Project Description

 

The Prawn fishery is from an economic point of view the most valuable fishery for the Irish Fishing Industry. It is carried out in ICES Areas 6 and 7 but the Irish Prawn Otter Trawl FIP is focused on the fishing activities carried out in Area 7 solely. During the prospective stage of the FIP an MSC pre assessment of the fishery was carried out and on foot of this an initial workplan for the FIP has been developed.

The FIP’s membership is made up of fishermen, co operative associations, processors and retailers.

Setting up a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) is one way in which the market demands in relation to sustainability can be met:

  • A FIP operates by means of a collaborative alliance of buyers, suppliers, and producers.
  • Identify the challenges in a fishery, e.g., data deficiency, management issues
  • Develop a plan, to be carried out over a number of years, to address the issues
  • The stakeholders work together to improve a fishery over the life of the plan

Participants in the Irish Prawn Fisheries have initiated a FIP to:

  • Protect the long term future of the prawn stocks in our waters
  • Keep access to discerning markets for our prawn products
  • Enable our fishermen to get best possible prices for the prawn they land