UK English Channel king scallop - dredge

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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.

No TAC is set in the Channel scallop fishery. Total landed weight of scallops in 2015 by the UK fleet in area VIId and VIIe was 8,976t. Of this 97% was landed by scallop dredge (2% beam trawl and 1% others). Landings from VIId and VIIe were also dominated by English registered vessels (62%) although Scottish registered vessels also landed significant quantities (36%). Finally, of the catches from dredge fisheries almost all (95%) was by vessels over 10m LOA registered 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 April 2024, the FIP aims to address the following:

  • Meet the 80+ score for each MSC performance indicator 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 5: Improvements on the Water
Start and Projected End Dates
April 2017
April 2024
Update 
The FIP has been severely impacted by Brexit and Covid-19, which has affected the legislative regime the fishery operates in and the ability for Steering Group members to attend Steering group meetings and deliver on actions set out in the FIP's action plan. The stakeholders have agreed to extend the FIP by two years to April 2024. As a result these next steps will be embedded into a new Action Plan for Year 6 & 7 of the FIP.
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Next Progress Report Due 
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Scallop spp.
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 area VII d, VII e
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
16,805 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
32,400 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2021
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
April 01, 2017
14% 46% 36% 4%
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

D Some Past 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.
May 2024
Target End Date
Apr 2024

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Facilitated by Marine Stewardship Council
Organization Type 
Other
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.
8193