Scampi or langoustine

There is concern for the biomass levels of scampi, often referred to as Nephrops or Norway lobster, in the western Irish Sea, however there is no concern for fishing pressure. Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of reference points for biomass. Nephrops are considered to have a medium resilience to fishing pressure.Stock assessments are carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in 2025 using data up to 2025. The next assessment is expected in 2026.The stock assessment defines reference points for fishing pressure (F) and biomass (B). For fishing pressure, there is a target to keep F at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). For biomass, there is no target. However, there is a trigger point (MSY BTrigger). Below this level, F should be reduced to allow the stock to increase. Because BMSY is not defined, the Good Fish Guide (GFG) applies its own definition of 1.4 x MSY BTrigger.Stock abundance in 2025 is estimated to be 2,658 million individuals. This is below target levels (MSY BTrigger, 3,000 million). Additionally, it is also below the long term average and has decreased in recent years. Therefore, we do consider there to be concern for the biomass.The total catch in 2024 was 6,279 tonnes. This is equivalent to a harvest rate of 13.7% of the population (by number). It is well below the level associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 18.2%). Therefore, there is no concern for fishing pressure.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2026 should be no more than 6,493 tonnes, assuming discard rates and fishery patterns don't change from recent years. This is a 35% decrease in advice from the previous year, this is in response to the lower estimated stock abundance. The environment in the Western Irish Sea is very suitable for Nephrops, with a large mud patch and a gyre that retains the larvae over the mud patch, thus ensuring good recruitment.A 2011 study on Norway lobster in the Clyde found a high prevalence of plastics and suggested that this could have implications for the health of the stock - this may have relevance for other Norway lobster stocks. Some of the plastics were sourced to fishing waste. Studies have shown that the effects of climate change - warmer waters, reduced oxygen levels, higher ocean acidity, and higher levels of heavy metals - can negatively impact Norway lobsters' larval development and make adults more susceptible to disease. Lower oxygen levels can also cause Norway lobster to leave their burrows, making them easier to catch.

Some management measures are in place for Norway lobster in Irish Sea West. Catch limits don't match the stock area, meaning there is a risk of overfishing, but current catches are within recommended limits.Norway lobster stock assessments are conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Stock assessments are produced for 33 areas across the Northeast Atlantic, called Functional Units (FUs). However, management is applied to 18 areas, called management units. These management units broadly overlap with the functional units, but not very effectively. Vessels are free to move between grounds, allowing relatively uncontrolled fishing on some stocks, and risking overfishing. Scientists have repeatedly advised over the years that management should be implemented at the functional unit level, to better protect Norway lobster. This would result in fishing controls that respond to changes within individual stocks. This advice is not being followed.This stock is mainly fished by Ireland and the UK, mainly Northern Ireland. It is covered by the EU's Western Waters Multi Annual management Plan (MAP), but the UK is not signed up to the MAP. There is no UK management plan for it.Catch limits (Total Allowable Catches, TACs) are in place, but these are not specific to this Norway lobster stock. One TAC covers the whole of the Celtic Seas surrounding Ireland and southwest England (subarea 7), encompassing 8 different stocks. This does not protect stocks from overfishing. However, catches in Subarea 7 overall have been less than the TAC in recent years, as there has been a general decline in trawling fishing effort for Norway lobster. Total catches for Irish Sea West have been within recommended limits since 2017. They averaged 57% of the advice from 2020-2024.There is a Minimum Conservation Reference Size of total length 70 mm, carapace length 20 mm, tail 37mm for UK and Irish trawlers in the Irish Sea. Below this size, Norway lobster must be landed but can't be sold for human consumption, and so have a lower value. This is smaller than the rest of subarea 7, where it is total length 85 mm, carapace length 25 mm, tail 46mm and for French trawlers, where it is 35mm. It may also be below the size of maturity (23mm), meaning juveniles are not protected. Under the EU Landings Obligation (LO) and UK law, it is illegal to discard unwanted (e.g. undersized or over-quota) Norway lobster at sea. However, there are exemptions in this area, because this species survives well after being discarded, even from trawlers. Discarding is still allowed in all creel fisheries and up to 5% can be discarded from trawlers. Compliance with the LO is poor throughout European fisheries. In this fishery, an average of 18% of the catch (by weight) was discarded between 2020 and 2024, which is higher than the 5% allowed.The Project UK FIP includes Nephrops caught by trawl or creel around the UK. It began in 2019 and ended in April 2024.The FIP was successful in tackling some issues, including providing research into habitat impacts and developing advice for potential approaches to a harvest strategy. These outcomes are not inconsiderable. However, there has been very little change to the footprint of the Nephrops fishery, and requirements are not being met for outcomes for endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species, despite research by the FIP indicating that trawling poses a significant risk to them. The advice on harvest strategy has also not resulted in any changes to management.The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law retained by the UK post-Brexit, requires all quota fish to be landed, even if unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to encourage more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve catch reporting. However, compliance is poor, and accurate discard levels are hard to quantify with current monitoring programmes. The UK is in the process of replacing the LO with country-specific Catching Policies.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 impactsTargets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidenceTimeframes for stock recoveryImproved 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 bycatchStakeholder engagement

Trawling for Norway lobster can have an impact on seabed habitats, particularly on mud which is subjected to high disturbance by fishing. In this area, bycatch of Irish Sea cod and whiting is also of significant concern.Norway lobster from Irish Sea West is caught by trawlers. In this area, Norway lobster trawlers use a small net mesh (70-99mm), which can result in higher bycatch than the nets with larger mesh sizes, e.g. those used for species such as cod or haddock.This fishery has a bycatch of Irish Sea cod and whiting, which are highly depleted. In 2024, Norway lobster trawling was responsible for around 86% of Irish Sea whiting catches, totalling around 750 tonnes. Highly selective gears to reduce finfish catch by the Norway lobster fishery have been mandatory since 2013, but whiting catch has not decreased since then, so this does not appear to have been effective. Almost all of the catch is discarded, and is mostly juveniles, caught before they can spawn. Under these circumstances, it is likely that the Norway lobster fisheries in the Irish Sea are contributing to the poor status of whiting, and preventing it from recovering.Other bycatch could include skates, rays and sharks, including spurdog, which is endangered in Europe. These species are relatively hardy, and can survive when they are discarded, but their survival rates largely depend on how they were caught and handled. Mortality rates in otter trawls are shown to vary between 10-65%, depending on fishing and handling methods. Those vessels which employ codes of conduct on skate and ray handling and/or reduce the risk of their capture, will improve their survival rates, though many of these methods aren't implemented over whole functional unit or regional levels.To reduce bycatch, there are requirements to use selective gear (e.g. square-meshed panels of 120mm, sorting grids) to allow unwanted catch to escape the nets. Parts of the east cost of Ireland and Northern Ireland are closed from 14 February - 30 April each year to protect spawning cod, but trawling is allowed if highly selective gear is being used. Around 55% of Irish vessels use separator trawls and 45% have opted to use Swedish grids to reduce bycatch.Norway lobster are mainly found in soft mud, and therefore trawling for this species takes place primarily on mud habitats. These habitats are listed by OSPAR as threatened and declining due to their burrowing megafauna, which create complex structures and deep oxygen penetration. Species in these habitats include long-lived ocean quahog, polychaete worms, soft corals, and tall sea pens. Fishing causes severe disturbance in mud habitats: a 2023 OSPAR report found that 87% of offshore circalittoral mud has experienced high disturbance, indicating inadequate protection. Prolonged trawling is likely to affect the structure, species composition, and biodiversity of the burrowed mud community.Part of the Irish Sea West functional unit overlaps with South Rigg Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ), although the majority of fishing effort takes place outside of this MCZ. It was designated in 2019 to protect sea pens and mud and sand habitats, among other things. However, no management measures are in place to control fishing in this area. Given the important role that Marine Protected Areas (including MCZs) have in recovering the health and function of our seas, Marine Conservation Society 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, Marine Conservation Society advises businesses to establish if the fishing activity is operating legally inside a designated and managed MPA, and to 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).

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