NORTH WESTERN AND NORTH WALES SEA FISHERIES COMMITTEE
OFFICER’S REPORT
FISHERY ORDERS: PROGRESS REPORT
Report by the Chief Executive
A. Purpose of Report
To report progress with setting up a new Morecambe Bay Fishery Order and renewal of Orders in Conwy Bay and Menai Strait West
B. Recommendation
1. That Members note the current position and plans for the next stages.
1. Fishery Order Development Officer appointed
1.1 Bob Houghton commenced employment with the Committee in June 2006 and is settling in well. He has acquired a basic understanding of Fishery Orders and the procedure for their establishment.
1.2 Bob has also visited sites in Morecambe Bay, Conwy and the Menai Strait and met a number of representatives from the fishing industry. He assisted the Senior Scientist with survey work required for cockle and mussel management decisions and participated in communications with Morecambe Bay fishing associations regarding the future of the cockle fishery.
2. Proposed Morecambe Bay hybrid Fishery Order
2.1 Earlier work on a Fishery Order for Morecambe Bay by the Committee has been reviewed and useful material extracted. This includes lists of contacts, an early draft of a management plan and an early draft of an appropriate assessment.
2.2 At this stage our thinking is that the Morecambe Bay Order should be a Hybrid Order consisting of a Regulating Order for the existing public cockle and mussel fisheries with areas set aside as Several Orders where mussel cultivation could be encouraged. Initial priority work towards the preparation of this Order will include:
a) Preparation of contact lists such as landowners, environmental interests and other stakeholders.
b) Consultations on the degree of support for Fishery Orders and views on how they should be operated
c) Preparation of maps of Morecambe Bay to show the proposed area of the Fishery Order, areas that could be defined as Several Orders within the Regulating Order and areas where there are environmental interests which the Order would have to take into account. English Nature has indicated a willingness to assist with the mapping of environmental interests.
3. Conwy Bay Fishery Order
3.1 The renewal of the Conwy Bay Regulating Order is being progressed by SFO Dr Greta Hughes and SFO Phil Capper. Nine of the existing licence holders have been consulted in detail. They propose that the new Order should be a Hybrid Fishery Order with Several Order areas to the south of the Estuary for mussel cultivation within the wider handgathering Regulating Order. The Industry has also requested that the use of a small dredge be licensed under the RO to access mussels from deeper areas which cannot be reached with hand rakes.
3.2 The next stages in the renewal of the Order will be compilation of lists of landowners, environmental interests and stakeholders and further consultations with these groups. A draft management plan is in preparation and meetings with stakeholder groups will be held to agree the details of the plan.
4. Menai Strait West Several Order
4.1 The renewal of this Order is being progressed by SFO Dr Greta Hughes. The existing leaseholders and CCW have been consulted. The new Order should be broadly similar to the current Order but some expansion of some of the leases in the area of leases 5 and 6 will be sought.
4.2 The next stages in the renewal of the Order will be compilation of lists of landowners, environmental interests and stakeholders and further consultations with these groups. A draft management plan is in preparation and meetings with stakeholder groups will be held to agree the details of the plan.
STEPHEN ATKINS
Chief Executive
22 August 2006