Inner Sound of Skye inshore fisheries pilot: consultation

6. Proposed Pilot Fisheries Management Measures

The following management measures are proposed in relation to mobile and static fishing operations respectively. These proposals, which have been suggested by industry stakeholders, will be further explored and agreed by the Inner Sound Fisheries Management Advisory Group before implementation on 1 April 2019.

Proposed Mobile Fisheries Management Measures

A. Allow continued access to a Control Area of the Inner Sound to those trawl vessels which meet an eligibility criteria.

B. Eligible vessels will require to have a calibrated Vessel Monitoring System on board that accurately and frequently transmits the vessel's location and ongoing fishing activity.

C. Controls on the fishing effort of eligible vessels; such as days at sea to be considered

Nephrops trawling permitted to the Control Area, specified below, identified as containing productive Nephrops grounds.

Figure 2 - Trawl Fishing Control Area

Co-ordinate	North Latitude	West Longitude
NE corner	57° 20.00'	5° 46.50'
NW corner	57° 18.85'	5° 50.10'
SE corner	57° 19.00'	5° 45.30'
SW corner	57° 17.85'	5° 48.90'

A. Accessing Trawl Fishing Control Area

"Allow continued access to a Control Area of the Inner Sound to those trawl vessels which meet an eligibility criteria".

Access to the Trawl Fishing Control Area will be permitted only to those trawl vessels with a track record of fishing activity in the Inner Sound with landings from ICES rectangle 43E4 as recorded on landing returns submitted to Marine Scotland.

Trawl vessels that do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be permitted to fish in the Inner Sound - an appeals process will be established.

The current six-month prohibition on mobile gear fishing in the Inner Sound will continue to apply to all mobile gear.

Trawling will only be permitted in the Trawl Fishing Control Area to eligible vessels between 1 April to 30 September each year. During this period creel fishing will not be permitted in the Trawl Fishing Control Area.

(2) Consultation Question – Proposed Mobile Gear Management Measures

Do you agree that testing these proposed mobile gear management measures may provide insight into improving local fisheries management of Nephrops fisheries?

Eligibility Criteria

The analysis of Nephrops fishing activity in the Inner Sound of Skye set out in Annex A suggests a possible criteria in assessing eligibility (presented at Annex B) might be based around establishing where vessels:

• have fished in the Inner Sound of Skye in recent years;
• have a pattern of regularity to their fishing activity in the area; and
• meet or exceed the average catch from the area as a percentage of the total catch by that fleet segment.

(3) Consultation Questions – Eligibility Criteria

Do you agree that continued access for trawl vessels should be determined by a track record of fishing activity as described?

Do you agree with the principle that eligible trawl vessels be restricted to fishing in the Trawl Fishing Control Area?

B. Vessel Monitoring and Tracking System (VMS)

"Eligible vessels will require to have a calibrated Vessel Monitoring System on board that accurately and frequently transmits the vessel's location and ongoing fishing activity".

Trawl vessels applying to access the Trawl Fishing Control Area will be required to have on board VMS which provides real time information relating to fishing location as well as ongoing activity.

(4) Consultation Question – Requirement for Onboard Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)

Do you agree that eligible trawl vessels should be required to have on board VMS?

Do you have views on the specification of the VMS?

C. Controls on Fishing Effort of Eligible Vessels

“Eligible vessels will have their fishing effort controlled to ensure that effort within the Control Area remains comparable with previous years”.

The Inner Sound Fisheries Management Advisory Group will consider imposing controls on effort to eligible vessels.

(5) Consultation Question – Controlling Effort

Do you agree that there should be a limit on the fishing effort of eligible trawl vessels fishing in the Control Area?

Static Fisheries Management Measures

A. Restrict fishing for Nephrops by creel in the Inner Sound to those vessels with a demonstrable track record of Nephrops fishing activity.

B. Increase the minimum landing size of Nephrops caught by creel in the Inner Sound.

C. Introduce a quota for the Inner Sound Nephrops creel fishery.

D. Restrict the maximum number of Nephrops creels that vessels can deploy in the Inner Sound.

A. Restrict Access of Creel Fishing

"Restricting fishing for Nephrops by creel to those vessels with a track record of Nephrops creel fishing activity in the Inner Sound"

Eligibility to access the Nephrops fishery will be based on a track record of landings from ICES rectangle 43E4, as recorded on landing returns submitted to Marine Scotland. Vessels that do not meet the eligibility criteria will be prohibited from fishing for Nephrops in the Inner Sound, but will be able to continue to fish for other species by creel.

The Inner Sound Fisheries Management Advisory Group will develop and agree the eligibility criteria. An appeals process will be put in place.

(6) Consultation Questions – Track Record of Creel Fishing

Do you agree that fishing for Nephrops by creel should be restricted to those vessels with a track record of Nephrops creel fishing activity in the Inner Sound?

What are your suggestions for how a track record should be determined?

B. Increase Minimum Landing Size

"Increase the minimum landing size of Nephrops caught by creel in the Inner Sound".

A minimum landing size provides juvenile animals the opportunity to grow and reproduce before becoming commercially harvestable. Increasing the minimum landing size would extend these opportunities, and could potentially improve the yield and biomass of the local Nephrops stock in the long term.

The minimum landing size of Nephrops on the west coast of Scotland is currently 70 mm in overall length, 20 mm for carapace length and 37 mm for tail length.

(7) Consultation Questions – Creel Caught Nephrops Minimum Landing Size

Do you agree that the minimum landing size of Nephrops caught by creel in the Inner Sound should be increased?

What are your suggestions on what the minimum landing size should be increased to?

C. Introduce a quota for the Inner Sound Nephrops creel fishery.

"Introduce a quota for the Inner Sound Nephrops creel fishery".

A total allowable catch for Nephrops in the Inner Sound will be determined based on the recorded landing activity of creel vessels operating in ICES rectangle 43E4.

The Inner Sound Fisheries Management Advisory Group will develop and agree the allocation method to individual vessels.

(8) Consultation Questions – Annual Quota for Nephrops Creel Fishing

Do you agree that an annual quota should be established for Nephrops creel fishing in the Inner Sound of Skye?

What are your suggestions on how an annual quota should be determined?

D. Restriction on Creel Numbers

"Restrict the maximum number of Nephrops creels that vessels can deploy in the Inner Sound".

Restricting creel numbers could help prevent an increase in effort and may offer mitigation for static-on-static gear conflict.

The proposers have suggested that a maximum number could be set at 1,600 Nephrops creels per vessel.

(9) Consultation Questions – Individual Vessel Creel Limits

Do you agree that Nephrops creels deployed by individual vessels in the Inner Sound should be restricted?

What are your suggestions on what a maximum number of Nephrops creels per vessel should be set at?