European lobster

European lobster in this area is fully fished and is being harvested sustainably.This stock uses a standardised abundance index (IAS) to determine stock status. The IAS declined from 2015 to 2018 in both Normandy and Jersey, but there was a minor increase in 2019. To be considered healthy, the stock must score 1 in the IAS. In Normandy, the IAS for 2019 is 1.15 and is therefore within the healthy (green) zone. In Jersey, the IAS for 2018 and 2019 is 0.98 and 0.99 respectively and is therefore marginally below the target reference point. The IAS has not been calculated for 2020 and 2021. In response to the decline in the key stock indicator in 2018 and 2019, Jersey Fisheries and Marine Resources concluded that the decline is likely to be a reflection of reduced abundance of lobsters on the ground but may also be linked to lower catchability due to poor weather in those years. Initial results from a SPiCT model predict that stock biomass has fluctuated around BMSY in recent years, although it is currently just below BMSY. The model also predicts that fishing mortality (F) is currently below FMSY but has fluctuated around FMSY in recent years. These results are only considered preliminary. Annual landings for lobster In Jersey have decreased significantly in recent years, due to poor winter weather conditions, the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK leaving the European Union. Landings in Normandy have also declined by a lesser amount.

This stock is well managed with harvest controls rules, and pot limits in place. Co-management of this area takes place within the framework of the Granville Bay Treaty (between the UK and France), which allows for shared access to French and Jersey waters in Granville Bay, with shared management of marine resources. The harvest strategy for the Normandy and Jersey fishery includes a limit on the number of vessels participating in the fishery, a limit on the number of pots, restrictions on the use of parlour pots, mandatory use of escape gaps, and closed areas. There is a minimum conservation reference size of 87mm carapace length in place. This fishery has no total allowable catch (TAC) and there is no prohibition on the landing of berried females which was introduced in the English fishery.There is concern about declining lobster landings and since 2018, an enhanced monitoring regime has been in place with hundreds more measurements being taken annually. In 2019, a lobster management group has been formed compromising of commercial offshore fishermen, inshore fishermen, recreational fishermen, fishmongers and Marine Resources Jersey representatives. The group proposed new management measures such as increasing the minimum size, reducing pot allocations, mandatory escape gaps and recreational bag limits. These proposed measures have been accepted by the Marine Resources Panel but were placed on hold in 2020 following the arrival of Covid-19. It is not known if these management measures have been reapprasied.In this fishery, harvest control rules require that if the standardised abundance index (IAS) falls below 1, then the management authorities will immediately review other indices of stock status, including catch per unit effort (CPUE) from surveys, size structure from surveys and landings, the characteristics of reproductive females, and indices of recruitment from surveys. If these other indices also raise concerns about the state of the stock, then management action is taken immediately. If there are no problems with the other indices, current management measures will continue for one more year and then observe if a downward trend in IAS continues. If the decline occurs, various management measures are taken to reduce fishing effort. These measures may include a reduction in pots by type or fishing zone, reduction in licenses, introduction of measures against ghost fishing, and potentially limits on boats fishing for both whelks and lobsters. If necessary, other biological management measures may be taken.This stock has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council since 2011. There is a condition on certification that reference points must be implemented that will maintain the stock at a level consistent with BMSY or some measure with similar intent.

Potting, or creeling, for European lobster, has minimal impact on the surrounding environment.The fishery in the Granville Bay Treaty Area (an area shared by France and Jersey under the Granville Bay Treaty) is operated by around 50 vessels from Basse Normandie and 60 to 75 vessels from Jersey. The vessel numbers are imprecise because not all licensed vessels target lobster on a full time basis. The key fishing season for European lobster takes place in summer and autumn. Lobsters are caught in pots, also known as creels, in a mixed fishery with brown crab, and are deployed in strings of 12-50 pots (depending on vessel size). Strings are not generally anchored, but rely on a heavier pot at each end of the string to remain in place. Pots are portable traps made of wood or steel wire and plastic. The lobster is baited into the initial part (the chamber) and moves into the secondary part (the parlour) where it becomes trapped.Pot fishing is considered sustainable as it is selective for larger individuals and has minimal impact on the surrounding environment. In European lobster fisheries, there is no legislation or regulation to standardise the type of pot used. They tend to be highly selective as undersized animals can be returned to the sea alive and survival rates for non-target organisms are thought to be high. More than half of the bycatch caught are predicted to survive, although there is little available research to prove this. Measures to further reduce bycatch include the use of escape panels to allow undersize animals and bycatch to escape pots. Research studies in Jersey show that catsharks dominate any fish bycatch in the lobster pots. No interactions with endangered, threatened or protected (ETP) species have been reported.Habitat impacts from potting are low but can occur during deployment, soak time or hauling of the pot, impacting the benthic habitat and associated species through contact with the pot or end weight, or by scouring from ropes. Research that has taken place suggests that while some damage does occur, it is unlikely to be significant unless potting intensity is high (defined as approximately 30 pots per 500 square metres). Most damage occurs where traps are set in rocky habitats that are home to corals, sponges, sea whips and other large emergent species. These habitats and species provide nursery areas, refuges from predators and habitat for the settlement of invertebrate spat.In some circumstances, there can be instances of ghost fishing, when lost fishing gear continues to fish and can entangle a variety of species, but this can be minimised by using appropriate gear and release devices.

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