Crawfish closure area
Seasonal closure of the crawfish fishery in ICES area 7 (English waters)
Background
Following previous seasonal closures introduced for the crawfish fishery, MMO has consulted on a closure proposal for 2026/2027. The closure’s purpose is to enhance the protection of spawning crawfish by reducing fishing-related removals and interactions, thereby supporting the settlement of juvenile stocks and mitigating the risk of nets being left to soak for extended periods or lost during unpredictable winter weather.
Please refer to the decision document for further information, including a summary of responses received and further reasoning behind this decision. MMO values the continued participation of all stakeholders in the crawfish fishery management and will be furthering work on longer-term management in 2026.
Consultation description
Background
In 2024, MMO worked with industry to address concerns for the crawfish fishery in the South West. Stakeholder engagement events and consultations were held regarding seasonal closures of the fishery. Seasonal closures started in 2024. The third closure is currently active running from 17 November 2025 to 31 May 2026.
In December 2024 the licence condition for the increased minimum conservation reference size ‘MCRS’ (minimum landing size) of 110 millimetres (mm) was succeeded by a statutory instrument (SI).
2026 engagement
MMO held a workshop in Newlyn (February) and meeting in Hayle (March) with stakeholders to discuss the next seasonal closure (2026/2027) and explore longer term regulatory measures. Meeting notes are available on the South West Regional Fisheries Group (RFG) webpage.
There are continuing concerns from some stakeholders that the effort in the fishery is too high and annual consultations on the seasonal closure provides stakeholder fatigue along with uncertainty for business and fishing plans.
To ensure the stock remains both ecologically and economically sustainable MMO is considering longer-term management meaning the annual consultation on a seasonal closure may no longer be required. This will be subject to further engagement before any final decisions are made. As this work is longer-term the seasonal closure for 2026/2027 is being progressed.
Consultation
MMO ran a consultation to seek views on a fourth seasonal closure of the crawfish fishery for 2026/2027. This consultation ran from 30 April to 12 May 2026. Responses collected during the 2026 engagement events have been analysed alongside the online survey responses.
The seasonal closure would mean a prohibition of retaining, storing or landing crawfish caught in English waters of ICES area 7 for all UK and EU vessels, for all gear types.
The rationale for the closure is to:
- offer protection for breeding and spawning opportunities.
- reduce the risk of high mortality rates from catching fish that are in poor condition and from the potential of long net soak times or net loss in poor weather, and
- support future growth in the population by allowing settlement of juvenile stock.
