Download Crab & Lobster FMP documents below.

Cornwall IFCA Intertidal Edible Crab Survey 2021: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/17099/sitedata/Research_Reports/CIFCA-intertidal-edible-crab-survey-2021.pdf

Cornwall IFCA Intertidal Edible Crab Survey 2022: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/17099/sitedata/Research_Reports/22-intertidal-edible-crab-field-report.pdf

Cornwall IFCA A brief summary of the fisheries for crustaceans in the Cornwall IFCA district: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/17099/sitedata/Research_Reports/Summary-of-crustacean-fisheries-2018.pdf

Cornwall IFCA Monthly Shellfish Permit Statistics Analysis Summary Statistics 2021: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/17099/sitedata/Research_Reports/21-Summary-StatisticsL.pdf

Southern IFCA Crustacean Catch Assessments (2010-18) : https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/25364/sitedata/Redesign/Pot-Trap-Fisheries/SIFCA-Crustacean-Catch-Assessments-2019.pdf

Sussex IFCA Shellfish Permit Catch Returns Data Summary 2022: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/34087/sitedata/files/Conservation-Research/2022-Shellfish-Catch-Return-Report.pdf

Eastern IFCA European Lobster Stock Assessment 2021: https://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_06_18_European_lobster_stock_assessment.pdf

Eastern IFCA Brown Crab Stock Assessment 2019: https://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021_01_26_Brown_Crab_Stock_Assessment_2019.pdf

Eastern IFCA Crab and Lobster Stock Assessment 2018: https://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019_04_25_Crustacean_Stock_Assessment_report_2018.pdf

Northumberland IFCA Lobster Status Report 2023 : https://nifca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NIFCA-report-Lobster-2023-Status-Report.pdf

Northumberland IFCA Crab Status Report 2023: https://nifca.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NIFCA-report-Crab-2023-Status-Report.pdf

Isles of Scilly IFCA Lobster Tagging Project 2014: https://secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/19937/sitedata/Redesign/research-reports-redesign/IOSIFCA-Tagging-Report.pdf

Since 2014 the Potting Permit Byelaw requires a permit is applied for in order to set pots in the District. This applies to commercial and recreational fishers.

See  Current Permit Byelaws & Permit Conditions - Devon and Severn IFCA    for details of all permit conditions for these three species

Since 2016, the Lobster, Crawfish and Crab Fishing Permit Byelaw 2016 Lobster-Crawfish-and-Crab.pdf (toolkitfiles.co.uk) has required a permit is applied for by all commercial fishers who wish to remove more than a maximum of five shellfish per day from the species lobster, crawfish, edible crab and spider crab, with no more than two of these five being from the lobster and crawfish species combined. Recreational fishers are not eligible for a permit and each vessel is limited to five shellfish per day as described previously.

No V-notched or berried lobsters may be landed

Lobster

The ‘Lobster Minimum Landing Size’ Byelaw requires all commercial and hobby fishermen to ensure that no lobsters with a carapace length of less than 90 mm carapace length are landed. The Byelaw is designed to help protect populations of lobsters by increasing the minimum conservation reference size. This minimum size is the same as required in Cornwall and Devon. The byelaw applies to both commercial and recreational fishers.

Recreational Fixed Gear Permit Byelaw 2020

The Recreational Fixed Gear Permit Byelaw requires non-commercial 'hobby' or recreational fishers to have a permit and attach tags to mooring buoys for up to a maximum of six pots. The purpose of the byelaw is to ensure that the Authority is able to manage recreational potting activity, have a complete understanding of potting effort in the district and establish a reasonable benchmark for the number of pots that can be used by recreational fishers.

Crabs

No restrictions on the quantity of crabs that can be landed. 

Edible crab minimum sizes:

ICES sub-area IVc 130 millimetres

ICES sub-area VIId 140 millimetres

If a parlour pot is used then an escape gap must be located in the exterior wall of the parlour pot which must be of sufficient size so that a rigid box shaped gauge which measures 84 millimetres wide by 46mm high and 100mm long may be passed through the gap.

Lobsters

No restrictions on the quantity of lobsters that can be landed. All lobsters under 87mm must be returned to the sea and no berried or v notched lobsters should be landed.

If a parlour pot is used then an escape gap must be located in the exterior wall of the parlour pot which must be of sufficient size so that a rigid box shaped gauge which measures 84 millimetres wide by 46mm high and 100mm long may be passed through the gap.

Crabs

No restrictions on the quantity of crabs that can be landed. Edible crabs under 140mm must be returned to the sea.

Lobsters

No restrictions on the quantity of lobsters that can be landed. All lobsters under 87mm must be returned to the sea and no berried lobsters should be landed

Crabs

Introduced in 2015, the Sussex IFCA Shellfish Permit Byelaw requires that a permit is applied for by all commercial fishers who wish to remove more than 5 edible crabs per day from the Sussex IFCA fishery.

See Microsoft Word - Shellfish permit byelaw.docx (toolkitfiles.co.uk) for details of all permit conditions for this species

Lobsters

The Sussex IFCA Shellfish Permit Byelaw requires that a permit is applied for by all commercial and recreational fishers who may remove more than 2 lobsters per day from the fishery for which a fee is payable. No v notched lobster, berried lobster or lobster under   **************   may be removed from the fishery.

See Microsoft Word - Shellfish permit byelaw.docx (toolkitfiles.co.uk) for details of all permit conditions for this species

Crab

 Currently in force: 

Byelaw 5: Prohibition on use of edible crab (Cancer pagurus) for bait: http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/byelaw-5-prohibition-on-use-of-edible-crab/

Byelaw 6: Berried (egg-bearing) or soft shelled crab (Cancer pagurus) or lobster (Homarus Gammarus) : http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/byelaw-6-berried-egg-bearing/

Prevents taking the above

Byelaw 7: Parts of shellfish: http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/byelaw-7-parts-shellfish/

Can’t land crab bits unless you can measure the crab

Byelaw 10: Whitefooted edible crab (Cancer pagurus): http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/byelaw-10-whitefooted-edible-crab-cancer-pagurus/

Prevents taking the above

The Authority is also developing two further byelaws

Crab and Lobster Byelaw 2023

This simply collates the four crab byelaws above into a more modern wording

Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds Byelaw 2023

A permitting byelaw for the Cromer fishery

Crab, Lobster and Whelk

The ‘Permit to fish for Lobster, Crab, Velvet Crab, and Whelk Byelaw Lobster, Crawfish and Crab Fishing Permit Byelaw’ requires a permit is applied for by commercial and recreational fishers in order to fish for any of these species.

Crab and Lobster

The ‘Crustacea Conservation Byelaw’ imposes a number of management measures including catch limits for recreational fishers, escape gap requirements for all pots, vessel length restrictions, maximum pot size and an increased minimum landing size for edible crab.

Crab

Commercial

• No restrictions on the quantity of crabs that can be landed
• 130mm minimum size for edible crab
• Commercial permit scheme
  • 800 pot limit
  • Mandatory permit returns detailing catch and effort
• Prohibition on the landing of soft-shelled edible crab, berried crab, detached part of edible crab (unless the total weight of detached parts forms less than 10% of the total weight of edible crab) and the use of edible crab for bait.

Recreational:

• Catch limit of 5 edible crabs per day
• 130mm minimum size for edible crab
• Recreational permit scheme
  • 5 pot limit
  • An escape gap must be located unobstructed in the exterior wall of the pot which must allow for a rigid box shaped gauge which measures 80 millimetres wide by 46 millimetres high to easily pass through, and be located in the lowest practically possible part of the pot, other than I the bottom.
• Prohibition on the landing of soft-shelled edible crab, berried crab, detached part of edible crab (unless the total weight of detached parts forms less than 10% of the total weight of edible crab) and the use of edible crab for bait.

Lobster

Commercial

• No restrictions on the quantity of lobsters that can be landed
• 87mm minimum size
• Commercial permit scheme
  • 800 pot limit
  • Mandatory permit returns detailing catch and effort
• Prohibition on the landing of v-notched lobster, a mutilated lobster, a berried lobster, a soft-shelled lobster and a detached part of lobster.

Recreational:

• Catch limit of 1 lobster per day (without a recreational permit)
• Recreational permit scheme
  • Catch limit of 2 lobster per day
  • 5 pot limit
  • An escape gap must be located unobstructed in the exterior wall of the pot which must allow for a rigid box shaped gauge which measures 80 millimetres wide by 46 millimetres high to easily pass through, and be located in the lowest practically possible part of the pot, other than I the bottom.

Crab, Lobster and Whelks 

Byelaw 4 – Potting Permit 2020 (https://www.nw-ifca.gov.uk/app/uploads/Byelaw-4-document.pdf.pdf) came into force in 2022. The byelaw requires all recreational and commercial fishers to have a permit to fish for crab, lobster, and whelk.

 Crabs 

There is currently no cap on the number of permits.

There is no limit on the quantity of crab that can be landed with a commercial permit.

Minimum Landing Size: 130 mm under Byelaw 19 – Specified fish sizes (NWSFC-Byelaw-19.pdf (nw-ifca.gov.uk)) applies only to the south of the District

Gear specifications: The pot must be fitted with at least one unobstructed rigid escape gap that a ridged gauge of 80 mm wide by 45 mm high and 100 mm long can be passed through the gap.

Lobster 

There is currently no cap on the number of permits.

There is no limit on the quantity of lobster that can be landed with a commercial permit.

No v-notched or berried lobster can be landed.

Minimum Landing Size: 87 mm specified under Byelaw 19 – Specified fish sizes (NWSFC-Byelaw-19.pdf (nw-ifca.gov.uk))

Gear specifications: The pot must be fitted with at least one unobstructed rigid escape gap that a ridged gauge of 80 mm wide by 45 mm high and 100 mm long can be passed through the gap.