dc983f91e2402b0353782caf02955665 English dataset Carly Cassidy University Marine Biological Station (UMBS), Millport Millport KA28 0EG carlycassidy@hotmail.co.uk pointOfContact 2019-11-04 MEDIN Discovery metadata standard 2.3.8 4326 2005-2007 University Marine Biological Station Millport (UMBSM) North Sea Partans Survey 2007-03-01 publication UMBSM00018353 Fishing for partans (Cancer pagurus), European lobsters (Homarus gammarus) and velvet swimming crabs (Necora puber) with bated traps is an economically and culturally important activity for remote coastal communities. The project study was assigned to survey the perceptions of fishermen regarding the state of, knowledge of, and the current research they want to be conducted on trap fisheries of lobster and partans in Caithness, Scotland. Creel fishing is the primary source of income for many isolated coastal communities. The north east of Scotland is characterised by small isolated communities, of which Caithness belongs. Caithness (Wick fishery district) has a small inshore fishery which houses small vessels of less than 12m in length, operated by one or two men crew and which fish for mixed species (H. gammarus, C. pagurus, N. puber and N. norvegicus). There are approximately 32 static gear fishing vessels in Caithness, 90% of which are members of the Caithness Static Gear Fishermen's Association (CSGFA). Local fishers' have reported an increasing fishing effort offshore of larger fishing vessels (larger than 12m). Vivier vessels which target offshore edible crab grounds in northern and western Scotland, have influenced the shift from inshore to offshore fishing. The super crabbers which fish offshore are few in number, however they produce over 50% of the crab landings in the Highland region which are mostly export catch. 297 tonnes of H.gammarus and 6914 tonnes of C.pagurus were landed in Scotland in 2001, reaching 3.4 million GBP and 7 million GBP at sale. The Highland region landed 68 tonnes and 4980 tonnes of H.gammarus and C.pagurus respectively, with the Wick District (Caithness area) responsible for landing 52% of combined partans catch. The fishing effort of non local offshore vessels may prove to be an emergent threat to the sustainability of inshore partans stocks and the livelihood of the Caithness coastal communities. The local management of shellfisheries in the Caithness area was appealed under the Highland Shellfish management Organisation (HSMO), however it was recently rejected by the Scottish Executive and by local stakeholders. The concerns of fishermen were surveyed and prioritized during the project. The surveys indicated that fishers were most interested in temperature and weather factors which affected fishing, therefore influencing the direction of the two year project. The project investigates the relationships between past climatic and environmental variability and fishing effort and also assesses the structure of the current fishery. Fishers records and ICES fishery statistics were used to determine the relationships between environmental factors and partans landings per unit effort (LPUE) and fishing effort. The project aims to provide fishers with information which would enable them to support local management of the Caithness inshore creel fishery. Philip Smith University Marine Biological Station (UMBS), Millport Millport KA28 0EG philip.smith@millport.gla.ac.uk originator Kathryn Stevenson University Marine Biological Station (UMBS), Millport Millport KA28 0EG kathryn.stevenson@millport.gla.ac.uk custodian notPlanned Documents Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Sea regions Species distribution GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-01-06 revision Fish and shellfish catch statistics Fishery characterisation Fishing by-catch SeaDataNet P021 parameter discovery vocabulary 2009-11-16 revision The contents of the study may not be reproduced unless the source of the material is indicated. otherRestrictions DASSH terms and conditions apply English oceans biota -3.6804 -2.7631 58.1011 58.7083 2005-02-01 2007-02-01 Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) Data Manager 01752 633102 01752 633291 Marine Biological Association of the UK, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill Plymouth PL1 2PB dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk distributor dataset The project was partly funded by Highland Council, the European Union Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Fishmongers' Company. Caithness (geographical limits) stretches from Berridale on the east coast of Scotland to near Crosskirk, on the north coast. Inshore waters of the Caithness crab and lobster fishery are in ICES fishing area IVa. This study specifically focused on the ICES rectangles 45E6 (east coast) and 46E6 (north coast). These ICES rectangles of Caithness inshore waters are represented in the Scottish Office Coding System as squares 171 and 161 respectively. The study produced a questionnaire and an interview survey. Questionnaires and personal interviews were formulated to assess the characterisation of the Caithness static gear inshore fishery and to obtain knowledge on what issues were of interest and of priority to fishers. Confidentiality of fishers' details and that of their fishing vessels was assured during the investigation. The questions in the questionnaire addressed: species which were targeted during fishing and the methods which were used; fishing activity areas and associated annual effort; discard quantity and composition; and the focus of research activities that fishers felt important. Questions were answered as a combination of multiple choice and 'free text'. Data was represented qualitatively. A pilot questionnaire was provided to the Chairperson of the CSGFA for comments before a refined questionnaire pack (including a cover note, flyer and a prepaid envelope) was designed and distributed, via CSGFA, to members of its Association. Non-members were also included in the questionnaire. Questionnaire packs were personally delivered by the CSGFA chairperson. Personal interviews were conducted with fishers encountered at fishing ports at Scrabster, Wick and Lybster. Interview questions were informal and reflected those which were asked within the questionnaire. Interviews carried out were not recorded however notes of individual interviews were recorded afterward. Landing data of partans within the Wick district was obtained from ICES (monthly tonnes from rectangles 45E6 and 46E6 February 1993-August 2005) and fishers' logbooks (one from 45E6 and one from 46E6. The fishers' personal landing records (H.gammarus and C.pagurus) began in March 1997 (45E6) and January 1998 (46E6) and both ended in August 2006. This data was collated and formed predictive models. Physical data (NAO index, SST, wind stress and precipitation) was collated to be used in models which were used to investigate climatic effects on landing effort. A discard survey of fishing effort was also conducted. As fishers' emptied traps, discarded individuals were measured (carapace width (CW) of Cancer pagurus and Necor puber; and the carapace length (CL) of Homarus gammarus). North coast discards were investigated on three occasions (December, March and June) and once on the east coast (June). All discard species were returned to the sea alive. Length-frequency distributions of discarded C.pagurus were created using the statistical analysis package R 2.3 (GAM, MGCV AND PASTECS).