Byelaw 3 Permit Renewals If you hold a Byelaw 3 permit for 1st September 2021 to 31st August 2022 and have yet to renew, you must submit your renewal form by 31st December 2022. All renewals received during the office services closure  period (22nd December to 3rd January inclusive) will be classed as received before the deadline. Payment must be received as soon as possible once office services reopen on 3rd January. Failure to submit your renewal by the deadline will result in the loss of entitlement to a Byelaw 3 permit and you will be required to join the waiting list if you wish to take up a permit again. Byelaw 3 Renewal Form and Guidance Notes 2022/23 (Word Document) Completed forms can be sent to [email protected] or by post to: NWIFCA, 1 Preston Street, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA5 9BY

Chief Executive Officer North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority  Location: Carnforth, Lancashire  Salary: £55,077 to £74,310 (starting point according to experience, increase subject to annual assessments).   Pension: Local Government scheme (defined benefits and employer contributions).  Relocation Expenses: Up to £10,000 subject to negotiation within the terms of our relocation policy.  Hours: Full time (applicants should be aware that this post routinely requires travel within the District and the UK to attend meetings and thus involves regularly working in the early morning, evening, weekends and overnight).   Contract Type: Permanent  BPSS Check: This will be carried out prior to appointment  We are looking for an experienced, skilled and highly motivated leader for our 21 dedicated staff to be based at our head office in Carnforth, Lancashire.  North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) is one of the largest of the ten IFCAs in England.  NWIFCA is a statutory authority, established in 2010 under the Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009.  We are responsible for regulating and managing inshore sea fisheries and striking the balance between sustaining the marine environment and protecting the social and economic interests of our fishing communities.  The NWIFCA District spans 8 local authority boundaries from Wirral,…

The Bass Regulations for recreational fishers returns to catch and release only in December 2022. The regulations for 2023 will be published when available.

The Policy Lab have recently launched an online ‘co-refine’ survey for everyone with an interest and stake in bass fishing in England and Wales – this is Policy Lab’s last engagement activity before handing the work to Defra. Please follow THIS link to access the survey. We would kindly ask you to circulate the survey to your contacts and also consider completing it yourself.   The survey builds on the findings from the ‘co-design’ workshops and survey, which took place in autumn and engaged around 550 stakeholders. They agreed on a set of priorities for the new FMP, which are presented within this co-refine survey for stakeholders to comment on. The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete and it will be open until Sunday 4 December 2022, 23:59. Many thanks for your help, Bass FMP: Survey (google.com)

NWIFCA Byelaw 3 Penfold Cockle Fishery Permitted Fishing Days and Tides Month Date Day Low Water Information AM Tide PM Tide Time Time December 1st Thu 11:35 Closed PM 2nd Fri Closed AM 12:48 3rd Sat Closed on Weekends 4th Sun 5th Mon Closed AM 14:45 6th Tue Closed AM 16:30 7th Wed Closed AM 17:10 8th Thu Closed AM 17:48 9th Fri Closed AM 18:24 10th Sat Closed on Weekends 11th Sun 12th Mon 7:29 Closed PM 13th Tue 8:03 Closed PM 14th Wed 8:43 Closed PM 15th Thu 9:23 Closed PM 16th Fri 10:24 Closed PM 17th Sat Closed on Weekends 18th Sun 19th Mon Closed due to prolonged cold weather 20th Tue Closed due to prolonged cold weather 21st Wed Closed due to prolonged cold weather 22nd Thu Closed AM 16:42 23rd Fri Closed AM 17:34 24th Sat Closed on Weekends 25th Sun 26th Mon 7:32 Closed PM 27th Tue 8:21 Closed PM 28th Wed 9:10 Closed PM 29th Thu 10:03 Closed PM 30th Fri 11:01 Closed PM 31st Sat Closed on Weekends Download the flexible permit conditions containing the dates below: Flexible Permit Conditions – Penfold Cockle Fishery (December Dates)

NWIFCA have evidence of significant levels of litter (cockle bags, food waste wrappers etc.)  in the vicinity of the fishery. In addition, vehicle activity is encroaching on nearby marsh. The fishery takes place within the Ribble and Alt Estuaries SPA, Sefton Coast SAC, Ribble Estuary SSSI and Ramsar site. The fishery is permitted in these protected areas based on the levels of activity stated in the Habitats Regulation Assessment. Damage such as littering and disturbance to the marsh land and protected features of the area must be kept to a minimum. Should these levels exceed those set out in the HRA, the fishery will be immediately suspended as stated in paragraph six of the flexible permit conditions. All permit holders should refer to NWIFCAs Code of Conduct for Intertidal Shellfisheries for best practice.

Penfold cockle fishery is open from Wednesday 26th October Please see attached revised permit conditions for the fishery. Penfold Cockle Fishery Byelaw 3 Flexible Permit Conditions 2022 (pdf)

NWIFCA has now received the classification for Penfold Cockle Fishery and this will now open on Wednesday afternoon. Flexible permit conditions will be posted on this website tomorrow.

“NWIFCA have not received notification of the classification of the Penfold cockle therefore the fishery cannot open today 24th or 25th October. The fishery will open as soon as the results are received. An update will be provided as soon as NWIFCA have more information”

View Letter to Gatherers (pdf) Food Safety Act 1990, as amended Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III, Section VII Retained (EU) No 2019/627, Articles 53, 54 &55 Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013   SHELLFISH HARVESTING, PENFOLD SOUTH, RIBBLE ESTUARY – B 046 M There are currently a number of enforcement agencies including Mersey Port Health Authority, West Lancashire Borough Council, North Western-Inshore and Fisheries Conservation Authority (NW-IFCA) and the Gangmaster’s Licensing Abuse Authority (GLAA) involved in monitoring activities at the shellfish bed on the coastline. These agencies have entered into a multi-agency enforcement initiative, with the purpose of providing a well managed and co-ordinated fishery that is operated lawfully and safely. A sampling programme is in progress (in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 853/2004) to determine whether the shellfish bed will achieve a commercial classification. At present the classification process for the cockles is not finalised, therefore the cockle beds are not currently classified. It is anticipated that the classified shellfish bed may open on 24 October 2022, i.e., if classification is awarded. Any shellfish that are gathered prior to the opening will fail to achieve the food safety requirements;…

NWIFCA have once again been awarded a silver award by the Ministry of Defence Recognition Scheme for continued support to Defence and the armed forces community. The scheme was launched to reward employers who support defence personnel objectives, including employing serving and former members of the armed forces community and demonstrating flexibility towards training and mobilisation commitments for reservists and cadet volunteers. The awards ceremony took place at the Marine Hall in Fleetwood on the 6th October. The award was presented to Mr Phil Capper, Chair of the Authority and Mr Joe Moulton Acting CEO by Lord Shuttleworth the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.

Newcastle University is conducting a study to gather stakeholder opinions on the Highly Protected Marine Area that has been proposed for Allonby Bay. HPMAs by their design prohibit all extractive, depositional and damaging activities – this will include commercial and recreational fishing. Over the summer, DEFRA led a public consultation, which included a 2-day stakeholder workshop in Maryport in early September. The online consultation is now closed, however, details about HPMAs and the proposal for Allonby Bay are still available on the DEFRA website Consultation on Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) – Defra – Citizen Space. This study is to follow up in more detail, stakeholder views that were raised at the DEFRA public stakeholder meeting. Newcastle University researchers will be based in the Harbourside Café, South Quay, Maryport CA158AB on Thursday 20th October and Friday 21st October (11-5pm on both days). They would like anyone who is likely to be affected by the proposed HPMA at Allonby Bay to come and talk to them. They will document your views and integrate them into a report, which will be submitted to DEFRA in November 2022 to further inform the selection process for HPMAs. If you cannot attend this drop in…