Welsh crab and lobster survey and online events for recreational shellfish fishers

Seafish, the public body that supports the UK seafood industry, is inviting recreational crab, lobster and crawfish fishers in Wales to take part in a survey and attend online engagement events.

The survey and events have been arranged by Seafish as part of a new Welsh crab and lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which is being developed by the Welsh Government and due for publication in 2026.

Recreational fishers are classed as anyone fishing simply for leisure and personal consumption, as opposed to commercial business, with the survey and engagement events open to both Welsh residents and visitors.

Seafish wants to hear from pot fishers and divers / spearfishers who have an interest in crab, lobster, and crawfish fisheries in Welsh waters.

FMPs cover all removals of shellfish from a stock; this means that recreational shellfish fisheries will be included in the plan, so it is important that the views and expertise of recreational fishers are gathered as they are important stakeholders in Welsh fisheries.

Seafish has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to carry out online engagement events and a short online survey to understand more about how recreational shellfish fishers would like to see crab, lobster, and crawfish managed in the future.

Lewis Tattersall, Head of Fisheries Management at Seafish, said:

“Recreational fisheries for crab, lobsters and crawfish provide cultural and economic value to coastal communities in Wales, as well as being a hobby that many people enjoy. In managing fisheries, we must account for all catches removed from the stock to ensure long-term sustainability. This means future fisheries management plans for shellfish will include recreational catches of shellfish.  

We want to make sure that recreational shellfish fishers are involved in the early stages of FMP development and that their views on how fisheries should be managed are heard. The Seafish events and online survey are a great opportunity for recreational shellfish fishers to share their experience and insight, and the outputs of this work will be important in shaping future management of Welsh fisheries”.

In April, Seafish engaged with the commercial fishing sector to gather their views on current and future management of the Welsh crab and lobster fishery.

The focus of this second round of engagement is on recreational potters, divers, and intertidal gleaners / gatherers who catch brown crab, velvet crab, spider crab, European lobster, and crawfish in the Welsh zone.

The online engagement events and survey offer recreational shellfish fishers the opportunity to voice their opinions on how Welsh shellfish fisheries are currently managed, and how they would like to see them managed in the future through the fisheries management plan.

Seafish wants to know what current management works well to protect shellfish stocks, what could be improved to improve sustainability and how recreational shellfish fisheries would like to be involved in the next stages of FMP development by Welsh Government.  The ultimate aim of the FMP is to deliver sustainable shellfish fisheries in Wales and to protect these valuable stocks for future generations.

Three online engagement events have been organised for:

13 August 2024, 11am-12pm 

22 August 2024, 2pm-3pm 

27 August 2024, 11am-12pm

If you are interested in the engagement events or taking the survey, please sign up via the link on the Seafish website Fisheries management plans in Wales | Seafish