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‘Pinkstones’ are natural stones covered with coralline algae which secrete a hard pink coloured calcium carbonate coating. The relationship between the coralline alga Lithothamnion sp. and the settlement of abalone has been noted previously, but not seemingly exploited at a commercial level. Heasman reports that in the case of H. rubra not only does the production of GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) play a significant role in mirroring neurotransmitters involved in metamorphosis from the free swimming planktonic stage to the post-larval settlement stage, but the ‘antifouling cells’ used to keep the surface of the alga clean are of the right size to provide initial nutrition before the larger diatoms can be consumed. If this is linked to the reporting that 1 litre of ‘pinkstones’ can accommodate up to 60,000 post larval abalone and they can survive and grow over the following 8-10 days before selectively migrating, largest first, then they can become vector stones with the potential for commercial exploitation. This project was designed to establish if this was the case with Ormers and if so how to utilise the process to advance the aquaculture of the species.

This report presents stage 3 of Project Inshore where findings of stage 1’s data gathering on fisheries within each IFCA and the results of stage 2’s MSC pre-assessment conducted for fisheries around England’s coast (involving over 400 different species, stock and gear combinations) are considered to provide a Strategic Sustainability Review tailored to the North Eastern IFCA.

Microplastics is the term for a wide range of particles made from manmade polymers with an upper size limit of 5 mm. This is an update of the previous information sheet FS 92_04_19 produced in April 2016 and includes key findings from recent research studies. It contains a gap analysis, from the seafood industry’s perspective, of knowledge concerned with the consequences of microplastic pollution of the marine environment.

This EMFF-funded research analyses the training, skills and recruitment and retention challenges facing England’s seafood industry. The report concludes with recommendations for improvement for industry and government action.

The first aim of this project was to examine and gain a better understanding of the aggressive behaviour of the animals. Aggressive behaviour, causing injury or death, is thought to be a major obstacle in keeping animals in communal tanks. It was found that the Norway lobsters are able to build a dominance hierarchy, which reduces overall aggression in communal tanks. Moreover, it was found that pheromones are necessary for establishing dominance. Follow up studies will aim to gain a better understanding of the role of aggression in natural behaviour including territoriality,resource competition and mate choice. The second aim is to develop economic holding conditions for the animals. Holding animals in communal tanks is thought to be easier to manage - in terms of feeding and maintaining good water quality - than keeping them separately. Ongoing experiments comparing holding conditions indicate that there seems to be no difference in survival rate between individual and communal holding conditions. The third aim is to decide upon the best methods of collecting eggs and to hatch them. This will be researched in the next two years. Eggs will be collected by catching berried females. Holding conditions will be tested to maximize the hatching rate of the four larval stages in the lab. The results of the study will improve the understanding of the species which could help drive better stock management. In addition, it could support the fishing industry by providing sustainability and reducing the influence of natural barriers to fishing, such as weather conditions.

Throughout much of the UK, the native oyster remains in a severely depleted state in the wild, having suffered for two centuries with over-exploitation, pests, disease, pollution and harsh winters. The native oyster is a Biodiversity Action Plan Species. Native oyster beds can form a flourishing part of the ecosystem, with many associated species. A significant driver for restoration of native oyster beds should therefore be re-creating and conserving an ecological resource in order to re-establish a biotope that was once common and covered wide areas of the UK inshore seabed.

Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held in London on 2 March 2017.

High-quality razor clams (Ensis spp.) are currently exported via airfreight to the Far East where they command a high price; there are believed to be substantial underutilised stocks around the UK.<brTo assist in the possible development of this fishery, different methods of capture and post-harvest handling of razor clams were investigated to examine the conditions of capture and storage most likely to produce and maintain high quality and viable live animals. The razors used in the study had been either diver-caught or harvested using a commercial fluidised-bed towed razor clam dredge.

This report presents stage 3 of Project Inshore where findings of stage 1’s data gathering on fisheries within each IFCA and the results of stage 2’s MSC pre-assessment conducted for fisheries around England’s coast (involving over 400 different species, stock and gear combinations) are considered to provide a Strategic Sustainability Review tailored to the Northumberland IFCA.

'Off-bottom’ trawling techniques for the sustainable exploitation of non-pressure stocks in Cornish inshore waters.

A market research report on the seafood sector in China.