Brown shrimp

The Wash Brown Shrimp fishery is certified but remains a data limited species. However, there is no concern for biomass or fishing pressure for this stock.This rating covers The Wash brown shrimp stock, which spans ICES rectangles 36E9, 36F0, 35F0, 35F1, 34F0, 34F1, and 33F1. Although North Sea brown shrimp are generally considered a single stock, it is recommended that The Wash stock be assessed separately due to the low likelihood of adult shrimp migrating between the eastern and western sides of the North Sea, resulting in geographical separation. UK vessel landings of brown shrimp have fluctuated since the 1970s, ranging between 200 to 2000 tonnes annually, which accounts for 1.5-6% of total North Sea landings. Over 90% of the brown shrimp landed by UK vessels in the North sea originate from The Wash and surrounding areas. Fishing activity in The Wash is highly responsive to market prices, so peaks and troughs in landings may reflect changes in demand rather than shifts in stock abundance.There are no formal stock assessments for brown shrimp. As they are a short-lived and fast-growing species, conventional assessments for long-term Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and biomass reference points are unsuitable. As a result, Route 2 scoring has been applied, with brown shrimp currently considered to have high resilience to fishing pressure. In The Wash, stock biomass is estimated using a model that lacks size data, meaning it reflects total biomass but not spawning stock biomass. Within the certified fishery, a target reference point of 75% unexploited stock is set, alongside a limit reference point of 30%. Over the past seven seasons, stock size has fluctuated around the 75% target, indicating that the stock is not overfished.Fishing mortality has remained below natural mortality throughout the timeseries, even during periods of high exploitation. This is further supported by consistent Landings Per Unit Effort (LPUE) for UK vessels, which has remained stable between 0.5 and 1.0kg per horsepower days at sea from 2003 to 2023. Together, these indicators suggest that overfishing is not occurring.Combined with a stock status score of 90 – well above the best practice threshold of 80 – awarded by the certifying body, there is currently no concern regarding biomass or fishing pressure in The Wash brown shrimp fishery.

In this MSC-certified fishery, there are a range of appropriate management measures are in place, with effective monitoring and good compliance. There are no outstanding conditions.The Wash Brown Shrimp fishery has been Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified since 2020. There are no conditions or requirements to make any improvements to the management of the fishery, with a management system score of 96.5 - exceeding the best practice threshold of 80. The fishery is managed through a combination of local legislation by the Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (EIFCA) and an industry-led Wash Shrimp Management Plan. Together, these frameworks promote sustainable fishing, habitat protection, and good monitoring and compliance standards.The Wash Shrimp Fishery is carried out by 54 UK-registered vessels. These vessels are subject to a comprehensive monitoring and data collection programme led by EIFCA, which requires fishers to record their trips in logbooks. Vessel locations are also tracked via Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and inshore VMS (iVMS), with data shared between EIFCA and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The fishery is also monitored by the Cefas Observer Programme, which collects data onboard selected vessels to support stock assessments and broader monitoring.EIFCA also manages access to the fishery through a permit system (Shrimp Permit Byelaw 2018). Vessels may hold either a Category 1 permit, which applies with the Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Are of Conservation (SAC), and/or a Category 2 permit for the surrounding areas. Category 1 permits require weekly shrimp catch returns and are subject to a Total Allowable Effort (TAE) limit of 1,101 trips, calculation on a five-year rolling average. This effort cap is designated primarily to protect sensitive habitat features, but can also affect fishing pressure on shrimp stocks.Spatial and technical restrictions are also covered through EIFCA byelaws. These include temporary closure of shellfish beds, restrictions on redepositing shellfish, and requirements for fishermen to share catch information. Inshore trawling is also restricted for vessels over 15.24m in length, and additional gear and engine power limits apply in designated areas. Bottom-towed gears are also prohibited in several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the district, and the Closed Areas Byelaw 2021 further restricts bottom-towed gears within the Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC. EIFCA conducts regular inspections to ensure compliance, and there was no evidence of non-compliance during the 2023/2024 season.The Wash Shrimp Management Plan is in place alongside EIFCA measures. This plan outlines a harvest strategy which includes restrictions on vessel capacity, gear specifications, and shrimp size grading. The Harvest Control Rule (HCR) is a key element of the plan, with a catch rate threshold of 100kg per tide. If catch rates fall below this threshold then landings are only purchased for four days a week rather than seven, leading to reduced fishing effort so stocks can recover. The HCR has only been triggered once in this fishery in 2022, indicating that the fishing is currently operating within safe limits.To reduce the risk of catching undersized shrimp, the Management Plan includes a minimum mesh size of 22mm, however, most vessels voluntarily use 24-26mm. The Wash Shrimp Management Plan also includes a Code of Practice, and measures to minimise impacts on bycatch species (mesh veils), ETP species, and sensitive habitats.

Beam trawls can have significant impacts on the seabed, however shrimp beam trawls are often lighter and less damaging than traditional beam trawls. Modifications to the shrimp beam trawls help to minimise bycatch of other fish species, including ETP species.The Wash Brown Shrimp Fishery operates using modified beam trawl which are lighter than those used in flatfish fisheries, resulting in lower seabed disturbance. These trawls are designed to skim the surface of sandy and muddy substrates with the use of bobbins, and no tickler chains. This design creates shallow furrows in the soft sediment, approximately 2cm deep, minimising physical disturbance to the benthic environment.Sensitive habitats can be found within The Wash area, including biogenic reefs and seagrass beds. Fishing activity is restricted in these areas though a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and designated closed zones. Within the EIFCA district, bottom-towed gear is prohibited in parts of the Haisborough, Hammond & Winterton MPA, North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef MPA, and the Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Additional protections are enforced under the Closed Areas Byelaw 2021, which limits activity within The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC.To mitigate bycatch, the fishery utilises veil and sieve nets to deflect non-target fish species away from the cod end, as well as riddles to remove flatfish and undersized shrimp (below 46mm). Cod end mesh sizes are regulated, and periodically reviewed with best available science. Currently, a minimum mesh size of 22mm is mandatory in the fishery to reduce the capture of undersized shrimp. Additionally, Grade D shrimp (those retained by a 6.5mm mesh screen) must not exceed 15% of the total catch. Onboard sorting is conducted using water flow systems to minimise handling stress and improve post-release survival chances. Bycatch species which have exceeded 5% of catch weight during observations include whiting, dab, plaice, herring, sprat, sole, and seabass. Survival rates vary considerably, with flatfish exhibiting strong survival, while roundfish are more vulnerable, with mortality rates as high as 100% due to capture and sorting stress.Encounters with Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) species are relatively rare within this fishery, but carefully monitored through observer programmes and mandatory self-reporting. Fishers are required to document any interactions. Veil nets contribute to reducing incidental catches of elasmobranchs, but are less effective at excluding juvenile rays and skates. Any juvenile rays or skates which are captured are returned to the sea as quickly as possible to improve survival chances – often at the expense of species identification. During an observation trip, an encounter with a juvenile thornback ray was recorded, which is a ‘near threatened’ species, but there are no other records of by-caught skates or rays. Nonetheless, survival rates for elasmobranchs are estimated to range from 50-95%, with individuals in better original health showing greater prospects for recovery.To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, MCS would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced.