From the sea to the door: New grant scheme to support seafood businesses in England to sell catches New £1 million grant scheme opened today to increase supply of local seafood Seafood businesses can bid for funds for assets and infrastructure to sell seafood Part of a £10 million fund for England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors The government has today opened for applications a new Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme, which will fund projects that will help seafood businesses in England increase the supply of local seafood to domestic markets. The £1 million scheme, first announced by Defra and HM Treasury on 17 April, is part of a £10 million fund for England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors that have been adversely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as this financial support, qualifying seafood businesses may also qualify for other Government support. MMO has produced a guide to what is available. This scheme will help seafood businesses adapt to changes in their markets caused by COVID-19 by helping fund changes to businesses and/or infrastructure that will help them to sell their products domestically, and support projects that increase domestic consumption of seafood landed or processed in England. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will accept…

Please note this fund is administered by the Marine Management Organisation. All enquiries should be sent to the contact details at the bottom of this page. Details £10 million financial assistance for England’s fishing and aquaculture businesses in response to Covid-19 was announced by Defra and HM Treasury on 17 April 2020. There will be two funds, both administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) that will target those most in need. The first fund of £9 million is called the Fisheries Response Fund (FRF) and will directly contribute towards the fixed business costs of over 1000 catching and aquaculture businesses that have been adversely impacted by the downturn of export and domestic markets for fish and shellfish. Qualifying fishing vessel owners will be contacted directly in stages by MMO from Monday 20 April 2020. Further information for aquaculture businesses will be provided from next week. The second fund has a value of £1 million and will be a grant scheme to support the sale of fish locally. MMO will administer applications for this scheme and will provide further details from next week. For frequently asked questions on the fund please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fisheries-response-fund-support-for-fishing-and-aquaculture-businesses/fisheries-response-fund-frequently-asked-questions-faqs Payments to the catching sector from the…

Update: 21st April 2020 An up to date list of support available to the fishing industry is available here: MMO One Stop Shop V12 Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) updates for the Inshore Fishing Community The Covid-19 situation is ever changing here in the UK and it is very important that everyone is aware of the latest advice from the UK Government and the health information from the NHS. We recognise the unprecedented impact that the pandemic is having on fishing business and coastal communities. IFCAs are working hard to maintain essential services, support local fishing communities, whilst protecting our own workforce during this very difficult uncertain time. IFCO’s, where it is safe and appropriate to do so will continue to patrol the coast and engage with fishermen and stakeholders.  Officers will be following the latest government advice in relation to minimising the spread of the Coronavirus, which may mean officers need to carry out their work in alternative ways. We are working, where it is safe to do so, to ensure that permits and sampling regimes are maintained as far as is practically possible and our aim is to continue to support coastal communities, the industry and help…

20th April Update All permit applications received to date have been processed and dispatched by Royal Mail 1st Class post. If you have not received your permit letter by Friday 26th April please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you to all who have already applied in advance for their 2020 Byelaw 26 & 27 Netting Permits. All permits that have been received are currently being processed and will be dispatched no later than the Monday 20th April. If you have not received your permit letter by Friday 26th April please contact us at [email protected]. If you have lost your renewal form you can download one from the link below and submit a scanned copy, photograph or digitally completed form to [email protected]. Application Form

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) our offices in Carnforth and Whitehaven are closed to all visitors until further notice. Normal service will otherwise be maintained as much as possible. If you wish to contact us you can e-mail us at [email protected] or call us on 01524 727970. To reduce the load on staff answering calls we encourage the use of e-mail instead of telephone where possible. All permits will be processed as normal. As we are all social distancing, we encourage applications to be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] where possible and will accept digital, scanned copies or photographs as long as all the details are legible. You can find our permit application forms online here: https://www.nw-ifca.gov.uk/fishing-permit-application/     

The Quarterly Meeting of the Authority on March 19th 2019 has been cancelled due to the current outbreak of Covid 19 and the requirement to avoid any unnecessary social contact.

Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities CHIEF OFFICER Salary:    £50,339 to £55,567 Hours:    37 hours per week The Association of IFCAs (AIFCA), which represents the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities in England, is seeking an experienced individual to fill the above position and lead and manage the organisation to deliver strategic priorities and strengthen relationships with partner organisations. Applicants must have a minimum of degree qualification (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline and experience in a similar role. Strong IT skills are essential. About the role: This is a varied and challenging role, but for the right individual an exciting one, during what is a transformational period in the management of fisheries resources in the UK and a key task will be to advocate effectively on behalf of the IFCAs to promote our nationally important work to a wide audience and maximise our impact on emerging policy. You will act as the IFCA’s national representative across a range of different groups and fora including Defra and other statutory bodies and NGOs and continue to build effective relationships with a wide variety of interests in fisheries and marine environmental management. Coordination and communication of collective IFCA responses to national…

Today sees Cefas launch a campaign to raise awareness within the fishing community of the threat to native species from the non-native species of lobster, the American lobster. This Defra-funded initiative encourages fishers and others to “retain and report” any American lobsters that they capture, to measure and reduce impacts they are having in our marine environment. American lobsters have been imported to the UK since the late 1950s for consumption in restaurants and homes. For example, in 2015, 1,744 tonnes were imported, worth £15.75 million. American lobsters tend to grow to larger sizes than European lobster, have a larger dietary range, are more tolerant of different habitats, are more aggressive and produce more eggs than European lobsters. This means they are at a competitive advantage over the native species. American lobsters might also carry the bacterial disease, Gaffkaemia, or Epizootic Shell Disease. Transferring these diseases to native stocks could result in major economic losses to fishers. There is also a risk of American lobsters bringing other non-native species to our waters, such as barnacles and other small invertebrates which have attached themselves to the lobster. The campaign aims to engage with lobster fishers explaining the legal position, how to…

Following requests from industry and consultation with other relevant agencies the cockle fishery at Leasowe on the Wirral will be open for 6 days a week, EXCLUDING Saturdays, from 00.01 hrs on Sunday 16th February 2020 until the end of April. The requirement to submit returns has been amended to monthly no later than the 5th of the following month. The Total Allowable Catch remains the same at 400 tonnes. Click here to view the authorisation    

NWIFCA would like to thank those of our stakeholders who submitted consultation responses to the proposed Potting Permit Byelaw. Having considered all of the comments and suggestions some amendments were referred back to the Technical Science and Byelaws Sub-Committee. These were also circulated informally to industry for any further comments. TSB approved these amendments at its meeting on 4th February. The amended byelaw will now be submitted to the full Authority for making at its March (19th) meeting. The full amended byelaw with paper explaining the amendments will be published on this website.