Common cuttlefish

There is concern for the biomass of common cuttlefish, and for the fishing pressure on the stock within the English Channel and Celtic Seas region.The common cuttlefish fishery in the English Channel and wider Celtic Seas is of significant commercial importance. However, stock status remains uncertain due to limited data. In 2023, ICES conducted an assessment using data up to 2022, but it had notable limitations. Due to these uncertainties, Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating. The common cuttlefish is considered highly resilient to fishing pressure.From 2020 to 2022, most catches in the English Channel (ICES areas 27.7.d,e) and Celtic Seas region (ICES Area 27.7.a,b,c,f,g,h,j,k) were taken by France, followed by the UK. Landings in the English Channel peaked between 2003 and 2007 (~18,000 tonnes), while in the Celtic Seas, they peaked between 2009 and 2011 (~2,000 tonnes). Since then, both areas have shown a declining trend in landings, with some fluctuations.In 2022, the English Channel accounted for 64.8% of total catches (12,055 tonnes), up from 52.5-63.6% in 2019 to 2021. Mean catches between 2020-2022 in the English Channel (9,524 tonnes) were below both the mean of 2017-2019 (10,808 tonnes) and the historical mean (10,415 tonnes). A similar trend was observed in the Celtic Seas, with mean catches between 2020-2022 (374 tonnes) below both the mean of 2017-2019 (605 tonnes) and the historical mean (629 tonnes).There are concerns for common cuttlefish biomass. Biomass indices indicate a long-term decline since peak abundance between 1998 and 2007, which aligns with reduced landings. However, since biomass has been declining for longer than landings, evidence suggests that cuttlefish stocks are either fully or over exploited. Combined with limited research on stock status and exploitation rates, this raises concerns for current fishing pressure on the stock.

There are no appropriate management measures in place for the offshore fishery of common cuttlefish in the English Channel and wider Celtic Seas region.In the UK and France, cuttlefish are a non-quota species with no national or joint management measures, leaving stocks vulnerable to overfishing.The lack of appropriate management threatens common cuttlefish stocks due to their short, two-year life cycle. Cuttlefish spawn once before dying, with mature adults migrating inshore to spawn between February and July. However, the offshore trawling fishery targets the stock in autumn and winter, before they have reproduced, increasing the risk of recruitment overfishing as annual recruitment determines nearly all stock for the next two years. In 2022, otter trawls (46.7%) and beam trawls (24.8%) were the primary fishing gears used. These have low selectivity, capturing both immature and mature cuttlefish. This also allows the same cohort to be targeted twice, at 3+ months and 15+ months. Studies from Brixham and Plymouth, the two main cuttlefish landing ports, found that around 75% of trawled cuttlefish were immature. With discard rates as low as 0.03% in beam trawls and 0.96% in otter trawls, and low post-capture survival, the offshore fishery removes a large proportion of pre-spawning individuals, posing a significant risk of overfishing.High market prices (£2.71-£3.50 per kg in 2021-2023) also incentivise an extended fishing season for both offshore and inshore fleets. Since offshore fleets account for around 87% of landings, increased effort in this sector may reduce the number of cuttlefish reaching inshore spawning grounds, threatening the viability of the inshore fishery. In France, there are some local inshore management measures in place by Regional Fisheries Councils, including:A minimum landing weight of 100g (acting as a proxy Minimum Conservation Reference Size of 80-90mm).Mesh size restrictions (>80mm) in otter trawls.A ban on vessels operating within the 0-3nm inshore coastal zone.However, these measures offer limited protection. Since cuttlefish typically mature at around 160mm, the legal landing weight and mesh size regulations fail to protect juveniles or spawning stock. Additionally, there are two exemptions to the inshore ban, one during four weeks in spring which exploits spawners, and one during two weeks in summer which exploits juveniles. These exemptions further weaken cuttlefish management measures.Management compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in enforcing some regulations.The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years. The Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs. The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include: An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impacts Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidence Timeframes for stock recovery Improved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatch Stakeholder engagementThe common cuttlefish fishery is included in the Channel non-quota demersal FMP, coordinated by Defra. At the time of writing, it is too soon to know whether proposed management measures will be effective in managing the stock. For more information about this FMP and expected progress and timelines, see [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans#published-fmps].

Beam trawling (offshore) is the second most common method for catching cuttlefish. However, it causes physical damage to the seabed and has high bycatch rates, including vulnerable species.In 2022, around 24.8% of landed common cuttlefish were caught in beam trawls. While beam trawls are the preferred gear type for the UK offshore fleet, the French fleet primarily relies on otter trawls.Beam trawls interact with the seabed, potentially modifying bottom topography including damage and removal of some biogenic features and interacting with vulnerable marine habitats and benthic communities. However, the risk of additional damage to vulnerable marine habitats is likely to be reduced given that most of the footprint of the gear occurs on core fishing grounds​. These core offshore fishing areas for cuttlefish are typically on sandy or muddy substrates – preferred habitats for the species – where beam trawling leaves visible track marks on the seafloor. Beam trawls have the potential to take relatively high quantities of bycatch, including sensitive species and those of conservation concern. Demersal elasmobranchs and occasionally endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species (e.g. sharks and rays) are caught by trawlers. In the UK, cuttlefish have transitioned from being an incidental bycatch species to a highly sought-after target due to increasing market demand and price. As a result, they are now rarely discarded. As with many UK and EU fisheries, data on bycatch in the cuttlefish fishery remains limited due to low levels of monitoring.UK regulations to reduce the impacts of fishing on marine habitats and wider species are under development, in the meantime most EU regulations have been adopted. Under EU legislation, bycatch species should be managed within scientifically defined or, where data isn’t available, suitably precautionary sustainable exploitation limits. If stocks fall below trigger levels, measures can be brought in such as limits on characteristics or use of gear (e.g. mesh size, depth); time/area closures; and minimum conservation reference sizes.There are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in this area, some of which are designated to protect seabed features from damaging activities. This fishery overlaps with parts of these MPAs, but the proportion of the catch coming from these areas is expected to be relatively low in relation to the unit of assessment (i.e. less than 20% of the catch or effort), and so these impacts have not been assessed within the scale of this rating. Given the important role that MPAs have in recovering the health and function of our seas, MCS encourages the supply chain to identify if their specific sources are being caught from within MPAs. If sources are suspected of coming from within designated and managed MPAs, MCS advises businesses to establish if the fishing activity is operating legally inside a designated and managed MPA, and request evidence from the fishery or managing authority to demonstrate that the activity is not damaging to protected features or a threat to the conservation objectives of the site(s).To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, The Marine Conservation Society would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced.To reduce the impacts of fishing on the marine environment The Marine Conservation Society would like to see a just transition to the complete removal of bottom towed gear from offshore Marine Protected Areas designated to protect the seabed.

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