Sustainability of the Northern Ireland Nephrops Fishing Fleet – an analysis of the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities

This research undertook a sustainability assessment which explored whether or not the fishing capacity of the Northern Ireland Nephrops fleet is sustainable using economic, biological and vessel use indicators recommended by the EU guidelines.

This research identified that the Northern Ireland (NI) Nephrops fleet segments using demersal trawlers (DTS) with vessel lengths (VL) up to 24 meters (i.e. NIDTSVL0010, NIDTSVL1012, NIDTSVL1218 and NIDTSVL1824), are sustainable. Therefore, this study concludes that overall, the Northern Ireland Nephrops fleet segments are making profit in the short term while fishing from stocks that have not been depleted.