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 March 2025.
  • Improve industry input into the decision making process for the fishery to improve the management structure by September 2027.

Updated Sept 2024

FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
December 2016
September 2027
Update 
Reasons for applying for an extension to the FIP end date are given below. A new pre-assessment report, associated workplan and timelines were submitted in September 2023. Although the FIP has been making good progress, the timelines included at that time were too short and more time is needed to achieve the FIP objectives. The principal reason that an extension to the FIP timeline is required is related to management of the fishery. The 2023 pre-assessment and the workplan explicitly refer to the need for management changes and the establishment of a state led management working group. This group (the Brown Crab Working Group, BCWG) has only been established in September 2024 and is due to submit a report outlining its recommendations to the fisheries minister by the end of 2024. It is expected that it will take some time for these management recommendations to be implemented and to take effect within the fishery. Outputs from the BCWG will potentially have an impact on several performance indicators. This is particularly relevant under Principle 3 where PIs were scored down in the 2023 pre-assessment due to a lack of strategic review and decision making in the fishery. PIs whose scores may be improved by BCWG actions include: 1.2.1 Harvest Strategy 1.2.2 Harvest Control Rules and Tools 3.2.1 Fishery Specific Objectives 3.2.2 Decision Making Processes 3.2.4 Monitoring and Management Performance Evaluation Relevant to Action 1: Reduce Pressure on Crab Stock a second project to extend the work already done on developing a replacement bait in the whelk fishery has been funded and has recently commenced. 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 and regular updates will be provided on progress as was done for the first replacement bait project. The third main action which necessitates a timeline extension is in the development of a ghost gear strategy. New regulations on registration of fishing gear use are being implemented from January 1st 2025 and a new project on the best approach to implementing required new schemes has recently commenced. Implementation of the new regulations and outcomes of the project will both feed in to the development of a FIP strategy on ghost gear monitoring in the crab fishery.
Next Progress Report Due 
Monday, March 31, 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 
Ireland
Geographic Scope 
Entire country
Country Flag of Vessel 
Ireland
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
3,200 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
6,635 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2022
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
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
B Good 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 2025
Target End Date
Sep 2027

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Verifact
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Frank Fleming
Email 
info@vfact.com
Phone 
+353214928934
Website Name 
Irish Fishery Improvement Projects
Organization Name 
Verifact
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Mike Fitzpatrick
Email 
mike@vfact.com
Phone 
00353214928934
Website Name 
Irish Fishery Improvement Projects
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