King scallop catch quotas lifted in Manx waters

The scallop fishing industry is worth millions of pounds to the Isle of Man every year

A daily catch limit imposed to stop the "extreme fishing" of king scallops in Manx waters has been lifted.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) introduced quotas in November amid concerns about a "fishing race" in the Irish sea.

An unusually large harvest of king scallops had attracted fishing boats from across the British Isles.

Fisheries minister Geoffrey Boot said the quota had achieved its aim of "keeping stocks sustainable".

'Extreme fishing'

Before the catch limit was imposed, almost 800 tonnes of king scallops were landed in the first six days of the season - almost a fifth of the catch recorded last season.

Some vessels were landing in excess of 8,000kg of king scallops a day and many Manx fishermen complained they were unable to compete with larger vessels.

In 2015/16, some 4,500 tonnes of king scallops - worth about £4m - were landed on the Isle of Man.

Environment minister Geoffrey Boot said the daily catch limit of 1,400kg (3,086lbs) had "helped to keep stocks sustainable".

"The catch limit has achieved its aim of reducing the extreme fishing activity that occurred at the start of the season."

In Manx waters, 35% of scallop fishing licences are held by the island's fishermen and the rest are given to vessels from England (13%), Northern Ireland (27%), Scotland (23%) and Wales (2%).

Spokesman for the Manx fish producers organisation (MFPO), Dr David Beard, said the quotas had "evened off the market" and asked for similar measures in the future.

The Isle of Man's king scallop season runs between November and May.