Common periwinkle
What to check for
Location
UK (excluding Northumberland)
Technical location
Atlantic, Northeast, Irish Sea, Porcupine Bank, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Celtic Seas, West and Southwest of Ireland, North Sea, Rockall, West of Scotland
Caught by
Hand-gathering (shore)
Rating summary
With limited data for periwinkles and an absence of stock assessments across the United Kingdom there is concern biomass and fishing pressure. There are limited management measures in place. Periwinkles are gathered by hand on coastal shores, which has a low impact.Rating last updated December 2023.
Technical consultation summary
With limited data for periwinkles and an absence of stock assessments across the United Kingdom there is concern for populations biomass. Periwinkles landings are thought to be underreported with few regulations in place, and with no sustainable limit defined there is concern for fishing pressure. Route 2 scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of reference points for fishing pressure and biomass. There are no assessments of the resilience or vulnerability of this species. MCS considers periwinkles to have medium resilience to fishing pressure, based on several life history parameters. There are some, although limited, management measures in place for managing periwinkle populations in Jersey, south Wales, and English IFCA districts: North Western; Cornwall; Devon and Severn; and Southern, some are voluntary measures and compliance is unknown. The minimum legal harvest size adopted within these regions is likely to be appropriate to periwinkle size of maturity (ranging between 11 and 17mm) in their area, offering protection to juveniles. Periwinkles are gathered by hand on coastal shores, the lowest impact way of catching shellfish as there is rarely any seabed impacts and no bycatch of unwanted species, although disturbances can occur on certain substrates.
