UK NEPHROPS FIP SETS OUT PATHWAY TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE SCAMPI FISHERY

UK Nephrops FIP sets out pathway towards a more sustainable and responsible scampi fishery. The UK Nephrops fishery is the focus of a wide-ranging Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) bringing together seafood businesses, retailers, fishing organisations and industry bodies to address environmental and social sustainability across the supply chain.

The project was outlined by Will Davies, Group CSR Manager at Sofina Europe and Chair of the Scampi FIP Working Group, during his presentation at the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) Annual Conference.

Davies, a former trawlerman from north-west Scotland with an MSc in Marine Conservation and more than 15 years’ experience in the seafood processing industry, explained how the initiative is seeking to create a structured pathway for the UK Nephrops fishery to improve its sustainability credentials.

Nephrops, commonly sold in the UK as scampi, is an important part of the seafood market. However, Davies highlighted that the UK Nephrops fishery is not currently certified. The FIP is therefore intended to bring stakeholders together to identify improvements and support progress towards recognised sustainability standards.

A collaborative approach

The FIP involves a broad group of stakeholders, reflecting the complexity of the UK Nephrops supply chain.

Those represented include major retailers and seafood businesses alongside Seafish, the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, fishing organisations and other industry stakeholders. The presentation highlighted organisations including Aldi, ANIFPO, Associated Seafoods, Co-op, Lidl, Macduff Shellfish, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation, NIFPO, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Seafish, Scottish White Fish Producers Association, Sofina, Tesco, Waitrose, Whitby Seafoods and Young’s.

The geographical and operational scope of the fishery is also considerable. The FIP covers Nephrops caught using both creels and TR1/TR2 demersal trawls across a number of stock areas around Scotland and the wider UK waters.

Five-year MSC improvement pathway

A central element of the work is the Marine Stewardship Council’s new Improvement Programme.

Davies’ presentation explained that the programme provides a structured five-year pathway for fisheries that do not yet meet the full MSC standard. It followed the previous five-year In-Transition to MSC pilot programme and requires a pre-assessment, including a gap analysis completed within the previous three years.

Progress and action plans are subject to independent verification by accredited third parties.

Importantly, participation does not mean that products can immediately carry the familiar blue MSC fish-tick logo. The presentation noted that there is no front-of-pack eco-label during the improvement process, although eligible fisheries can make official text claims on the back of packs once relevant performance milestones have been achieved. Progress is also intended to be transparent, with fisheries listed on the MSC Find a Fishery page alongside relevant updates.

UK Nephrops FIP have a project manager, Jennifer Mouat and scientific input with contracted fisheries consultants, that are experts in the relevant Principles of the MSC certification.

For the UK Nephrops FIP, the approach provides a framework for setting out specific, measurable improvements , allowing them to apply for certification.

Ten areas for improvement

The Nephrops action plan sets out 10 areas of work covering stock management, environmental performance and compliance.

These include developing a harvest strategy and improving monitoring and data collection; establishing appropriate reference points and harvest control rules; and reviewing alternative measures to reduce unwanted catch.

The programme also addresses wider ecosystem impacts

The action plan includes strategies for primary and secondary species that may be below recruitment impairment levels, as well as reviewing and refining lists of endangered, threatened and protected species, recording interactions and implementing protection measures.

Habitat and ecosystem impacts are another area of focus, with the plan calling for improved knowledge of the fishery footprint and appropriate protection measures.

Finally, the FIP will look at defining short- and long-term fishery objectives, agreeing decision-making processes and providing evidence that systems are in place to enforce management measures.

Understanding the fishery and its stocks

The presentation also highlighted the importance of stock assessment and management, using the South Minch as an example.

An ICES stock advice example for Nephrops in Division 6.a, Functional Unit 12, showed trends in fishing pressure and stock size. The example covered Norway lobster in the South Minch and included harvest-rate and abundance information, with catches and underwater television survey data forming part of the assessment.

Davies also highlighted the biology and lifecycle of Nephrops, illustrating the species’ development from larvae and post-larvae through to adult animals on the seabed. The presentation linked this understanding to the proposed fisheries management plan for West of Scotland Nephrops.

The presentation included Scottish Nephrops landing data covering 2024 to 2026, illustrating the scale and variability of landings across the year and between different product forms, including whole Nephrops and tails.

Social sustainability becomes part of the FIP

The project is not limited to environmental and fisheries-management issues.

A dedicated social workstream is examining human rights within the UK Nephrops and scallop supply chains. The presentation highlighted a Human Rights Impact Assessment produced by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management, with Human Rights at Sea also involved in a separately commissioned assessment of crew conditions.

The assessment, referenced as a Seafish project, is intended to improve understanding of social and human-rights risks within the supply chain and complements the FIP’s environmental objectives.

This broader approach reflects a growing focus across seafood on sustainability that encompasses not only the condition of fish stocks and impacts on marine ecosystems, but also the people working within fisheries and supply chains.

Building on wider seafood sustainability initiatives

Davies also placed the Nephrops FIP within the context of wider sustainability initiatives involving Sofina and its seafood businesses.

The presentation highlighted a number of previous initiatives, including Young’s involvement as a founding member of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition, support for the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and the establishment of the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group following the loss of MSC certification for Atlantic mackerel.

Other examples included work on alternative aquafeed ingredients, the SMART trawl project using AI-powered cameras and escape gates to reduce bycatch, and Sofina’s work on crustacean welfare.

The timeline within this presentation included reference to a previous MSC certification of Stornoway Scampi fishery, initiated by Young’s. One of the developments cited within that fishery, was Young’s Trace, a digital tool designed to monitor and record bycatch.

Sofina has also jointly funded a Human Rights Impact Assessment for the UK scampi supply chain, aimed at improving transparency and ethical performance.

A long-term approach to UK scampi

The UK Nephrops FIP represents an attempt to bring these strands together across a fishery that supports both fishing communities and an important seafood category.

For Davies and the organisations involved, the emphasis is on measurable improvement – from stock assessment, management and bycatch through to habitat protection, traceability, compliance and human rights.

With the fishery not currently certified, the five-year MSC Improvement Programme provides a defined framework against which progress can be assessed.

The ultimate objective is therefore not simply to secure a sustainability label, but to drive practical improvements across the fishery and its supply chain, while creating greater transparency around how UK Nephrops is caught, managed and supplied to consumers.

The group are having the next meeting, in person in Edinburgh on the 10^th of September, as part of a regular series of meetings to work on the action plan.

Main image: UK Nephrops FIP