Consultation DRAFT Fisheries Management Plan for Non-Quota Shellfish

Overview

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is consulting on the Draft Northern Ireland Non-Quota Shellfish Fisheries Management Plan.

A fisheries management plan (FMP) is defined in the Fisheries Act 2020 as a document, prepared and published under this Act, that sets out policies designed to restore one or more stocks of sea fish to, or maintain them at, sustainable levels. 

This Draft FMP brings together evidence on the state of the relevant fish stocks (Brown Crab, Velvet Crab, Lobsters, King Scallops and Queen Scallops) and sets out a range of objectives and proposed actions considered necessary to manage these fisheries in an effective and sustainable way.

Why your views matter

This consultation is an opportunity for you to help shape and influence policy in Northern Ireland for the sustainable management of fishing for crab, lobster and scallop and comment on the proposed actions set out in this consultation draft of the FMP. 

The Department welcomes your views on these proposed actions. 

What happens next

Following the consultation period, the Department will analyse all of the responses submitted and publish a final version of the FMP.

The publication date for the final version is by end December 2026.