Marine

Outer Hebrides fisheries management pilot reports successful first year

May 11, 2022 by Marine Scotland Communications No Comments | Category Collaborations, Fisheries, Marine Directorate general

A locally-led fisheries management pilot for the Outer Hebrides is reporting positive impacts on fishing businesses and the environment in its first year, a new report reveals.

The Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot is co-managed by the Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) and the Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government.  The Pilot limits the number of creels that commercial fishing vessels may deploy in the waters around the isles. The aim of this is to improve the management of shellfish stocks in area, enabling future generations to benefit from a resource that remains of vital importance to this island community.

The Pilot is also testing one possible approach to a low-cost vessel tracking solution for small inshore fishing vessels. This is being trialled aboard 40 vessels and builds on the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Integrated Data System (SIFIDS) project led by the University of St Andrews.

Fishers in the Outer Hebrides continue to express strong support for the Pilot and are observing positive impacts on their fishing businesses.

Donald MacLennan, a Skipper for the Valhalla based in Harris said:

“It’s been a challenging time in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and the Ukraine conflict, and the rising cost of fuel, creel and nephrops catches are particular concerns.

“However, in spite of these challenges, the first year of the Pilot has worked fewer creels and reduced time at sea, leading to a significant improvement in our gross income.

“I believe the Pilot proves that with creel fishing, less can be more.”

Duncan MacInnes, Secretary of the Western Isles Fisherman’s Association (WIFA), said:

“The Pilot has brought a sense of stability to the fleet, especially in relation to uncontrolled creel fishing.

“The initial success has been encouraging to the members of WIFA and we would like to see an extension of the initiative to cover a much larger area of the Western Isles.”

The Pilot will continue with vessel tracking until October 2022. An evaluation and qualitative assessment of the Pilot project will be conducted throughout 2022 to assess the social and economic impacts of the Pilot, and provide insights and recommendations into future projects.

Further information:

• The RIFG network offers a national forum to inshore fishers, allowing them to lead the way in proposing management projects for the fisheries on which they rely, and providing a strong voice in the shared marine space
• Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot – Year One Report – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Inshore fishing extends from the coast out to 12 nautical miles, with three quarters of the approximately 2,000 active Scottish boats fishing primarily in these waters. Typically these are smaller boats – 8-10 meters in length
• Shellfish, such as crab, lobster and Nephrops are the main target species
• Marine Scotland Launch of inshore fisheries pilot – Marine Scotland (blogs.gov.scot)
• Marine Scotland Supporting a new approach to fisheries management – Marine Scotland (blogs.gov.scot)
• Future Fisheries Management Strategy

Tags: creel fisheries, creel fishing, fisheries management, Inshore Fisheries, Outer Hebrides, Regional Inshore Fisheries Group, shellfish stocks, St Andrews University

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