishery depends on annual evidence that there is no causal link between cockle fishing and in particular the abundance of oyster catcher and other species of bird that feed on bivalves and the status of characterising bivalve species in intertidal habitats.
u dal a o l iomass estimates from annual surveys in 200 201 are not strictly comparable because of differences in the time of year in which surveys were undertaken Table .1 . The annual estimates are highly sensitive to the timing of in year settlement and seasonal mortality of established cohorts relative to the time in which the surveys are undertaken. The arch 200 survey for instance would not have detected settlement that occurred in 200 . evertheless since 200 surveys have been undertaken either in ay or une.
iomass has varied from a low of 14 tonnes in 2010 to 3,5 tonnes in 200 . iomass increased annually between 2014 and 201 from 2 tonnes to 2,31 tonnes. T is based on an advisory
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33 exploitation rate provided that the survey biomass is over 50 tonnes. n effect however no fishery has occurred when the biomass was less than 1,032 tonnes 2015 . hen the fishery is opened the T uptake has varied from 15 200 to 100 201 and 201 . This depends on distribution of biomass and the commercial viability of fishing and market prices.
le l o C l o cockle lk o e C e o e C ( o e ) e el e e arch 2,2 1 2 50 nknown ugust 3,5 1, 05 0 0 0 une 2,15 21 1 10 0.2 ay 14 314 0 0 0 ay 1,531 4 510 325 0.25 ay 1,234 400 3 4 .4 une 1,2 0 41 343 0 une 2 1 0 0 0 une 1,032 100 0 0 0 uly 1, 2 410 0 une 2,31 5 2 5 0 une 1, 5 1 5 542 44 0
e o pre fishery survey was completed in une 201 . The survey area was 2 . km2. Total biomass was 1, 5 tonnes Table .2, igure 33 . iomass of cockles over 22 mm was 1,3 tonnes.
ased on the management plan which specifies a harvest rate of 0.33 and the biomass estimate a T of 542 tonnes was advised. This was based on a more conservative estimate of biomass in uly 201 using a ayesian model and which was subse uently re worked using geostatistical methods to give the higher estimate of 1, 5 tonnes reported here.
le o o cockle lk e o ( o e ) e e o ( o e ) 1, 5 1, 1, 10 o ( o e ) 1,3 1,3 1,250 o ( o e ) 1,20 1,205 1,0 o ( o e ) 3 3 0 325
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44
e o e (k ) o ll cockle (le ) co e c l cockle ( ell ) lk e
e o ec e The si e distribution was clearly bi modal. ockles aged 0 were strongly represented in une 201 igure 2 signalling a strong settlement event in pring 201 . ver of cockles in the survey were 0 , 12 were 1 and 11 were 2 . There was a seven fold increase in weight between age 0 and 1 and a 12 fold increase in weight between 0 and 2 .
e e o o cockle lk e
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e e o o e lo o e Total landings of cockle from undalk ay in 201 was 44 tonnes source from a T of 542 tonnes representing 2 uptake of uota. The fishery opened on uly 23rd and the final landings were made on ct 2 th. one of the conditions to close the fishery were reached at that point.
atch rates ranged from approximately 00 kgs per vessel per day in uly to ust under 400 kgs per day in ctober when the fishery closed igure 2 indicating, as per the management plan harvest control rule, a of 33 of biomass. iomass estimated from the depletion of catch rate i.e. the landings if cpue was extrapolated to ero was 1,050 tonnes which was significantly less than the survey estimate of 1, 5 tonnes. owever, the entire stock is not exposed to fishing due to tidal restrictions on where the vessels can operate.
00 00 500 400 300 200 y 0.000 x 31. 5 gs per vessel per day 100 0.5 0 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 umulative andings kgs
e C e c c e el o o c l e l e lk cockle e o ce e e
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46 T
Oyster (Ostrea edulis) a a e e t ad i e e ock e e e l e c o e o e e l o e e e c e c (c c l ) ce
ock o e e ll lo ll e e ce e lee e e e e o e o e ec e e l ock e ece o e o e o e ock e cl l o o c c o e ( a alla a i as) a ia ec o oo e l o le co o o e le e lo ock
c c o e l e o ll ece e o e e o e co e c l e
e e ll l o e o l o e e l o e l ce o o e e e e e l o eco e l o l e e elo e o e o e o e o c o ock o l cl e e o c o cl e o l o c c o e e ce o eco e o cl c l c clo e o e e e e o l ll o o o o o e e o e e e o llo o o e o o c l e e ock e ce e e e
e e e l o co e o e e e e ec e e ec c co e o o ec e e ee e e o e e o e e e e e l l o ee o co e e co e o o ec e o o e o o c o e c c e ec e
ssues rele a t t t e assess e t t e ster is er number of native oyster beds occur as separate stocks in ays around the coast. iomass is currently low, compared to historic levels, in most areas. The nner Tralee bed holds the ma ority of the national biomass of native oyster.
ecruitment is variable in most areas although settlement occurred in all areas recently surveyed. arval production and settlement is conditional on density of spawning stock, high summer temperatures and the availability of suitable settlement substrate.
The fishery is managed primarily by a minimum landing si e of mm. The minimum si e is generally reached at age 4 5. ysters generally mature well below the .
yster stocks face a number of threats including a ia infection, which decimated stocks in the 1 0s, and is prevalent in a number of beds today and in 201 was detected in the previously a ia free ilkieran ay. ative oyster is also competing for habitat with naturalised acific oyster in some areas such as ough willy. oor substrate conditions for settling oysters may be limiting recruitment and low stock density may also be reducing reproductive output.
anagement authority has been devolved to local co operatives through fishery orders issued in the late 1 50s and early 1 0s or through 10 year uaculture licences. lthough conditions, such as maintaining oyster beds in good condition or having management plans
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47 T in place, attach to these devolved arrangements in most cases management ob ectives and management measures are not sufficiently developed. n ough willy and the public bed in inner alway ay all management authority rests with the overseeing government department rather than with local co operatives.
lthough management may be devolved through the fishery orders or a uaculture licences vessels fishing for oysters must be registered on the sea fishing vessel register and operators must also hold a dredge licence which is issued by nland isheries reland .
The oyster co operatives operate seasonal fisheries and may also limit the total catch. The T s may be arbitrary and scientific advice or survey biomass estimates or other indicators have not generally been used in setting T s.
ll the main oyster beds in reland occur within atura 2000 sites. yster is a characterising species of sedimentary habitats of large shallow inlets and bays. t can also be a key habitat forming species in conditions where recruitment rates are high and where physical disturbance is low. eagrass and maerl or other sensitive reef communities are commonly found on oyster beds in ilkieran ay, Tralee ay, lew ay outer . redging may damage these communities. anagement of oyster fisheries needs to consider the conservation ob ectives for this species and its associated habitats and communities.
nnual surveys provide biomass indices or absolute biomass estimates and si e structure of oyster stocks annually. oor information on growth rate, which varies across stocks, limits the assessment of mortality rates and yield predictions.
These issues were discussed at the ative yster orkshop in ctober 201 hosted by uan eo in larinbridge www.cuanbeo.com . new forum, the rish ative yster isheries orum was established in 201 representing all oyster co ops to discuss site specific issues and future management and restoration of oyster stocks.
a a e e t its yster stocks occur as discrete isolated units in a number of ays around the coast. lthough native oysters were historically widespread in many areas, including offshore sand banks in the rish ea and along the south east coast their distribution is now reduced. The main stocks occur in inner Tralee ay, alway ay, ilkieran ay in onnemara, lew ay, lacksod ay and ough willy.
ur e et ds yster beds are surveyed annually by dredge. redge designs vary locally and those locally preferred dredges are used in the surveys. redge efficiencies were estimated in 2010 by comparison of the numbers of oysters caught in the dredge and the numbers subse uently counted on the same dredge track by divers immediately after the dredge tow had been completed.
urveys are undertaken along predetermined grids where the distribution of the oyster beds is well known. n other cases the local knowledge of the kipper of the survey vessel is used to locate the beds which, in some areas, are patchy and occur at discrete depths on particular substrates. units with visual display of the local area were used to distribute
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48 T sampling effort throughout the oyster beds, the boundaries of which were indicated by the skipper of the vessel.
ensities, either converted for dredge efficiency or in raw form, were interpolated using an nverse istance eighting algorithm. ontours were drawn at intervals reflecting the range in observed densities. The geographic area inside each contour was calculated and used to raise the average densities and biomass of oysters m 2 within each contour to the total population or at least that proportion of the population selected by the dredge.
er ralee a t tre s iomass estimates, standardised to a dredge efficiency of 35 varied from a low of 40 tonnes in 2015 to a high of over 1,000 tonnes in 2014 and 201 . The 2014 survey estimate is an outlier in the time series. The area surveyed usually contains the entire stock which is distributed over approximately 4 km2 Table .1 .
e t s ss tre s r t e yster er r ee y e r t r ey re ( ) ss ss s r ey eptember 4.2 230.54 2 eptember 3.5 .03 31 ebruary 3. 5.02 55 eptember 3. .33 50 eptember 3. 1 4.1 12 5 eptember 4.51 44. 40 eptember 3. 121.44 01 eptember 4.2 1 .0 43 eptember 3. 2 2 .1 11 1
ss s pre fishery survey was completed on eptember 2 th and 2 th 201 on the inner Tralee ay yster ed. total of tows were undertaken, with a single toothless dredge of width 1.20m. data for each tow line was recorded on a Trimble survey unit and swept area for each tow was estimated. The survey encompassed an area of 3. 2 km2 east of enit pier igure 30 .
iomass of oysters uncorrected for dredge efficiency varied from 0 1 kgs.m 2 igure 30 . iomass of oysters over mm ranged from 0 0.1kgs.m 2 igure 31 .
Total biomass of oysters, assuming a dredge efficiency of 35 , was 1,1 1 tonnes Table .2 . The e uivalent biomass of oysters m or over was 1 tonnes, close to the estimate of 1 0 tonnes for 201 re calculated using a similar model .
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49 T
e str t yster ss rre te r re e e e y er r ee y e te er e e ss (t es) ter s rre te r e e y e e er er iomass Ostrea edulis 405 405 30 4 iomass mm Ostrea edulis . .4 55.1 5.5 rre te re e e y iomass Ostrea edulis 1,1 1 1,15 1,41 iomass nf Ostrea edulis 1 1 155 250
re e s ty str t t e yster er r ee y e te er
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50 T
re e s ty str t er s e t e yster er r ee y e te er
e str t The si e distribution of oysters caught during the survey showed a strong mode at about 0 mm and a smaller mode at 20 40 mm igure 32 . The location of the mode at 0 mm is similar to that in 201 . The similar or even slight left shift in the mode position suggests that mortality, associated with fishing, may occur from 0 mm rather than a ‘knife edge’ selection at mm. The substantially highest density recorded for this main mode in 201 , compared to the one recorded in 201 , suggests a possible difference of dredging efficiency between years. nter annual variability in the biomass estimates must therefore be interpreted with caution. This might however also partially ensue from differences in the spatial distribution of the sampling effort g less sampling in 201 in the south east corner of the survey area where low densities occur .
re e str t t e ysters t e e t yster e e te er e ( ) s s s
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u ill r e f nati e and a ifi ter in ing tati n a m eted in gh i in ri t e yster t tre s he area ered the r e ha aried ignifi ant d ring the time erie hi h m r mi e inter ear m ari n enera i ma rre ted f r dredge effi ien f i et een t nne km i ma km a higher in and than re i ear
e t s ss tre s r t e yster t y e r t r ey re ( ) ss ss ar h em er t er t er t er g t g t e tem er ri
str t ss he i ma f nati e ter rre ted f r dredge effi ien f in gh i in ri a t nne t t nne f thi a er the minim m ega i e ig re a e
e ss t e yster y r re e e e y t e Oyster e e ss ss rre t ss ss rr rre t
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re str t e s ty t e ysters (Ostrea edulis) y r rre te r re e e e y
e str t s ter et een mm ere mm n in the r e gge ting ignifi ant ett ement f at in ig re here a a a m de at a r imate mm t ter den it de ined et een mm and mm gge ting ignifi ant m rta it f ter in thi i e range ter er the minim m anding i e ere n mm n he i e di tri ti n in ri and e tem er ere imi ar a th gh the eft hift in the di tri ti n f ter mm indi ated n g ing m rta it et een the t r e
re e str t t e ysters y r
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yster str t ss yster ( a alla a i as) at ra i ed a ifi ter rred thr gh t the r e area in and arti ar in e a a e t h re he e timated i ma a t nne ig re a e he i e di tri ti n a i m da ith a h rt r a fr m a ett ement in mmer and and a arger m de hi h ma in de a n m er f age a e ig re
re str t ysters y
e ss ysters y r rre te r re e e e y e ss tr t re t t s er er ss t
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re e str t ysters y
e r t t e yster t yster he rati f nati e ter t a ifi ter aried thr gh the r e area a ifi ter ere d minant i ma at a eg e th f a green int and in e a a e t h re he e area ha e een fi hed in re i ear and an nkn n t nnage f a ifi ter ere rem ed he market ri e f r the e ter a n mmer ia in and the rate f fi hing de ined ig re
re str t t e r t ss t e ysters y r e re s ( er r t es) re re s ere t e ysters re t
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al a a t tre s ther than in the ann a r e ha e n entrated n the area mmer ia fi hed in e em er n rth ea t f dd and he r e area i a t km i ma in a higher than in the ear a e
e t s ss tre s r t e yster t y y
e r t r ey re ( ) ss ss
ri e r ar em er em er em er ar h em er t er em er
r ey e er he r e area re rted here a imited t the area n rth ea t f dd and here the fi her a take a e hirt i t f a r imate m ength ere ndertaken n a m grid ing a tandard ter dredge
dditi na intertida adrat and tida dredge r e ere m eted in and ntin ed int ring f t a e the di tri ti n and a ndan e f nati e ter in re i fi hed area he e r e i e re rted in he e r e ere art f a r ader r e t n the re t rati n f ter in a a a
ss ta i ma a ming a dredge effi ien f a e timated t e t nne ithin the km r e area ig re a e e er n an e timated t nne a er the f mm th gh there a n fi her et een the and r e i ma de ined d ring the eri d
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re str t ss t e yster se r t e r er est ry s t e st y y e er
e ss t e yster er y y e er se re e e e y t e Oyster e e er er ss ss
e str t at fa ere n t ignifi ant e ident in the r em er r e n ear at fa d e re re ented ter a r imate mm in i e at fa a h e er dete ted in rr nding area n ma a e tria ith t h ean he ended in the er intertida area n i hed in he m de at mm in a at mm in t there a n in rea e in the a ndan e f ter er mm gge ting high m rta itie in the e i e a e ig re
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re e str t t e ysters (Ostrea edulis) s t e st y y e er e s e ( ) s s
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Scallop (Pecten maximus) ana ement a ice O s re s st s re re s e y r s re eets ere s ter t ssess e t t y re ere e t r te t rs re e e e r t e r s eet t e e t e r s e s e e s re st s re ssesse y s r ey r es ss est tes er ert ss t s re r t ty
rt str t r ss st s r es y r t r tes re se r st s t e e t e er – t e e t e r s e t re ery s e re s see t r tes t e ster s e ( re ters) e ee s t y er t t er re s re e t ye rs s st s re r t e t r e t e s ery re es e sses y
s e rt s s e e t t e st e e r rt t es s t y re ere e t r te t rs s t r eets t re re e s e ssess e ts re e e e O t s y e re r te s y tr s e t rst t re s rt ty re res er s e e e t ts
s re s s er es e s t e t e e e ts r e t ts s s e e e ree t e e t s s s e se t r te t s t ts O s re s s er es r y ess se s t e se e t ry t ts
ssues e e ant t t e assessment sca ana ti a a e ment are rrent ndertaken imited i e and age data are a ai a e fr m rt ni ti am ing f anding fr m ri h e e and a erie f ann a r e ndertaken in the eri d and in in the e ti ea atia aria i it in gr th rate in arti ar indi ate the need f r a atia e i it a r a h t a e ment and theref re the need f r atia e i it and temati am ing r gramme
n m er f ther a r a he t a e ment ha e een e red in ding de eti n a e ment f mmer ia at h and eff rt data ith aria e e he main n ertaint in r e e timate i at ha i it hi h arie a rding t gr nd t e r e arried t in the e ti ea in and and hi h i ntin e in ha e indi ated that a are re ent in den itie t fi e time higher n ediment m ri ed main f gra e hen m ared t and
ana ement nits ff h re a in the ri h ea e ti ea and e tern and ea tern hanne are atia di rete t k ig re f ing ett ement t are ari inter nne ted d ring ar a di er a ar a di er a im ati n h tr ng nne ti it et een the th ri h ea and n rth ea t e ti ea imited ea t e t nne ti it a r the th ri h ea et een t k ff the ri h a t and ardigan a in a e and genera e arati n f t k in the ea tern ri h ea and e f an fr m t k f rther th
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n h re t k are ma and imited in di tri ti n ithin a n the th e t and e t a t and are regarded a e arate ati n t the ff h re t k
o callop o S a l c S a a l a l o a a o o o ac l – a o S a a a o S a a oc o a l a l l o la p c all S a a l a l co a a c l a l a a S a a o ( a ) a o la o o al o oc
ana ement measu es he a a it f the a f eet er m in ength ha een imited ring fen ed in e and an a th ri ati n i re ired t fi h f r a he t ta ann a eff rt da f the f eet i a a ed the e tern ater agreement i en the re ati n hi et een e e ength and dredge n m er the n m er f dredge in the f eet an e redi ted ann a fr m the ength f the e e a th ri ed ig re n the n m er f dredge n e e er m a e timated t e a r imate m ared
60 t an e timated dredge ri r t de mmi i ning f art f the f eet in e e nder m in ength are nre tri ted
he minim m anding i e i mm he idth f r m t f the ff h re t k ther than th e in the th ri h ea here the i e i mm he minim m i e f r in h re t k i genera mm a th gh i e f t mm are ed a agreement r a nditi n e ta i hed he fi h erati e that ma ha e a a t re i en e r fi her rder t manage a t k a eg i kieran a
a fi hing i e ded fr m area rting en iti e ha itat he e in de eagra and maer mm nitie in aring ater a and reef mm nitie in a k d a th f a tee and and th f k ead
–
s e sca is e ies anding in rea ed fr m – d e t f eet e an i n and e an i n f the ge gra hi area fi hed ff the th ea t a t he f eet a de mmi i ned in and re tri ted in a a it thereafter and anding n e ent de ined e e e entered the f eet after and anding ntin ed t in rea e t an a time high f er t nne in anding de ined in ear and t ha e in e ri en n e ti e in and ig re
he ri h f eet fi he in the ri h ea e ti ea and ng i h hanne he ma rit f anding are fr m the e ti ea t k a th gh the a tern ng i h hanne ha e me an in rea ing im rtant area t the f eet in re ent ear i hing in the ng i h hanne i genera e i di in re ent ear the f eet ha fi hed in the ea tern hanne hi e in the eri d – the f eet fi hed in the e tern hanne ig re
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–
–
– –
62
–
–
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Spatial restrictions on fisheries for environmental protection (Natura)
tic e a itats i ecti e ssessments an iti ati ns
in view of the site’s
is e ies atu a ec a ati ns
ite s eci ic is e ies iti ati n easu es
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oarin ater a of sets o t iti tion e s es fo the ote tion of se ss n e h it ts n ote te s e ies f o fishe ies sin o i e otto towe fishin e s n set nets in o in w te hese e s es e
ohi ition on e in n t w in in s e ifie e s i e e i e ent to t ns it osition whi e fishin with e es o t w s in the e i e ent to notif the of n intention to fish with set nets within the his is to f i it te o se ve o es on t h of ote te s e ies se s n o o oise in the
i ure oarin ater a S e tent reas close to re e an tra l fishin ears to protect sensitive sea rass an maerl ha itats are sho n ( oor inates are set out in N )
Saltee slan an oo ea of sets o t iti tion e s es fo the ote tion of eef n se i ent h it ts fo fishe ies sin o i e fishin e s in tee s n n oo e s hese e s es e
ohi ition on e in n t w in within s e ifie e s s shown in i e his e s e effe tive e es o i e otto towe fishin e s f o hi h o o tion of eef h it t in the s ishin with o i e e s is ohi ite within the o n ies of the s etween st n ov th in n e his ows fo i ite fishin se son in e e e n e in sive he in fishe in this e is e in fo s o his is to en e e ove of se i ent h it ts etween fishin se sons
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esse s fishin with o i e e s in the s e in the ose e s in the e io e e e e in sive sho e o t osition whi e fishin esse s in in those ove sho e o t osition t e st eve in tes his e i e ent is to onito o i n e with the ose e s n ose se son
i ure oo ea an Saltee s S s e tent reas close to re e an tra l fishin ears to protect sensitive reef ha itats are sho n ( oor inates are set out in N )
lac so a of sets o t iti tion e s es to ote t s o sto s n so eef u a i u a i e se ss n se i ent h it ts in so hese e s es e
o fishin fo s o in e s o en to o i e towe fishin e s f o t st to t st ew e is tion in wi ontin e the os e of the fishe ishin fo s o nnot o in e s o tsi e the s e ifie one shown in i e his is to ote t eef se ss n e h it t esse s with s o e s on o n fishin in so sho e o t osition whi e fishin t f e en of to in te
ew e s es e ein eve o e fo o ste fishin
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i ure lac so a S e tent he area open to scallop fishin ears provi e the scallop fisher is open is sho n (co or inates are set out in N )
le a o os s set o t e ow we e ee th o h ons t tion with the fishin in st in ew in hese e not et in o o te into e is tion
Scallop re in an tra lin o o fishin o otto t w in to o so th of ine e ten in e st f o the o h o i o i e i of si e e vesse s o e es sh to vesse s fishin in ew o fishin wi ontin e to e se son
hese e s es wo ini ise the ove etween s o fishin n o onents of eef h it t n ove with of the e of e h it t wo e in
67
ster re in o fishin fo o ste s in the so the n se tion of the ew s shown in i e his wi e ove n ove etween o ste fishin n sensitive h it ts e o se ss ste fishin in se i ent h it ts wi o on etween to e to h in sive to en e e ove of f n etween fishin se sons s the n e of fishin s is e nn h o t wi se e e on whi h wi not e wi e th n
i ure le a S e tent Scallop fishin an the use of other to e mo ile ears (other than o ster re in ) oul e e clu e from areas south of the lou hcormic uo line ithin the S
i ure le a S e tent ster fishin oul e e clu e from the sha e areas elp sea rass an maerl ha itats are sho n
68
Glossary ccurac e s e of how ose n esti te is to the t e v e te esti tes e n i se enthic n ni ivin on o in the se f oo onamia (ostrea) site of n tive o ste whi h infe ts the oo e s n ses o t it of o ste s iomass e s e of the ntit e et i tonne of sto t iven ti e i valve o of fi te fee in o s s with two she s e s o s o es ohort (of fish) ish whi h we e o n in the s e e ohort anal sis in oho t of fish ove ti e en th oho t n sis t s en th sses ove ti e sin owth t emersal (fisheries) ish th t ive ose to the se e n e t i t ete with v io s otto t w s o nets cos stems e o ose of ivin ni s nts n non ivin st t es th t e ist to ethe n ‘interact’ with e h othe os ste s n e ve s the e o n o e the n e e i si e the e o n o eef o the n e ve e the ish e o even the e ste n t nti ploitation rate he o o tion of o tion t the e innin of iven ti e e io th t is ht in th t ti e e io s e esse on e sis o e e if fish we e ht in the e f o o tion of i ion fish ive t the e innin of the e the nn e oit tion te wo e ishin ffort he tot fishin e in se fo s e ifie e io of ti e ishin ortalit e ths in fish sto se fishin s e o te s n nn te isher o of vesse vo es t etin the s e sse e of s e ies n o sto s sin si i e in the s e e io of the e n within the s e e e the ish f tfish i e te e t w fishe in the ish e ishin icences te o entit e ent iss e to the owne of e iste e fishin vesse to t e t in o e i fishin leet apacit e s e of the h si si e n en ine owe of the fishin f eet e esse s oss tonn e s n i ow tts s leet Se ment he fishin f eet e iste fo the ose of i en in is o nise in to n e of o s se ents ana ement lan is n ee n to n e sto ith efine o e tives i e ent tion e s es o h vest ont o es eview o esses n s st eho e ee ent n invo ve ent ana ement nits A geographic area encompassing a ‘population’ of fish de ine te fo the ose of n e ent e o fo o e isti ef e tion of the ist i tion of the sto inimum an in Si e ( S) he ini o si e t whi h fish e e n e Natura eo hi e with ti e o o i fe t es o s e ies esi n te n e the it ts o i s i e tives h fe t es o s e ies st not e si nifi nt i te fishe ies Natural ortalit e ths in fish sto se e tion i ness o tion o e et t not fishin ol valent t e of fishin i en e ntit e ents sso i te with these i en es e ene o n non s e ifi esse s with s h i en es e in the o v ent se ent of the fishin f eet recision e s e of how v i e e e te e s es of n n e in ete e uota o tion of tot ow e t h o te to n o e tin nit s h s esse ss o si e o o nt ecruitment he o nt of fish e to the e oit e sto e h e e to owth n o i tion into the fishin e o e e the n e of fish th t ow to e o e v ne e to the fishin e in one e wo e the e it ent to the fish e o tion th t e his te is so se in efe in to the n e of fish f o e ss e hin e t in e o e e fish
69 A
reaching their second ear ould e age recruits r o r s he rate of fishing a o e hich the recruitment to the e ploita le stoc ecomes significantl reduced his is characterised a greatl reduced spa ning stoc a decreasing proportion of older fish in the catch and generall er lo recruitment ear after ear r o s arious reference points can e defined for fished stoc s hese can e used as a management target or a management trigger i e point here more stringent management action is re uired amples include fishing mortalit rate reference points iomass reference points indicator eg catch rate reference points or those ased on iological o ser ations al s o s nformation on the olume and price of fish recorded for all first point of sale transactions ll s olluscan crustacean or cephalopod species that are su ect to fishing o os o he distri ution in si e of a sample of fish usuall presented as a histogram otal Allo a le atch r A fishing essel usuall fishing for cra ith a sea ater tan s elo dec s in hich the catch is stored li e essel onitoring stem essels report position periodicall hen fishing
70 71
“a thriving maritime economy in harmony with the ecosystem and supported by the delivery of excellence in our services”