What fisheries measures have Eastern IFCA introduced in marine protected areas?
What fisheries measures have Eastern IFCA introduced in marine protected areas?
Eastern IFCA uses byelaws and The Wash Fishery Order (1992) to manage fisheries within the district. Some of our byelaws have protective effects within MPAs, for example; byelaw 3 (molluscan shellfish methods of fishing) prohibits the use of dredges without EIFCA’s consent.
Each year before the annual cockle and mussel fisheries are opened, management measures are put in place through the Wash Fishery Order (1992) to ensure that fishing activities do not damage The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC.
Eastern IFCA also introduced the Protected Areas Byelaw in May 2014. This byelaw enables Eastern IFCA to prohibit or restrict fishing activities within MPAs to protect sensitive habitats and species. There are currently prohibitions in place on bottom-towed-gear (for example beam trawls) in areas where biogenic reef occurs in The Wash. These prohibitions are put in place through a Regulatory Notice which details the area of the prohibition/restriction and the fishing activity it relates to.
The table below lists the Regulatory Notices currently in place and what they protect.
|
Regulatory Notice (click to see full Regulatory Notice including a chart of the relevant area) |
Area / MPA |
Protective effect |
|
The Wash – Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC |
Prohibits bottom towed gear use in nine areas of established Sabellaria reef in The Wash |
|
|
The Wash – Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC |
Prohibits bottom towed gear use in an area of subtidal stony reef |
|
|
North Norfolk Coast – Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC |
Prohibits bottom towed gear use in five areas of eelgrass on the North Norfolk Coast |
|
| Regulatory Notice 4 |
South bank of the Humber (Lincolnshire) – Humber Estuary SAC |
Prohibits bottom towed gear, hand gathering (including bait digging) and crab tiling in an area of intertidal eelgrass. |