UK Orkney brown crab - pot

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Overview

The Orkney Crab fishery targets brown crab (Cancer pagarus) and is located where the North Sea and the North Atlantic Sea meet. There is approximately 1500 tons landed into Orkney in 2022. The fishing fleet is made up of small inshore vessels which are generally under 10m in length, and they tend to work as day vessels landing crab every day. The fishing tends to occur within 12 nautical miles from the coastline. The Orkney Crab fishery is regulated by licence conditions which are the vessels having a valid fishing licence which has shellfish entitlement. Licences are issued and regulated by the Scottish Government. The fishery is also regulated by Minimum Landing Sizes (MLS) which is 150mm CW and other technical measures which are regulated by the Scottish Government and through Marine Scotland Compliance. The fishing method for the target species is creels (pots/traps) and is considered a passive method of fishing. There is very little interaction with the fishery and vulnerable species or habitats. Scotland has a network of MPAs and SACs which protect the most vulnerable habitats from being disturbed by fishing activities. Orkney Crab has a code of practice for fishers which outline the high standard of fishing practices and quality of crab that is expected to be landed by the fishery. This also outlines who a fisher should contact if they should become entangled with marine mammals. Orkney Crab is in the process of establishing a sampling program for the fishery which will address the issues of data limitations which are currently an issue for the fishery. Marine Scotland Science are the current body who collect market sampling data, and this is used in their stock assessment. These stock assessments are published but they are not currently used to inform management decisions for the fishery. The Orkney Crab data will enhance this data set and over time allow for a local stock assessment to be done which could support management decisions at a local level. 

The local management body the Orkney RIFG is established and tasked with developing a regional management plan, this is inline with a regional marine special plan that is also in the process of being developed. The outputs of this FIP will be used to address the areas currently not meeting the standards. This will primarily through the development of a sampling program which will have an onshore market sampling component, an offshore sampling component and a crab tagging component. In addition to this Orkney crab will be looking to support areas in P3 where it currently does not meet the standard through engagement with the local RIFG and engagement with national consultations where appropriate.

FIP Description 

The Orkney Crab fishery targets brown crab (Cancer pagarus) and is located where the North Sea and the North Atlantic Sea meet. There is approximately 1500 tons landed into Orkney in 2022.

FIP Objective(s) 

The FIP will impement a sampling program which will address data limitations currently seen in the fishery. This will involve an onshore market samping component, an offshore sampling component and a crab tagging component. The market sampling component will be in place by the end of April 2025, the offshore sampling component by the end of August 2025 and the crab tagging component by September 2025. Each component will continue to collect data unit the end of the FIP. These sampling programs will address issues with stock definition that are currently seen in P1 as this data will enhace national data sets on the fishery and allow for a local stock assessment to be done. 

The FIP will actively engage with the Regional Inshore Fishery Group and support through taking part in national consultations the development of a Harvest Strategy for the fishery. 

In addition to this Orkney Crab will review its Code of Practice for the fishery and distribute to fishers landing into the FIP. This will be done by January 2029.

The FIP are currently involved in the beta trial of the Community Catch Standard.The Community Catch Standard is a global initiative that aims to support small-scale fisheries acquire sustainability recognition through their newly developed certification scheme that will fill a much needed gap over other existing programs. The Orkney Crab trial will be testing three species; brown crab, velvet crabs and European lobster against the required standards towards certification. Following the trial workplans to be produced that will give Orkney Crab an improvement pathway to continue with sustainability work on the 3 species and a potentially certified fishery. The objectives of the Community Catch trial will be to produce a workplan including creating a sampling programme to allow for localised stock assessment to be carried out. 

FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 2: FIP Launch
Start and Projected End Dates
July 2021
January 2029
Next Progress Report Due 
Friday, February 28, 2025
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 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
Geographic Scope 
Subarea 27.4a Northern North Sea, ICES Division Iva
Regional Fisheries Management Organization
NEAFC
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
1,000 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
1,000 metric tons
Landings Date 
August 2024
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
July 01, 2021
14% 86%
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
Not yet available
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.
Feb 2025
Target End Date
Jan 2029

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Orkney Crab Limited
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Kate Rydzkowski
Email 
sustainable@orkneycrab.com
Phone 
01856 600125
Website Name 
Orkney Crab
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.
22780