The NWIFCA is to authorise current NWIFCA Byelaw 3 permit holders to gather seed mussel from Heysham Flat skear from Monday 23 July 2018. Fishing is only authorised during daylight hours Monday – Friday. For full details view the Authorisation and HRA below. Authorisation and HRA Heysham Flat Seed Mussel Authorisation Heysham Flat Seed Mussel HRA Access Permits Access arrangements to the fishery must be made through Lancaster City Council.  

Defra has opened a consultation on the recently published fisheries white paper. The paper sets out Defra’s plan for the future of fisheries management post leaving the EU. The consultation is open for ten weeks and closes on 12th September 2018. You can find the white paper, the consultation, and respond to the consultation on Defra’s website here.

Chinese mitten crabs are present in the Walney Channel. Chinese mitten crabs are an invasive non-native species and are listed as a Species of Union Concern under EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) it is an offence to release Chinese mitten crab. They must not be imported, transported, permitted to reproduce or grow, or released into the environment. Anyone found guilty of this offence is liable to legal proceedings and hefty fines. It is in your interest and the prospect of future fisheries and markets to follow this advice. There is a risk of presence of Chinese mitten crab amongst the mussel in Morecambe Bay and the Duddon Estuary. You are advised to treat the movement of mussels with the utmost caution, especially mussel going for relaying so that you do not transport Chinese mitten crab to other areas. Use the advice in the Bangor Mussel Producers ‘Mussel Code of Practice for seed mussel movements’ to inspect your catch before moving it from the bed. The level of risk depends on the time of year and life stage. Over the winter the greatest risk is from adults, which can be identified from…

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has launched a formal consultation on proposed new management measures to prohibit bottom towed fishing gear within West of Walney Marine conservation Zone (MCZ) as a result of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) revised approach to managing fisheries in marine protected areas (MPA). The consultation will run from 08 May until the 13 July 2018. As part of the consultation MMO is asking for comments on the draft byelaw, associated impact assessment and the sites fisheries assessment. Information about this consultation can be found here. All responses from the formal public consultation will be considered, and if appropriate, MMO will amend the draft byelaw before either making the byelaw, or consulting on the amended draft byelaw. Further information about these consultations can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/managing-fisheries-in-marine-protected-areas. Information can also be requested from [email protected].

Following unanimous agreement at the Bivalve Mollusc Working Group (BMWG) meeting held on 3rd May 2018, NWIFCA has issued an Authorisation to Byelaw 3 permit holders to remove undersize mussel from a specified area on the South America/Falklands skears in north Morecambe Bay. The authorisation is limited to specific tides for 6 days starting on 14th May. Full details of conditions under which all gathering must be carried out are within the authorisation, along with the mapping and co-ordinates of the only areas open for fishing. The authorisation can be found here: South America/Falklands Authorisation A full Habitats Regulations Assessment for this fishery is available here: South America/Falklands HRA Further discussion on this area will take place at the next BMWG meeting to be held on 6th June following further survey and inspection.

North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) is calling for fishermen and women to follow a Voluntary Ban on placing nets around St Bees starting 1st March 2018. Although thankfully not a common occurrence, there have been distressing reports in the past of numbers of birds getting caught up in the nets and drowning. Obviously no one wants or intends this, and fishers themselves have been deeply upset when it has occurred. As fisheries regulators the NWIFCA has a duty to ensure that netting is not having a damaging effect on birds. The breeding season is the crucial time for seabirds such as razorbills and guillemots nesting on the cliffs at St Bees. Following meetings with fishers, Natural England and the RSPB the NWIFCA Technical Science and Byelaws Sub-committee (TSB) agreed the introduction of a Voluntary Code of Practice to be brought in in 2018. A copy of the report is available here. St Bees is an important cliff habitat for breeding seabirds, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It also lies within the Cumbria Coast Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ). Many of the bird species are diving birds which have the potential to become…

Seafish have released a report on their 2017 pilot survey of employment within the UK fishing industry. The survey covered a sample of 313 UK fishing vessels and 914 jobs. The report covers the methodology, development and lessons learnt as well as a summary of the findings. You can download the full report from Seafish by following this link: Seafish 2017 Pilot Fleet Employment Survey Seafish are requesting feedback to help improved future editions of the report. You can provide feedback by following this link: Seafish Report Feedback

Defra are introducing a national prohibition on landing berried Lobsters and Crawfish for UK registered fishing vessels. The prohibition will come into force on 1st October 2017 and will apply in English waters and ports. The ban follows a consultation ran by Defra earlier this year. A summary of which can be viewed here. Further information is available on the Marine Management Organisation Website.

The Environment Agency have published the briefing below regarding Atlantic Salmon. If you have any queries regarding Pacific pink salmon please contact the Environment Agency through the means provided at the end of the article. Brief background Over recent weeks the Environment Agency has received an unusually high number of reports of Pacific pink salmon (Onchorhyncus gorbuscha) which have been captured in both rod and net fisheries in North East of England. To date, we believe that over 200 pink salmon have been captured in the North East coast salmon net fishery with an increasing number of reports from rod and line anglers within freshwater, particularly in Scotland and Ireland. There is a possibility that these fish might be present in other rivers throughout England and Wales following the recent capture of a pink salmon in County Cork, Ireland. Pink salmon are the smallest and most abundant of the five Pacific salmon species and are a non-native salmon species within the North Atlantic Area.    Where have Pacific Pink salmon come from? Pacific pink salmon are also known as humpback salmon and originate from the northern areas of the Pacific Ocean. Significant numbers of pink salmon have been stocked in the White…

Please see below for the Leasowe cockle survey results from the 11th August 2017. You can download a .pdf version here. Leasowe Cockle Survey Note 11-08-2017 LW 08:51 1.3m (Liverpool tides) Survey – Jumbo and 0.5m2 quadrat / 0.1m² quadrat and sieve depending on substrate and density of cockle. 38 survey stations were sampled from a grid 250m apart with an extra point added between some points. The bed can be split into two distinct areas, one area high up the beach and relatively muddy that has a high density of cockle, and an outer area where the cockle has spread out from the dense and is in lower densities. This outer area consists of sand waves with muddy patches in between and the majority of the cockle lies in the muddy patches. Means Means were calculated from all survey stations with the defined bed area (zero counts on the edge of the bed have been removed). Dense Area Mean number of size cockle:                      396 per m² (min. 8, max 1430) Mean number of undersize cockle:         102 per m² (min 0, max 510) Outer Area Mean number of size cockle:                      34 per m² (min. 0, max 266) Mean number…

Authorisation updated 09/08/2017  See the updated authorisation by clicking here Heysham Flat Seed Mussel fishery will open to Byelaw 3 permit holders at 0435 on 7/8/17 and will be accessible from the The Battery, Morecambe. Details regarding tides and working hours are contained within the authorisation. Please read the authorisation posted here. Breaches of the authorisation may lead to closures of the fishery. Lancaster City Council Vehicle access permits can be obtained from Morecambe Town Hall. Failure to supply all the valid documentation required will delay the application procedure. As with most years there is a demarcation line imposed to protect the Honey Comb Worm habitat, crossing the line marked by wooden stakes may lead to the closure of the fishery.

On the 13th June, the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) received reports of eight individuals picking cockles at Morecambe. The activity was on a very small scale and only a small quantity of shellfish had been removed.  The main target of the fishing activity was found to be other bivalve species; though some cockles had been taken. It was concluded that the gathering was for personal consumption. Currently, all cockle beds within the district are closed and a closed season is in place until 31st August. Taking this into account, all identified individuals will receive warning letters. The NWIFCA would like to remind people that offences could lead to a fine on conviction of up to £50,000. If you see any suspicious fishing activity please report it to the NWIFCA via email at [email protected] or by phone on 01524 727970.