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Devon and Severn IFCA beings Devon Berried Lobster Seasonality Surveys on board vessels operating in the D&S IFCA district
Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority Officers have begun surveys on board vessels operating in the D&S IFCA’s District to gather data on the seasonality of egg bearing of lobsters.
These surveys are the first of many that will be completed throughout the year to:
- help understand the months of the year that lobsters do and do not carry eggs,
- determine the various stages of egg development, and
- determine whether there is a main shedding period.
Under D&S IFCA’s Potting Permit Byelaw conditions, a potting permit holder or named representative is not authorised to remove any berried lobster (or berried edible crab) from a fishery within the District. The evidence from these surveys will help inform the use of the enforcement tools that may be used to identify if a berried lobster has been scrubbed of its eggs.
The full Potting Permit Byelaw Permit Conditions can be found here.
If you are targeting lobster and would like to be involved in these surveys, then you can get in touch with the Senior Environment Officer, James Stewart:
Email – j.stewart@devonandsevernifca.gov.uk
Phone – 07720 683624
