The west coast prawn total allowable catch (TAC) could be reduced from 18,400 tonnes this year to 9,250 tonnes in 2010 if proposals from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) are implemented.

Their scientists claim that seabed TV surveys of prawn burrows, and the fact that the prawn fleet has been landing less than the agreed TAC over several years, has led to the conclusion that the stock is much weaker than first thought.

Unsurprisingly, the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association feel the scientists’ approach is misguided and that the apparent lack of burrows is due to the tides having become stronger and covering some of them, thus resulting in inaccurate readings.

The scientific advice divides the west coast area into three sectors, North Minch, South Minch and Clyde; the advice for each sector for 2010 is 1000, 4100 and 3900 tonnes respectively.

Prawn TAC for the North Sea is expected to remain around 22000 tonnes so there will be little room for any displacement of effort from the west to east coasts without affecting other commercial fishermen.

According to the Association, they a huge task to prove before the end of the year that they are fishing the west coast prawn stock sustainably. They claim to have been doing so for that last 40 years or so, but we feel that the exponential increases in catch levels over the past few years has resulted in going beyond sustainable levels.

The reduction also calls into question MSC certification, as part of the fishery has been approved by the MSC as sustainable, yet ICES are now saying that stocks are declining to such an extent they have to cut the TAC in half.

Unless there are some bold decisions taken soon, it would appear that west coast prawn stocks are going the same way as west coast fish stocks went – then what next on the foodchain ?

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