INACTIVE UK Irish Sea, West of Scotland, and North Sea great Atlantic scallop - dredge

Primary tabs

Reason for Inactivity
  • Failed to meet social responsibility policy

Overview

Project UK is working towards an environmentally sustainable future for UK fisheries by running Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) on 12 UK fisheries that have been selected by the UK seafood supply chain. They were selected due to their importance for the UK market.

Project UK has been developed in response to the demand from the supply chain, retailers, industry and NGOs. The project will commission an MSC pre-assessment to inform and develop an action plan for each fishery, which will identify improvements.

King scallops are found on clean firm sand and fine gravel and in currents, which provide good feeding conditions. They occur along the European Atlantic coast from northern Norway, south to the Iberian Peninsula. The bathymetric range of distribution is from the low tide mark to over 100 m, but it is most common in waters of 20-70 m.

King Scallops are a non-quota species and are therefore not subject to a TAC. Total landings of scallops in 2017 by the UK fleet in the North Sea, West of Scotland and Irish Sea was 15,954t - approximately 60% of total landings were caught in the Central North Sea and the Irish Sea. Landings were dominated by Scottish-registered vessels (77%), with 90% of landings being made by vessels over 10m in length.

FIP Description 

Project UK is working towards an environmentally sustainable future for UK fisheries by running Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) on 12 UK fisheries that have been selected by the UK seafood supply chain.

FIP Objective(s) 

By December 2024, the FIP aims to address the following:

  • Meet the 80+ score for each MSC performance indicator within 5 years (April 2019- 2024) and be able to enter MSC full assessment. 
  • Support fisheries with the tools to implement changes and ensure their sustainable future as they move towards MSC certification
  • Follow the step by step definition of a credible FIP involving four key stages, each with associated tools & support mechanisms:
  1. Undertake MSC pre-assessment
  2. Develop an action plan for improvement
  3. Implement actions & track progress
  4. Enter full MSC assessment
  • Address and aim to improve all principle indicators scoring below 80 across the MSC as determined in the pre-assessments 
  • Use the model to establish a 'FIP conveyor belt' to identify, improve and certify UK fisheries
  • Track progress consistently and transparently, producing review reports on an annual basis using a consultant body
FIP Type 
Comprehensive
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
April 2019
December 2024
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Next Progress Report Due 
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Giant Scallops
Scientific Name
Pecten maximus
Gear Type 
Dredge
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
Geographic Scope 
ICES Areas Iv, VIa & VIIa
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
11,177 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
15,842 metric tons
Landings Date 
January 2022
PrintPDF

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Facilitated by the Marine Stewardship Council
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Lisa Bennett
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
10346