Those valuable catches provide an essential living for British fishermen, growers, processors, traders and retailers around our country's coastline. However, there are now indications that some stocks are being over-exploited and the need for extra protection in the form of conservation and controls is becoming a priority. The Act makes provision for the establishment, improvement and maintenance of fisheries for lobsters and other crustaceans. The lobster is one of the UK's most valuable shellfish. Not surprisingly, catch rates in nearly all of our traditional fishing areas have fallen and there is now an urgent need to increase stock levels.
Lobsters are slow growing and it takes five to six years for a female to reach maturity.
Furthermore, while the mother lobster may carry up to 100,000 eggs depending on her size, only a very small proportion of this number survives in the wild. A further increase in the legal landing size would protect more breeding females, but this move will result in a short-term loss in landings. To compensate, fishermen will set more lobster pots and stocks will become further depleted. Some control on fishing effort seems necessary and I believe that this could be done on a local rather than national basis. Lobster stock enhancement could be a further way of replenishing local stocks and could involve inshore fishermen.