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Berried hen lobster: Conservation measures divisive

Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw has divided shellfish fishermen in the South West by his latest decision on lobster conservation.

At the moment, a by-law in Devon and Cornwall bans fishermen from taking pregnant female lobsters within six miles (10km) of the shore.

The minister was considering extending this to the open sea, thus bringing in a blanket ban, but he's now decided against doing so. Some fisherman are delighted.

Others say he has bowed to pressure from people who put short-term gain above the viability of lobster stocks in the future.

Ban extended

Dartmouth lobster and crab fisherman Chris Venmore said Mr Bradshaw had agreed in principle to extend the inshore ban on taking pregnant lobsters - or berried hens, as they are known - outside the six-mile limit to conserve stocks.

Now, he says, the minister has done a u-turn.

"You wouldn't shoot a pheasant sitting on its nest of eggs and a farmer would not kill his sheep when they are lambing," said Mr Venmore, who chairs the Devon Sea Fisheries Committee.

"It seems ludicrous to me that we should kill a lobster when it is about to produce its young.

"If you put that lobster back, it will get rid of its eggs and you can catch it again in two or three months' time."

Delicate balance

A large berried hen lobster can have up to 100,000 eggs when it breeds every two years. But only a handful of these eggs will go on to become full-grown lobsters.

Dr John Spicer, a marine biologist at the University of Plymouth, says studies have shown that lobster populations can be extremely fragile.

"It is amazing how little you need to do before you get crashes in the lobster population," he said.

"So you do not want to take berried females unless you really need to."

Some disagreement

But not all fishermen agree. In some parts of Cornwall, berried lobsters can account for half the catch.

They are understandably pleased at DEFRA's decision

"It is a very emotive subject and the general public may think banning berried lobsters is a good thing," said Paul Trebilcock, chairman of Cornwall Fish Producers.

"But at the moment the science tells us that it is a very marginal measure and it has a massive economic impact. We cannot really see the benefit of it.

"There are alternative measures which we have suggested - like the increased minimum landing size - and that seems the best way forward at the moment."

DEFRA standpoint

A spokesman for DEFRA makes it clear that, from the ministry's point of view, it is not just a question of science - but also one of enforcement.

"Scientific studies show that a ban on landing berried lobsters and an increase in the minimum landing size, if complied with equally, would provide similar conservation benefits," he said.

"However, the ban on landing berried lobsters would be more difficult to enforce and is likely to be widely ignored."

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives and a former fisheries spokesman for his party, said he was determined to take up the issue again with Mr Bradshaw - and to press for a blanket ban.

DEFRA, meanwhile, says it will keep the situation under review.

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