Wash Mussel Fisheries 2025

The Wash harvestable and re-laying fisheries are open as of 1000hrs on 20 May 2025.

The fisheries are managed under the Wash Cockle and Mussel Byelaw 2025. You must fish in accordance with the provisions of the byelaw, hold a permit and operate in accordance with any permit conditions.

The Wash contains Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS).  Biosecurity measures are included in permit conditions for both the harvestable and re-laying mussel fisheries. In addition, the Authority has issued the following Advice Notice about INNS in The Wash. Anyone catching, selling or buying mussel from The Wash should read this advice note.

Management measures

The 2024 mussel stock assessment identified that the stocks were sufficient to enable a harvestable mussel fishery (a fishery which targets adult mussels) for the first time since 2007.  Management measures for the fishery have been developed in accordance with the mussel fishery management policies and in consultation with fishery stakeholders and Natural England.  The measures are intended to ensure that the fishery is sustainable and operates within environmental parameters.

Management may be reviewed and revised during the season and permit holders will be notified if this is the case.

Harvestable Mussel Fishery Management Measures

  • The Total allowable catch for the dredge fishery is 1,000 tonnes.
  • The Total Allowable Catch for the hand-work fishery is 100 tonnes.
  • The fishery is restricted to certain open beds only (coordinates within permit conditions below).
  • The mussel bed referred to as ‘Main End’ is open to Hand-working only. All other open beds are open to both dredging and hand-working.
  • Mussels cannot be re-laid, or sold for the purpose of re-laying, outside of the Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation without authorization from the Authority.
  • Fishers must notify the Authority of their intention to fish in advance of each trip.
  • The daily catch restriction is 4 tonnes per day.
  • The minimum size for mussels in The Wash is 45mm.
  • All mussel catch must be sorted and any undersize mussels must be returned to the sea as close to where the catch was taken from as is possible.

Management measures are brought into effect through a combination of Permit conditions and the rules set out in Schedule 2 of the Wash cockle and Mussel byelaw. These are available from the links below:

Re-laying Mussel Fishery Management Measures

As a consequence of the low uptake of the harvestable mussel fishery, no additional restrictions are put in place regarding the open areas of the fishery. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is less than can theoretically be taken on the basis that fishery stakeholders had a preference to ensure sufficient stock remained to increase the likelihood of further harvestable fisheries.

  • The Total allowable catch for the dredge re-laying fishery is 1,000 tonnes.
  • The Total Allowable Catch for the hand-work re-laying fishery is 100 tonnes.
  • The fishery is restricted to certain open beds only (coordinates within permit conditions below).
  • The mussel bed referred to as ‘Main End’ is open to Hand-working only. All other open beds are open to both dredging and hand-working.
  • Mussels cannot be re-laid, or sold for the purpose of re-laying, outside of the Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation without authorization from the Authority.
  • Fishers must notify the Authority of their intention to fish in advance of each trip.
  • The daily catch restriction is 8 tonnes per day.

Management measures are brought into effect through a combination of Permit conditions and the rules set out in Schedule 2 of the Wash cockle and Mussel byelaw. These are available from the links below:

Relevant information

2024 mussel stock assessment

Mussel fishery consultation outcome document

2025 Wash mussel fishery Habitat Regulation Assessment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

design sprint agency