New Non-Commercial Pot Fishing: Lobster & Crab

[JimC]

COVENEY INTRODUCES MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL POT FISHING

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney T.D. has signed a statutory instrument to introduce management measures from the start of February for non-commercial pot fishing for crab and lobster.

The new measures include:

· introducing a closed season during the months of October, November, December, January, February, March and April;

· limiting landings to no more than one lobster and five crab per fishing boat in a 24-hour period;

· requiring all lobsters containing a V notch and all mutilated lobsters taken by a fishing boat to be returned alive to the sea without delay;

· limiting a fishing boat to deploying no more than six pots in the sea at any one time, and
·prohibiting storing in the sea a crab or lobster that has a nicked or banded claw.

These measures are similar to restrictions that apply in Northern Ireland under the “Unlicensed Fishing for Crabs and Lobster Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008”.

The introduction of the measures follows an extensive consultation process involving the National and Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums (RIFFs) and a public consultation facilitated both in writing and online.

Speaking about the introduction of the new measures the Minister said: “I believe these new measures balance the potential for continued enjoyment of pot-fishing for crab and lobster as a pastime with the need to manage the activity to deter illegal fishing and support efforts for sustainable stock management. Every marine user has a part to play in contributing to healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries so that we can all continue to enjoy the benefits Ireland’s marine resources afford us long into the future. I would like to thank the National Inshore Fisheries Forum and the six multi-stakeholder RIFFs for their support in developing these measures.”

Commercial sea-fishing is a highly regulated activity, and sea-fishermen must meet the requirements for a sea fishing licence, the requirement to fit out a safe and seaworthy vessel and the costs associated with both. A range of conservation measures apply to species fished by pots, including minimum landing sizes for crabs, minimum and maximum landing sizes for lobster and a prohibition on the sale of lobsters that have been v-notched.

The new management measures were developed following an examination of the current regulatory environment and consideration of a number of options for regulating non-commercial pot-fishing. Illegal, unregulated fishing by unregistered boats was a significant cause for concern in a number of areas as well as resource competition at certain times of the year.

The Minister also stressed that sustainable fisheries and sustainable seafood are a key focus of the new €240 million development programme for Ireland’s seafood sector:

“Last week I launched the initial tranche of schemes to provide Exchequer and EMFF funding to Irish fishing and seafood operators. The Programme has been designed to assist Ireland’s seafood sector and coastal communities to adapt to the significant reforms in the new Common Fisheries Policy and to build a successful, sustainable industry that delivers jobs and incomes. Further schemes will be launched in the coming weeks and months.”

[donal domeney]

"limiting landings to no more than one lobster and five crab per fishing boat in a 24-hour period


Happy, no mention of wading or tyres

[JimC]

I suppose it's edible crab only....

[Ashley Hayden]

I don't know boys the whole lunacy "optics" of the system get more bizarre everyday.

Coveney introduces a bill aimed at recreational pot fishing as a "conservation" measure while he allows increased effort from the so called "professionals.

I spoke to an east coast pot fisherman only last week who was advocating a limit of 350 pots per boat while BIM were funding a skipper to the tune of 2,500 pots.

I do not doubt the voracity of the above information given the source and if so it makes a joke of Coveney's bill

[JimC]

Sometimes I think it's a matter of the dept. placating commercials... You know "lets do something to keep them quiet, something that's easy to do"

I am seeing it in action off Guileen. There was one man lobstering the area with donkeys years. He sort of inherited the area and I know him well enough. Last year another boat from the harbour started to encroach and another boat from Ballycotton started to drop pots outside my mans pots. You had more or less a doubling even a trebling of effort at lobstering. That surely cannot be sustained. As you would expect there is a dearth of wrasse in the area too.

I've no doubt commercials were complaining to the dept. about the thousands of lobsters being taken by recreational people.... that's why they have gone scarce...

Wait for the seal cull any day now

[coolmaine kiter]

Hard to share one lobster with the wife!

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