King scallop closure consultation 7d and Lyme Bay in 7e 2025
Scallop fishers are being urged to give their views on a range of proposals to protect stocks in 7d and Lyme Bay area of 7e next summer.
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) have launched a consultation on a potential closure to the King scallop dredge fishery.
MMO wants to hear views on options around closing English waters in ICES area 7d and Lyme Bay area of 7e to the king scallop (Pectens maximus) dredge fishery in summer of 2025. The proposed closure is to protect the stock during spawning and limit depletion of the stocks.
The options proposed for a 7d king scallop dredge fishery closure are:
- 15 May to 30 September 2025
- 1 July and 30 September 2025
- No closure within 7d within any time period.
The options proposed for a 7e king scallop dredge fishery closure are:
- A closure of Lyme bay (ICES rectangles 30E6, 30E7, 29E6 and 29E7) aligning to the agreed closure length in ICES area 7d.
- No closure of Lyme bay within any time period.
MMO wants to understand stakeholder views on the size of the vessels, both UK and EU, the closures should apply to.
The MMO is committed to ensuring fisheries are managed to a level where stocks are healthy and fished sustainably; the marine environment is protected; and economic return for fishers is maximised without impacting stock sustainability.
The consultation is open from 18 November 2024 to 12 January 2025.
To respond to this consultation and access further information, please see here.