North Western IFCA acknowledges the twentieth anniversary of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, when 23 Chinese nationals tragically lost their lives whilst fishing in the Bay. We continue to extend our sympathies to all those affected by the tragedy. Since being established back in 2010, NWIFCA and our partner organisations have worked together closely to improve the conditions for fishers who hand gather cockles and other shellfish in Morecambe Bay and across the wider North West. A permit regime means the cockle fishery is now a legitimate, fully regulated activity and can only be fished by up to 150 permitted individuals. Acquiring a permit to fish for cockles is predicated on a requirement to attend a maritime safety training course. Furthermore, NWIFCA has worked closely with the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), set up in the aftermath of the 2004 disaster, to establish a separate scheme to protect those in the shellfish gathering industry from exploitation. The GLAA has been central in identifying and eliminating gangmastering from the industry here, and in helping improve working practices for fishers. NWIFCA remains ever committed to supporting the sustainable hand gathered cockle fishery here in the North West, and this anniversary serves…

Call to all Byelaw 3 permit holders, buyers and other relevant stakeholders to consult on the NWIFCA District’s cockle open season dates for 2024/25. NWIFCA is holding a consultation to determine the thoughts of Byelaw 3 permit holders, buyers and other relevant members of the industry on changing the District’s cockle fishery open season from the 1st  September- April 31st to the 1st July – 28th February for the 2024/25 season. The consultation offers the opportunity for industry members to provide the Authority with any additional information they believe to be relevant to this matter. Important background information At the Technical, Science and Byelaw meeting of the 15th August 2023, NWIFCA officers were asked to look into bringing forward the District’s cockle open season. Officers have investigated the possible options for doing this. Any change in the open season dates has implications on survey scheduling and HRA considerations. Any change will only apply to the 2024/25 cockle season at this time. How to participate in the consultation  Option 1: Attend an in-person meeting Officers will be holding three in-person meetings on: The 20th February at Regus House, Heron’s Way, Chester Business Park (CH4 9QR) from 9am to 5 pm. The 21st February…

National Cockle Fisheries Management Plan Consultation Event Tim Smith from the Association of IFCAs is holding an in-person event from 1pm to 3 pm at Truckhaven (Carnforth) on Wednesday the 17th of January to present the draft objectives for the National Cockle Fisheries Management Plan. We would like to welcome all interested stakeholders to the event. It is an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the plan’s objectives, and their potential implications during this consultation period. The stakeholders feedback will be reported back to Defra to assist with development of the plan. If you wish to attend, please can you register your interest by contacting NWIFCA at Email: [email protected] Tel: 01524 727 970  Further Information: The Association of IFCAs are Defra’s delivery partner for the English cockle Fisheries Management Plan (FMP), which is due for publication later this year.  The AIFCA have arranged a series of regional meetings at which stakeholders can learn more about how the cockle FMP will affect them and the fishery in their district and to ask any questions (please see background information below for further details on the English cockle FMP). For more information on Defras fisheries management plans please see: Fisheries management plans: policy information…

DEFRA have given the Marine Management Organisation the responsibility of managing the appointment of General Members to the IFCA committees. This is a rolling campaign for the recruitment of IFCA General Members. This means that applicants can apply at anytime during the year for any forthcoming positions. The sifting and interviewing of successful applicants will be held on a quarterly basis. . These are voluntary roles that require candidates who can bring a balanced approach to caring for our sea, assessing priority and importance of all stakeholders and users. It is essential that candidates have good local knowledge for the IFCA district that they are applying for. IFCA committee members will contribute experience and knowledge to provide sustainable management of their IFCA district. For further information on how to apply please visit the Government website linked below. MMO- IFCA rolling recruitment 

Please see the flexible permit conditions below for the open tides at the fishery. Penfold Cockle Fishery Byelaw 3 Flexible Permit Conditions January  Please note any potential cold weather closure sits outside of these dates.

Officers have been closely monitoring the temperatures at Marshside, Southport where the Penfold cockle fishery operates. The recent cold weather did not make the threshold stipulated in the NWIFCA Cold Weather Protocol. 56.75hours below zero were recorded at or below zero since 01:30 on the 28th Nov. This was very close to the 60 hours which would trigger a suspension and is pleasing to see warmer temperatures. The fishery will be open as normal tomorrow 4th December. Officers will continue to monitor the weather throughout the winter in accordance with the protocol in place.

Please see the flexible permit conditions below for the open tides at the fishery. Penfold-Cockle-Fishery-Byelaw-3-Flexible-Permit-Conditions-2023-December.pdf (nw-ifca.gov.uk) Please note any potential cold weather closure sits outside of these dates.

Officers are monitoring the potential for having to suspend fishing at the Penfold cockle fishery. In monitoring the temperatures reached at Marshside and the forecast for the weekend it is likely the threshold of 60 hours at or below 0 degrees Celsius out of 120 consecutive hours may be reached by Sunday morning. Please see the link below. Met Office WOW – Therefore fishing would be suspended for the coming week if this is reached. An update will be provided on Sunday 3rd December.

NWIFCA are aware of the incoming cold weather forecast. We are currently monitoring this as per our cold weather protocol.  This can be found here We will provide further updates as the situation develops.  

The vessel Protector Bravo is still up for sale. NWIFCA have dropped the asking price. Asking price £12,500 Specifications Mono-hull Osprey Viper 7 meter 2.46 meter beam 0.3m draft 6 persons max (including crew) Twin propellers Two Yamaha 100 hp 25 knots tops speed 2.01 tonne maximum load Deck equipment Self-righting frame only Pot hauler Seawinch Simard CE: 32 plotter/sounder inc GPS & colour vision Please send any offers to our office via [email protected]

NWIFCA are hosting three events across the district. The aim is to inform stakeholders of the events happening across the district and discuss any topics that are affecting local fishers. Please see our poster below for dates and venues.  

The Byelaw 3 flexible permit conditions for Penfold Cockle Fishery have been released. To view these conditions please click the link below. Byelaw 3 Flexible Permit 3 Conditions