Marine Stewardship Council Full Assessment Client Draft Report/Preliminary Draft Report (PDR) For The OSF Orkney brown crab creel fishery Facilitated By the Orkney Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) Assessors: Géraldine Criquet, Lead Assessor Julian Addison, Assessor Tim Huntington, Assessor Report Code: MSC028 Report Date: April 2018 SAI Global 3rd Floor, BloCk 3, Quayside Business Park, Mill Street,Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. T + 353 42 932 0912 F + 353 42 938 6864 www.saiglobal.com Foreword (Optional) Form 13h Issue 3 May 2017 © SAI Global Limited Copyright 2009 - ABN 67 050 611 642 Page 1 of 176 Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 1. Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Authorship and Peer Reviewers ................................................................................................................ 10 2.1. Assessment Team .............................................................................................................................. 10 2.2. Peer Reviewers .................................................................................................................................. 11 3. DesCription of the Fishery ......................................................................................................................... 13 3.1. Unit(s) of Assessment (UoA) and SCope of CertifiCation Sought ....................................................... 13 3.1.1. UoA and Proposed Unit of CertifiCation (UoC) .......................................................................... 13 3.1.2. Final UoC(s) ................................................................................................................................ 14 3.1.3. Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Catch Data ............................................................................. 14 3.1.4. Scope of Assessment in Relation to Enhanced Fisheries ........................................................... 15 3.1.5 Scope of Assessment in Relation to Introduced SpeCies Based Fisheries (ISBF) ....................... 15 3.2. Overview of the fishery ..................................................................................................................... 15 3.3. PrinCiple One: Target Species BaCkground ........................................................................................ 17 3.3.1. Brown Crab biology and life history ........................................................................................... 17 3.3.2. Harvest strategy ........................................................................................................................ 20 3.3.3. Information and data ColleCtion ................................................................................................ 23 3.3.4. Stock assessment methodology ................................................................................................ 26 3.3.5. Orkney brown Crab stoCk status ................................................................................................ 28 3.3.6. Management of the fishery in relation to the brown Crab stoCk status .................................... 33 3.3.7. Other fishery removals .............................................................................................................. 33 3.4. PrinCiple Two: ECosystem BaCkground .............................................................................................. 35 3.4.1. Primary and secondary species ................................................................................................. 35 3.4.1.1 Source of information used to determine the non-target species composition ................... 35 3.4.1.2 Main and minor primary and seCondary speCies for the Orkney brown Crab fishery ........... 39 3.4.1.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 44 3.4.2. Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species ............................................................. 45 3.4.2.1 InteraCtions with whales and dolphins .................................................................................. 46 3.4.2.2 InteraCtions with otters ......................................................................................................... 47 3.4.2.3 InteraCtions with seals ........................................................................................................... 48 3.4.2.4 InteraCtions with sea turtles .................................................................................................. 48 3.4.2.5 InteraCtions with basking sharks ........................................................................................... 48 3.4.2.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 48 Form 13h Issue 3 May 2017 © SAI Global Limited Copyright 2009 - ABN 67 050 611 642 Page 2 of 176 3.4.3. Habitats ..................................................................................................................................... 48 3.4.3.1 Benthic habitats distribution ................................................................................................. 48 3.4.3.2 Habitat impaCts ..................................................................................................................... 50 3.4.4. Ecosystem .................................................................................................................................. 52 3.4.4.1 DesCription of the eCosystem the Orkney brown Crab Creel fishery depends on ................. 52 3.4.4.2 Ecosystem impacts ................................................................................................................ 53 3.4.4.3 Management ......................................................................................................................... 53 3.5. PrinCiple Three: Management System BaCkground .......................................................................... 56 3.5.1. The legal basis and scope of the management system ............................................................. 56 3.5.2. Rights and dispute resolution .................................................................................................... 58 3.5.3. Roles and responsibilities .......................................................................................................... 59 3.5.4. Consultation and participation mechanisms ............................................................................. 60 3.5.5. Long-term objectives ................................................................................................................. 60 3.5.6. Fisheries-specific management ................................................................................................. 61 3.5.7. DeCision-making proCesses ........................................................................................................ 61 3.5.8. Monitoring, Control and surveillanCe (MCS) .............................................................................. 62 3.5.8.1 MCS implementation ............................................................................................................. 62 3.5.8.2 Sanctions ............................................................................................................................... 63 3.5.9. Monitoring and evaluation of the fishery management system performanCe ......................... 63 4. Evaluation Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 64 4.1. Harmonised Fishery Assessment ....................................................................................................... 64 4.2. Previous assessments ........................................................................................................................ 64 4.3. Assessment Methodologies .............................................................................................................. 64 4.4. Evaluation Processes and Techniques ............................................................................................... 64 4.4.1. Site Visits ................................................................................................................................... 64 4.4.2. Consultations ............................................................................................................................. 66 4.4.3. Evaluation Techniques ............................................................................................................... 66 5. Traceability ................................................................................................................................................ 70 5.1. Eligibility Date ...................................................................................................................................