51茶馆

This meeting was held in-person at Horizon House in Bristol on Tuesday 13 May 2025 (11:00am to 1:30pm UK time). There was an online option via Microsoft Teams for those who could not make it in person.

In-person attendees

• Martin Underwood 鈥� Defra, chair
• Katie Haldenby 鈥� Defra
• Robert Enever 鈥� Fishtek Marine
• Mark Duffy 鈥� Natural England
• Claire Pescod 鈥� King Scallop Fishery Improvement Project
• Samantha Davis 鈥� Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (CIFCA)

Online attendees

• Helen Hunter 鈥� Defra
• Callum Williams 鈥� Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
• Lewis Tattersall 鈥� Seafish
• James Lamb 鈥� Seafish
• David Beard 鈥� Manx Fish Producers Organisation
• Stuart King 鈥� West Coast Sea Products
• Foster Gault 鈥� Seafood Ecosse, Scottish White Fish Producers Organisation
• Harry Owen 鈥� Western Fish Producers Organisation
• Christopher Vinnicombe 鈥� Amethyst Fishing Company Ltd
• Clarus Chu 鈥� WWF鈥揢K
• Juliette Hatchman 鈥� South West Fish Producers Organisation, Scallop Industry Consultation Group
• Andrew Brown 鈥� Macduff

Apologies

• Bill Brock 鈥� Leach Fishing
• Tom Beresford 鈥� Amethyst Fishing Company Ltd (Christopher Vinnicombe deputised)
• David McCandless 鈥� North Eastern Inshore Fishery and Conservation Authority (Samanatha Davis deputised)

Agenda

1. Welcome, apologies, minute taker, review of actions from February meeting
2. Channel King scallop UK and EU multi-year strategy (MYSt) update

3. Task-and-finish groups
   
   a. Work plan update
   b. Input and output controls
   c. Proposal for new group 鈥� harmonisation of measures paper
   d. Proposal for new group 鈥� environmental impacts of potting
   

4. Presentation on harvest control rules and question and answer session

5. Membership review

6. Welsh Government update

7. Any other business (AOB) 1: Sand eel arbitration update

8. AOB 2: Scallop Science Group (SSG)

9. Final review of actions from current meeting, next meetings, close

1. Welcome, apologies, minute taker, review of actions from February meeting

All required actions except 2 from the previous meeting had been completed.

The MMO are continuing their work on the closure guidance document. It will be shared with Defra later this week with a view it to being shared with the group in the coming weeks.

The report by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) was delivered late to Defra and therefore sent to the group later than agreed.

The group discussed the sharing and distribution of papers and minutes. It was confirmed minutes and papers will be published on 51茶馆 and members should continue to share with their networks.

To support the group in understanding which papers were ready to be shared outside of the group Defra agreed to provide an updated list. It was suggested that the fisheries management plan (FMP) blog would be a good place to publish updates on the scope and work of the group.

Any outstanding and new actions are included at the end of the minutes.

2. Channel King scallop UK and EU multi-year strategy (MYSt) update

The UK and the EU have committed to developing a joint multi-year strategy for shared King scallops in the Channel.

It is a pilot scheme and there are many opportunities to explore, such as how the UK and the EU might work together to develop joint management and objectives for shared stocks.

The MYSt also provides opportunities for enhanced collaboration and the sharing of scientific knowledge and data.

Stakeholder and industry involvement is key, both in terms of helping to shape the MYSt and to keep interested parties updated as the work progresses. A timeline for the development work is being drafted which will include key areas and timing for wider stakeholder engagement and input.聽

A UK and EU workshop was held in September in Brussels, which brought together fishery managers, scientists, members of the fishing sector and environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs). It was a start to build more of a collective understanding of our King scallop fisheries and understanding around the status of stocks. The workshop report has recently been published and circulated to attendees.

Defra were working with the EU to develop a terms of reference (ToR) for a new 鈥渟cientific expert group鈥� which will be made up of scientists from Cefas, the聽Institute Fran莽ais de Recherche pour l鈥橢xploitation de la Mer (IFREMER) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

The role of the group will be to support the development of the MYSt with the first stage to establish a comprehensive understanding of King scallop fisheries across the different areas in EU, English and Welsh waters.

It was noted that some French industry representatives have reached out to the UK industry聽to discuss management of non-quota species generally and provided an overview of the management they currently have in place. The 2 industries are looking to work more closely together and will keep Defra up to date of any information that comes out of those meetings.

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Work planning group update

The group met on 23 April, which was established to develop a work plan to map out the actions and tasks required to deliver the FMP objectives.

The group has started to develop a work plan template to log actions and where work is already underway or planned. They will identify any gaps, prioritise key actions and develop a plan that we can use to maintain oversight of delivery.

The plan also aims to identify connections between the different measures and actions. There are some measures that cut across other work areas which will help to deliver some of the objectives.

The group asked that Defra share the plan with their project managers to ensure the approach aligns was best practice. Following this the group will meet to develop the rest of the plan which will then be shared with the wider group for feedback.

Defra is also working across FMPs to share best practice on implementation.

Input and output controls

The Cefas report on input and output controls has been circulated to KSIG members for review and a task-and-finish group will be created. Since most members wish to be involved, the chair advised arranging a date to suit all members might be challenging

Harmonisation of measures

The Seafish paper has been updated based on member feedback. The paper looks at the benefits and drawbacks of each aspect of harmonisation.

Some of the key points that came through were that harmonisation should not be done just for the sake of it. Some feedback noted that any harmonisation should be considered where there is sound biological and economic purpose.

CIFCA聽noted that they would like to provide further comments on the paper on behalf of the other Inshore Fishery Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), which was agreed by the Chair.

Views were sought from the group as to whether there was appetite for a group to be set up to further consider elements of the harmonisation paper and look to narrow down potential options. It was agreed that this work has reached a satisfactory point at this stage, and that efforts should focus on the input and output controls work. Outcomes of this work were needed prior to identifying potential areas for harmonisation.

Environmental impacts of potting

A proposal was shared for group views. It outlined a possible new group to better understand the potting initiative and the implication of lower impact fishing gear. Key actions link to the FMP management objectives.

It was noted that this is not a new fishery but is a new method of scallop removal which could add pressure to the stocks.

The group could be tasked with considering how the scallop grounds relate to the inshore and offshore, and the potential benefits and impacts of increased use of lower impact gear on the wider stock. For example, there may be areas within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where potting would be allowed.

The group could investigate the density required to be economically viable in terms of harvest return rate or catch per unit effort (CPUE), and the impacts of introducing light into the environment 鈥� a specific practice relating to potting for scallops.

It was suggested that the group would need to link in with other FMPs, specifically those related to potting, such as crab, lobster and whelk.

It was agreed that a copy of the proposal would be shared with the KSIG so that members can comment on it ahead of any possible formation.

4. Presentation on harvest control rules (HCR) and question and answer session

Seafish undertook a review of fisheries that are considered sufficiently similar to UK scallop fisheries and presented on key findings are below.

New Bedford, USA

This fishery uses an annual biomass survey to set an annual catch limit at around 60% of an 鈥榦verfishing limit鈥�, administered through a days-at-sea limit. The fishery also applies rotational closures. 51茶馆 include a transparent methodology of pre-agreed reductions in catch limits as required, according to science. It also uses an economic assessment model which forecasts economic impact on the fleet of reduced fishing opportunities and resulting market fluctuations.

Full Bay, Canada

This approach uses 3 reference points:

• lower reference point (lowest observed abundance in data which has shown a sustained recovery, not related to impairment of recruitment)
• upper stock reference point (maximum sustainable yield)
• removals reference point

All reference points are related to elative biomass. HCRs dictate the level of fishing pressure permitted based on the likelihood of returning to a higher reference point.

Faroes in-season HCR

Unlike the UK, the fishery is used by only a single vessel but is included to highlight HCR approach. The fishery uses 30% catches of juveniles to trigger move-on rules, CPUE between 1 to1.5 tonnes per hour to designate 鈥榓voidance areas鈥�, and CPUE below 1 tonne per hour to close an area for 2 years.

French ICES 7.d and 7.e

There are no formal HCR (other than an agreed need to maintain biomass). The fishery is supported by a direct biomass assessment and recruitment survey, and a forward projection model which uses in-year biomass assessment under 3 scenarios:

• stable effort
• stable landings
• minimised landings variability and ensuring stable biomass.

Tools used include temporal and spatial restrictions, license restrictions, and daily catch limits. This fishery gets a lot of new fish regularly and in cycles, so it can be managed even without formal rules.

5. Membership review

A potential new KSIG member had been suggested to Defra, as a representative of the under 15m (metre) vessels scallop sector. Defra shared the KSIG ToR and discussed the expectations of joining the group as well as finding out about their experience and what they could bring.

Whilst the industry member recently joined the under 15m scallop sector, they would represent their company, which included over 15m beam trawlers, if invited to join the group.

Some group members raised that it was important for members to bring active fishing knowledge and expertise of scallop fishing to ensure the views of the under 15m or 10m fishers are represented, noting the current vacancies were intended for active fishers. It was agreed that Defra would take this away and feed back

The timings of meetings appear to be a barrier to fishers joining and this will be kept under review for future meetings. It was also raised that some fishers might not be able to attend for financial reasons, and the question was asked as to whether there would be any financial compensation for those who are engaging in the FMPs and their implementation. Defra understood the concerns and agreed to take it away to consider.

6. Welsh government update

The Welsh King Scallop Advisory Group (WKSAG) has been running since last year and they have had a few meetings. They have looked at a review of scientific evidence and are aiming to have a stock assessment in place later this year.

The WKSAG have also looked at the same Seafish paper and reviewed their regulations, particularly around bordering areas.

They are looking at a new framework of management measures to rationalise what is already there and make improvements in line with the FMP.

The group will be looking at remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras and sensors for catches and catch recording.

Possible new measures will be put out to public consultation after their internal legal review. Wales has a different election cycle to England, and an election is due in May 2026 which might mean some things change.

7. Any other business (AOB) 1: Sand eel arbitration update

The sand eel arbitration ruling has now ruled that there was a procedural error in the application of the principle of proportionality. Defra is considering the ruling and any implications.

8. AOB 2: Scallop Science Group (SSG)

It was asked if the SSG would reconvene and whether it was possible to nominate a scientist to join the KSIG. It was noted that the group would be helpful in aiding discussions.

Some members proposed asking Mike Kaiser to join. Defra said that they would take this away to discuss as the remit of the SSG would need to be very clear.

Cefas scientists are very stretched in terms of time and it might be worth looking at the other FMP groups (specifically whelk and crab and lobster) to see best practice and how this can be applied to King scallops.

9. Final review of actions from current meeting, next KSIG meetings, close meeting

The chair reminded the group to complete the poll sent around about a different time for the next meeting on 12 August. It will be held online.

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MMO to share closure guidance document. Due 30 May 2025.

Defra to create a SharePoint area for the KSIG. Due 30 May 2025.

Defra to identify which documents can be shared more widely. Due 30 June 2025.

All members to review the scallop group mapping slides. Due 12 August 2025.

Defra to create a blog post highlighting the work of the KSIG and set context. Due by 12 August 2025.

Defra to provide position on financial reimbursement policy for attendance at KSIG. Due 12 August 2025.

Defra to communicate outcome of discussion on membership. Due 13 June 2025.

Defra to explore the role of SSG. Due 12 August 2025.

Defra to complete light-touch Trade and Co-operation Agreement analysis on the Cefas paper. Due 30 June 2025.

Defra to schedule the input and output controls task-and-finish. Due 30 June 2025.

Rob Enever to share an editable version of the proposal for an environmental task-and-finsh group. Due 20 May 2025.

All members to comment on the proposed environmental task-and-finish group proposal. Due 20 June 2025.