Response 64322938

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Mr
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Shaun
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McGuire
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Brown crab - Minimum Landing Size

Q1. Do you support increasing the minimum landing size for brown crab to 150 mm carapace width?

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Yes
No
Comments
The current MLS is sustainable in our area in my opinion and quite a lot of people prefer the smaller crab for a starter portion for a meal.

Q2. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from an MLS increase for brown crab, and if so why?

Comments
The Solway Firth as the average brown crab in this area is of a smaller size

Velvet crab - Minimum landing Size

Q3. Do you support increasing the minimum landing size for velvet crab to 70 mm carapace width?

Comments
At present I do not target velvet crab so have no strong view on this although I do think the views of people actually fishing for them should be given more importance in the decision making than the views of people who are not fishing for them.

Q4. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from an MLS increase for velvet crab, and if so why?

Comments
Any area where the fishermen targeting them feel it should not increase.

Lobster - Minimum Landing Size

Q7. Do you support increasing the minimum landing size for lobster to 90 mm carapace length?

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Yes
No
Comments
I sell the majority of the lobsters I catch to Scotprime Seafoods and they grade the catch by individual weight of lobster when weighing in. During the period January 2015 - March 2016 lobsters in the category 400 gram - 600 gram constituted 58% of the lobsters I sold to Scotprime. As can be seen from my Fish1 returns I also sell a fair amount of lobsters to private individuals during much of each year and the vast majority of these sales are of the 400 gram - 600 gram category. Taking these sales into account the percentage of my catch constituted of 400 - 600 gram lobsters rises to around 70%. The vast majority of these lobsters would become undersize if the MLS was increased to 90mm. Current catches have been consistent for many years and are sustainable, increasing the MLS would devastate our income and the markets require the lobsters between 87mm and 90mm.

Q8. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from an MLS increase for lobster, and if so why?

Comments
The coastline of Dumfries & Galloway as all members of the static gear association I'm a member of are catching the same percentage of lobsters in the 400 gram - 600 gram category as I am.

Q9. If you support an MLS increase, how would you prefer to see it introduced?

Comments
I do not support an increase in MLS

Lobster - Maximum Landing Size

Q10. Do you support decreasing the maximum landing size for female lobster to 145 mm carapace length?

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Yes
No
Comments
Some of the member vessels of the association I'm a member of fish deeper water, where larger lobsters make up an important part of their catch.

Q11. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from a maximum landing size reduction for female lobster, and if so why?

Comments
The Solway Firth and North Channel for reasons given in response to question 10

Q12. Do you support introducing a maximum landing size for male lobster of 145 mm carapace length?

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Yes
No
Comments
Same reason as answer to question 10

Q13. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from a maximum landing size for male lobster, and if so why?

Comments
Same area as given in answer to question 11 for the same reasons

Lobster - Crippled lobsters

Q14. Do you support prohibiting the landing of 'crippled' lobsters?

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Yes
No
Comments
11% of the lobsters I have landed to Scotprime during the period January 2015 to end of March 2016 have been crippled lobsters. With the increase in gunwhale rollers in the static gear fleet this percentage is likely to increase in future. There is market demand for cripples and our income would be severely impacted if this measure was introduced.

Q15. Are there any areas of the coast that you think should be excluded from a prohibition on the landing of ‘crippled’ lobsters, and if so why?

Comments
All Scottish waters.

Sale and carriage restrictions

Q16. Do you support the introduction of prohibitions on sale and carriage to match any landing prohibitions that are implemented on a uniform basis across the entire Scottish coast?

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Yes
No
Comments
Any rule prohibiting landing of anything should also prohibit carriage or sale of same.