Brown crab could be at risk due to overfishing
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust is calling for better management
One of Cornwall's most popular seafoods could be at risk due to overfishing.
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has taken brown crab off the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide recommended list after a decline in stocks.
It's downgraded the sustainability of the crab from level three to level four - with level five being the least sustainable.
The crabs are caught by potting, which the trust says is a selective and low impact method - and along with local bylaws on minimum sizes, has meant that this fishery has been productive for decades.
But there's been an increase in the number of pots in recent years, and research carried out by Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (CIFCA) has shown that the catches per pot for brown crab has seriously declined – a strong indicator of overfishing.
Matt Slater, Marine Conservation Officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “Although potting is a relatively good fishing method in terms of its selectivity and environmental impacts, it can still be overdone.
"We believe that this fishery needs better management to cap the amount of fishing effort. Without urgent improved management this fishery could collapse and for this reason we are proposing to downgrade the rating for brown crab, meaning it will no longer be on our recommended list."
“We are fully supportive of Cornwall IFCA’s efforts to manage shellfish fisheries within Cornwall’s inshore waters, and of National Fisheries Management Plans which are in development, but we urge that significant improvements to manage this fishery are made rapidly.”