The House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee launches an inquiry into the implementation of the EU landing obligation. Background Discarding is the practice of throwing unwanted fish back into the sea. An average 1.7 million tonnes of fish and other marine life used to be discarded in the EU each year, because it was unmarketable, unprofitable, exceeded the amount of fish allowed to be caught or was otherwise unwanted. Not only is this a waste of finite resource, as many fish do not survive discarding, it also makes it difficult to accurately measure how many fish are actually caught (which is necessary to monitor the health of fish stocks and prevent over-fishing). The EU landing obligation seeks to gradually eliminate discards by requiring all catches of specified types of fish to be landed. It has been implemented in stages, beginning in 2015; by 1 January 2019 it will apply to all fish stocks for which the EU sets a Total Allowable Catch. Scope of the inquiry The Committee are inviting individuals and organisations to share their experience of the impact that the EU landing obligation has had to date, and their views on what impact full implementation might…

The sudden closure of this fishery is unfortunate but was essential in the circumstances. The Authority regrets the impact on law abiding fishers, and  I would therefore like to make sure the decision which the Authority faced is understood. Under environmental law, this Authority is required to conduct an HRA (Habitats Regulations Assessment) approved by Natural England before opening any fishery within a European Marine Site. The HRA must show that features of protected sites will not be damaged by fishing. In particular in Morecambe Bay are the tens of thousands of over-wintering wading birds for which cockle is a substantial food resource during the winter months. Morecambe Bay is an important MPA (Marine Protected Area) and if a fishery fails to comply with an HRA the regulator (NWIFCA) is exposed to potential legal challenge for failing to protect the site. The north Morecambe Bay cockle fishery, open since 8th October was reviewed by the Technical, Science and Bylaw Committee of this Authority on Tuesday 6 November. Survey in September had showed the stock was small  but just above the usual threshold for commercial fishing. A large proportion were juvenile and under the minimum landing size. It was considered important…

Staff Serving During WW1 Following the outbreak of World War One many officers of Lancashire & Western Sea Fisheries Joint Committee answered the call to serve King and Empire. A record of those who served is still held within the reports of the committee’s meetings. To mark the centenary of the end of the war and to honour their service their names are published below: Royal Naval Reserve E.H. Nicholson T.B. Richardson R. Anderson S. Porter C.E. Wilson R. Westhead S. Croft F.A. Jones W. Dewhurst C. Schofield J. Leadbetter G. Hanley E. Gregg British Army C. Porter – Inniskilling Dragoons. H. Baines – R.A.M.C. W. Riddle – 8th Liverpool Irish. T. Hampson – R.A.M.C. Sadly, it was recorded in the report of 21st March 1917 that T. Hampson formerly a Scientific Assistant at Liverpool University had died following discharge from the Army. Main Patrol Vessel’s Service During WW1 It was not only the staff of the committee that served in World War One. The main patrol vessel the “James Fletcher” was offered and accepted for service with the Royal Navy. The following excerpt from a report written by retired IFCO Steve Brown details the vessels service during the war….

On 6th November TSB approved the closure of the cockle fisheries at Flookburgh / Leven Sands. Members were very concerned about the failure to adhere to the craam only regulation and the consequent concern that the Authority may be in breach of the Habitats Regulations Assessment for this fishery. A lot more cockle may have been fished than was expected and juvenile cockle and spat may have been reduced by use of rakes. A failure to comply with the HRA leaves the Authority open to challenge that the Morecambe Bay European Marine Site is not being properly managed. Therefore, TSB members resolved to close the cockle bed with immediate effect. Surveys to assess remaining stock will be carried out. Should sufficient stock remain a revised Habitats Regulations Assessment will be required before any fishing could recommence. Any questions about the fishery should be sent by post or email.  

Dog mess should never be left on beaches to be washed away by the tide. It contains high levels of bacteria that can affect water quality and pose a risk to public health. Some people believe that leaving dog poo on the beach is OK because the tide washes it away, however this natural disposal technique isn’t the best thing for our beaches and seas. Bacteria present in dog poo is potentially harmful to beach users and can affect water quality. Dog poo contains high levels of bacteria. Just one gram of dog poo diluted in one million litres of sea water (that’s enough to fill six double decker buses or two and half standard swimming pools) could pose a health risk to bathers Less than half a teaspoon of dog mess contains enough bacteria to potentially affect the classification of a bathing water Dog mess contains high levels of the two types of bacteria that are measured when testing bathing water quality and can determine whether the classification of a bathing water is Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poo Millions of people head to the UK’s beaches to relax, paddle and swim every year and we want water quality to…

Sea Bass Fisheries Conservation UK (SBFC UK) are looking for fishers, both recreational and recreational, across the UK (excluding Scotland) to complete their survey. SBFC UK is a project tasked with describing sea bass fisheries on a regional level to help improve future sea bass conservation and management. This survey allows SBFC UK to complete that description by gathering information directly from you, they will collate this evidence to create an accurate picture of regional sea bass fisheries in the UK. They also want to underline where data gaps are to help prioritise our science to best suit the needs of fishers in each region. They hope to address these data gaps through fisher-led data collection and collaborations, please email SBFC at [email protected] for more details. Click here to complete the questionnaire.    

To download a copy of the poster click the link below: Chinese mitten crab poster

Defra are seeking your views on the introduction of Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems for all licensed British fishing boats under 12 metres in length operating in English waters. This consultation seeks to gain public views on the proposal to introduce Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (I-VMS) for all licensed British fishing boats under 12 metres in length operating in English waters (with English boats also covered outside of English waters). Defra proposes to make this a legislative requirement by means of a statutory instrument. For more information and to complete the online survey visit the Defra website. If you have any queries regarding the consultation contact Defra via the contact details below. Telephone: 0208 2256658 Email: [email protected]

Authorisation Now Revoked Leven and Flookburgh will open to Byelaw 3 Permit holders as a craam only cockle fishery on 8/10/18. The full authorisation can be seen below or downloaded here: Leven and Flookburgh Craam Cockle Fishery 2018 Please note: Officers are considering the logistics of opening the Pilling fishery and it will be referred back to the Technical, Science and Byelaws Subcommittee for a decision Issue Date: 8th October 2018 Expiry Date: REVOKED effective 7/11/18 Update to Authorisation 11th October 2018 The authorisation has been changed to to prohibit the carriage, possession and use of any rake. See condition e for full details. Update to Authorisation 25th October 2018 The authorisation has been changed to specify monthly returns. All Current Byelaw 3 Permit Holders All current Byelaw 3 permit holders are hereby authorised to remove size cockle from Flookburgh and Leven cockle beds in accordance with this authorisation and are responsible for complying with the conditions given below at Paragraphs 1 and 2 1. Conditions of Authorisation to Remove Cockle This authorisation is issued subject to the following conditions. a) The authorisation is valid only for current Byelaw 3 permit holders. b) Removal of size cockle is permitted only during…

New Bass measures for recreational fishers are to come into force on 1st October. The new measures are as follows: One specimen of European seabass (over 42cm) may be retained per fisher per day between 1st October to 31st December (inclusive). Further information can be found on the MMO’s website and the Eur-Lex website

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs have tasked all the IFCAs with assessing hand-gathering and bait collection activities within all European Marine Sites, which provide protection for important habitats and bird species, by the end of December 2018. NWIFCA has its own data on activities but in order to improve the quality of the assessments we are asking for help from anglers and fishers. This will help to ensure that any risks from these activities to conservation features within the sites are identified correctly and that if management is required it is appropriate to the level of risk. NWIFCA have created a questionnaire for anglers throughout the district who collect bait. Your responses will help us get a better understanding of the areas and species that are popular for bait collection and the amounts that are collected. If you collect bait we encourage you to complete the questionnaire and return it to us. Only anonymised aggregate data will be published. Click here to complete the questionnaire online

NWIFCA officers assisted by Lancashire Police encountered two persons illegally fishing for cockles at Pilling Sands in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The investigation is currently ongoing and the authority cannot comment further at this time.