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 at Ainsdale Discovery Centre, Southport, (PR8 2QB) from 9:30 am to 2pm.
- The 22nd February at 1 Preston Street, Carnforth (LA5 9BY) from 9:30am to 8pm.
To attend, please register for the event and book a time slot to speak with an officer by calling the office on 01524 727 970 or emailing [email protected]
Time slots can be booked for individuals, or groups of up to five people if you would like to make your representation along with others.
At the meeting, we will aim to answer any questions you have, get your thoughts on the proposal and ask you to fill in the questionnaire.
We ask that all stakeholders wanting to attend an in-person event register by the 16th February.
Option 2: Arrange a call
If you cannot make one of the in-person events, you can arrange for a call with a member of the team by emailing the [email protected] or calling 01524 727 970
All stakeholders who call us directly will be asked to answer the questionnaire when speaking with officers.
We ask that all interested members of industry register for the event by the 16th February.
Option 3: Haven’t got time for any of the above? Fill out the questionnaire online.
We recommend you attend an in-person event or speak with a member of the team as it will allow us to better understand your point of view, and for you to raise any considerations you think are important that might not be captured by the questionnaire alone.
However, we recognise not everyone has the time or access. If you can’t make any of the event times but still want to have your say, you can either fill out the questionnaire here:
https://forms.office.com/e/MRiCeEUZtc
Or request a paper copy by calling the office on 01524 727 970
Please note – If you want to contribute by completing the questionnaire only, please return your responses to the Authority by the 23rd February.
Use of data
Why have you asked for my name or permit number in the questionnaire if it is anonymous?
All answers to the questionnaire and issues raised with officers will be confidential. The results of the questionnaire will be presented anonymously to the Authority and as a general summary of the results.
For the consultation to be fair to all stakeholders, we want to reduce the risk of any individual submitting multiple questionnaire responses. Your permit number and name are only taken to ensure you contribute only once to the consultation.