Brown crab (Cancer pagurus), velvet crab (Necora puber) and European lobster (Homarus gammarus) landings into Scotland by ICES statistical rectangle, 2013-2017

The stock assessments of crabs and lobster use official landings data (as shown in this data layer), which provide location of capture (ICES rectangle), the species and the weight landed into ports in Scotland. These data are collated by Marine Scotland Compliance from sales notes and EU logbook and FISH1 forms, and are held in the Marine Scotland Fisheries Information Network (FIN) database and in the Marine Scotland Science (MSS) Fisheries Management Database (FMD).

For assessment purposes, the Scottish creel fishing grounds are divided into 12 assessment areas. Some Scottish assessment areas extend outside Scottish Territorial Waters. On the east of Scotland the South East assessment area extends beyond the Scottish border, while on the west coast, the Clyde assessment area stops short of the Irish border. There is some fishing on grounds outside the assessment areas. Currently these areas support only small fisheries and landings data are monitored for any change in importance.

Derived from Thomas, H.J., 1958. Lobster and crab fisheries in Scotland. Marine Research, 8: 107 and subsequently revised to include two offshore areas – Papa, which lies to the west of Shetland, and Sule, which is to the north and west of Orkney and includes Rona, Sulisker and Sule-Skerry banks.