The work is a result of a concerted effort between the Federation and other industry organisations. Its aim is to provide an evidence base to inform the range of alternative management measures. Undertaken by Nautilus Consultants, the project held industry meetings across the UK and Republic of Ireland in September to ensure that a wide range of views are taken into account.

In the face of poor market conditions and policy inertia over brown crab management, the Federation has since 2008 worked with other industry groups to improve the prospects of the brown crab fleet.

With the outputs of the project the Federation now enters into a process of reviewing its policy on brown crab management.

Gary Hodgson, NFFO Shellfish Committee Chairman said: “The Federation has backed further conservation measures on brown crab for a number of years, and we have always underlined the importance of a regional approach to suit the different nature of the fisheries around the coast and offshore.  With this report and other evidence we intend to be able to negotiate a tailored approach that will underpin the long term future of the fisheries.”

The output of the policy review will feed into further discussions with other industry organisations and is expected to prove influential in directing future Defra policy.

Members are strongly encouraged to get involved in this policy review. A meeting of the Shellfish Committee will be announced in due course to take this forward. Electronic copies of the report are available from the NFFO Offices: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it