Many recreational sailors have reported entanglement or near misses with creel buoys which are badly marked or have floating trailing ropes. This is something that the RYA has been concerned about for many years. As RYA Scotland, we have also talked to fishers about the nature of the problem, with The Inshore Fisheries Groups well aware of the issue of dangerous creel buoys. While most creel fishers set and mark their creels well, problems still persist.

Know what to expect

Creels are set for three types of shellfish, lobsters (over rocky reefs), prawns (over mud) and crabs (often close inshore). Sometimes fleets of creels are moved between deeper water and shallower water due to weekly closure of the deeper water to mobile fishing. This can result in rope floating to the surface. In many places creels are well marked and easy to spot. In others unregistered creelers fail to conform to best practice guidelines. The exact way that creels are set and marked varies from place to place. In some places, marker buoys have a pick-up buoy attached. A fleet of up to about 80 creels is lowered to the seabed with a rope going from one or both ends to a creel buoy that is picked up to haul in the creels. It also acts as a marker to other fishers. Some creels are set in surprisingly deep water and a long way from land.

Legal background

Marking of creels is a devolved matter. In June 2020 the Scottish parliament passed the Marking of Creels (Scotland) Act. This requires creels set by registered fishermen to be marked by marker buoys specifically designed for the purpose and for the boat's Port Letter and Number (PLN) to be clearly marked. This regulation outlaws the use of objects such as plastic milk bottles and netted footballs as buoys. However, the regulation does not apply to unregistered creelers which is a category intended only for recreational creelers.

Other initiatives

There is an initiative to prevent basking sharks and marine mammals becoming entangled with the ropes that run from the end creels to the buoy. The code of practice specifies weighted lines, which would also have the benefit of minimising the risk of entanglement by recreational craft. However, while welcome, it is thought that the fishers who adopt these practices are likely to be the ones who already conform to existing best practice guidelines.

Stay alert

It is important that a good watch is kept for creel buoys and that they are given a wide berth (at least five metres and preferably more). This is particularly important in areas of strong tidal flows where even large creel buoys can be forced below the surface and there may be rope near the surface up tide of the buoy.

Report problems

Any that are badly marked or have a length of trailing floating rope attached or are in a hazardous location should be reported using the RYA scheme whether or not there has actually been an entanglement. The Statutory Harbour Authority should also be alerted If the buoys are within their area.

Related pages:

Scottish Government Creel Marking Guidance