Consultation on New Controls in the Queen Scallop Fishery in ICES Divisions VIa and VIIa

8. Consultation Proposals

The management proposals contained in this document are informed by a joint working group comprising Fisheries Administrations, catching and processing industry representatives and fisheries scientists. The working group considered numerous options and developed these proposals during a series of meetings with a view to seeking agreement on their introduction and further information for potential future development.

There was a consensus from the Working Group that the following management measures should be introduced as soon as possible:

• An increase in the minimum landing size of queen scallops,
• A voluntary closed season for the fishery,
• Entry restrictions to limit the number of vessels able to participate.

These three management measures are explored below in Part 1 - Management Measures Advocated by the Working Group.

Part 2 - Additional Management Options for Consideration in the Medium to Long Term contains additional management options that were considered but not supported by the working group for immediate introduction. However, in order to inform longer-term management of the fishery, Fisheries Administrations are seeking views on these additional measures.