Marine Management Organisation
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2025 consultation
The MMO are seeking views on proposals to protect the king scallop (Pectens maximus) stocks in UK waters of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) area 7d and Lyme Bay area of ICES area 7e in summer of 2025.
The purpose of the consultation is to consider protection for stocks during the main spawning period for king scallops within areas 7d and 7e, with peak spawning typically in summer. Scientific evidence indicates that protection for stocks against fishing activity during the summer months is likely to deliver the most benefit.
In the past years a closure has been implemented in ICES area 7d and Lyme Bay area of ICES area 7e which focused on providing increased protection for spawning stock, facilitating juvenile recruitment and supporting future viability and sustainability of the stock.
The options for proposed 7d king scallop closures are:
- From 15 May to 30 September 2025
- From 1 July to 30 September 2025
- No closure within 7d within any time period
The options proposed for a 7e king scallop dredge fishery closure are:
- A closure of Lyme bay (ICES rectangles 30E6, 30E7, 29E6 and 29E7) aligning to the agreed closure length in ICES area 7d.
- No closure of Lyme bay within any time period.
No closure of Lyme bay within any time period. The consultation is open from 18 November 2024 to midnight 12 January 2025. To respond to this consultation and access further information, please see here.
What happens next??
MMO will review all the information received during the consultation and will publish a summary of the responses and the decision on whether to close the king scallop fishery, when and which vessels will be affected. Any closure will be enacted by a licence variation.
2025 consultation
Review the consultation and decision documents for the 2025 consultation below.
The consultation document for the 2025 King Scallop Closure In ICES area 7d and 7e (Lyme Bay) can be found here here
The response from the 2024 consultation can be found here:
Contact information
Fisheries Management Team
Telephone: 0300 123 1032
E-mail:sustainablefisheries@marinemanagement.org.uk