Ireland brown crab - pot/trap

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Overview

The Irish brown crab FIP is an Irish national initiative which covers four geographic areas of certification within the fishery. It is open to all participants around the coasts of Ireland. Two pilot sub FIPs have been set up, one in Area 6 and one in Area 7 as these are treated as distinct areas from a fishery management perspective.

For further information please visit the FIP website.

 

FIP Description 

The Irish brown crab FIP is an Irish national initiative which covers four geographic areas of certification within the fishery. It is open to all participants around the coasts of Ireland.

FIP Objective(s) 

Set out below are the objectives of the Irish Brown Crab FIP:

  • Determine and reduce the extent of landings of white crab by December 2019.
  • Work actively towards enhancing data collection in the crab fishery to address data deficiencies issues by December 2023.
  • Assist in the definition of biological reference points and the development of harvest control rules for the fishery by December 2024.
  • Improve industry input into the decision making process for the fishery to improve the management structure by December 2023.

Updated April 2022

FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
December 2016
December 2024
Update 
Reasons for applying for an extension to the FIP end date are given below. • The overall situation in the fishery has changed a lot since the FIP was established and particularly since 2013 when the pre-assessment report was done. • A new project has been developed and is coordinated by the FIP aimed at reducing fishing mortality in crab by developing a replacement bait in the whelk fishery. This project is state funded and is being conducted by an Irish university marine research centre. The project will run for 18 to 24 months. • The science model for the crab stock has changed and is now moving towards an MSY type approach. This has reduced the relevance of some of the workplan elements - such as the exploration of CPUE as a HCR. • A fresh pre-assessment report is needed as the findings of the previous one are outdated. • The existing FIP has been discussing the need for management changes both internally and with government scientists for a number of years. Following submissions by the scientists responsible for Crab stock assessment to the relevant government department a public consultation on management changes should begin within the next few months. An extension to the FIP timeline, would provide time for the FIP to respond positively to these proposals and to emphasise the need for better management from a sustainability and market perspective. • The management situation in the fishery is further complicated by management changes in our nearest neighbour, the UK, due to Brexit. There are very significant overlaps in crab fishing areas and markets between Ireland and the UK. • Covid has had an impact on the FIPs progress in implementing workplan actions over the past 2 years. A revised workplan incorporating some of the issues above, in particular a new pre-assessment report, will be submitted for the next review in September 2022.
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Next Progress Report Due 
Friday, March 31, 2023
Species 
Common Name 
Brown Crab
Scientific Name
Cancer pagurus
Gear Type 
Pot/Trap
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 27 (Atlantic, Northeast)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
Ireland
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country Flag of Vessel 
Ireland
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
3,500 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
7,000 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2018
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FIP at a Glance

4% 7% 64% 25%
December 01, 2016
7% 4% 64% 25%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
C Some Recent Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Mar 2023
Target End Date
Dec 2024

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Marine Applications Ltd / Verifish
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Frank Fleming
Email 
info@veri.fish
Phone 
+353214928934
Website Name 
Verifish
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.
2936