The Food Standards Agency has re-classified Pilling to a seasonal class B. For more information see the letter issued by the Food Standards Agency below. Interim Update Food Standards Agency

Since their inception in 2011, the IFCAs have led the development of effective management for inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in England. To date IFCAs have introduced 23 new byelaws for the management of fishing activities in inshore MPAs, including the permanent closure of 3,980km2 of sea area to potentially damaging fishing activities. As the IFCAs support the UK Government’s commitments to deliver a well-managed network of MPAs to help achieve the “Blue Belt” around the coast of Great Britain, they have delivered exceptional value for money by managing stakeholder led decisions to support local communities. To recognise the success and achievements by IFCAs in delivering a well-managed network of inshore MPAs in England, the Association of IFCAs is launching a report entitled Management of Inshore Marine Protected Areas by the IFCAs – 2011 to 2018. This report, together with an interactive webpage, is available  on the Association of IFCAs website (www.association-ifca.org.uk). This work has been carried out in close collaboration with Defra and the Defra group. Click here to view the MPA section on the AIFCA website Click here to view the interactive map on the AIFCA website Thérèse Coffey, Parliament Under Secretary of State for the Environment stated:…

How should all the marine activities in your local coastal and marine areas be managed?  

United Kingdom and French scientists are tagging sea bass with internal electronic tags. To indicate the fish is tagged it may have a blue tattoo, a spaghetti tag or other visible external tags. If you find a tagged sea bass or an electronic tag note the date and the location of the catch and keep the whole fish with its tags. Then contact Cefas on the details below: Email: [email protected] Phone: +44 1502 524 526

Update 17/01/19 (2) The authorisation’s for the Flookburgh, Leven and Newbiggin Craam only fisheries are available below: Flookburgh and Leven Sands Craam Only Fishery Authorisation Newbiggin Craam Only Fishery Authorisation Details on the partial lifting of the 13a closure at Pilling is available below: Pilling Partial Lifting of 13a Closure Update 17/01/19 All shellfish removed for human consumption from Pilling Sands East must be accompanied by a shellfish registration document. Shellfish registration documents can be obtained from Wyre Council food safety section. Visit http://www.wyre.gov.uk/info/200408/food_safety/1022/shellfish_harvesting to obtain information regarding the legal requirements surrounding the harvesting of shellfish for human consumption and links to obtain Registration Documents. Update 16/01/19 The opening of Leven, Flookburgh, Newbiggin and Pilling has been approved. The fisheries will open at 12:00 (midday) on 21/01/19. Authorisations for the fisheries will be published soon. Posted 08/01/19 Officers are working to open the following beds on 21st January 2019: Leven, Flookburgh and Newbiggin as craam only fisheries. The east section of Pilling by lifting the Byelaw 13a closure. The opening of the beds is subject to Technical, Science and Byelaws Sub-Committee approval and the approval of the HRA by Natural England. This post and the Cockle fisheries page will be updated with further…

All shellfish removed for human consumption from Pilling Sands East must be accompanied by a shellfish registration document. Shellfish registration documents can be obtained from Wyre Council food safety section. Visit http://www.wyre.gov.uk/info/200408/food_safety/1022/shellfish_harvesting to obtain information regarding the legal requirements surrounding the harvesting of shellfish for human consumption and links to obtain Registration Documents.

The House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee launches an inquiry into the implementation of the EU landing obligation. Background Discarding is the practice of throwing unwanted fish back into the sea. An average 1.7 million tonnes of fish and other marine life used to be discarded in the EU each year, because it was unmarketable, unprofitable, exceeded the amount of fish allowed to be caught or was otherwise unwanted. Not only is this a waste of finite resource, as many fish do not survive discarding, it also makes it difficult to accurately measure how many fish are actually caught (which is necessary to monitor the health of fish stocks and prevent over-fishing). The EU landing obligation seeks to gradually eliminate discards by requiring all catches of specified types of fish to be landed. It has been implemented in stages, beginning in 2015; by 1 January 2019 it will apply to all fish stocks for which the EU sets a Total Allowable Catch. Scope of the inquiry The Committee are inviting individuals and organisations to share their experience of the impact that the EU landing obligation has had to date, and their views on what impact full implementation might…

The sudden closure of this fishery is unfortunate but was essential in the circumstances. The Authority regrets the impact on law abiding fishers, and  I would therefore like to make sure the decision which the Authority faced is understood. Under environmental law, this Authority is required to conduct an HRA (Habitats Regulations Assessment) approved by Natural England before opening any fishery within a European Marine Site. The HRA must show that features of protected sites will not be damaged by fishing. In particular in Morecambe Bay are the tens of thousands of over-wintering wading birds for which cockle is a substantial food resource during the winter months. Morecambe Bay is an important MPA (Marine Protected Area) and if a fishery fails to comply with an HRA the regulator (NWIFCA) is exposed to potential legal challenge for failing to protect the site. The north Morecambe Bay cockle fishery, open since 8th October was reviewed by the Technical, Science and Bylaw Committee of this Authority on Tuesday 6 November. Survey in September had showed the stock was small  but just above the usual threshold for commercial fishing. A large proportion were juvenile and under the minimum landing size. It was considered important…

Staff Serving During WW1 Following the outbreak of World War One many officers of Lancashire & Western Sea Fisheries Joint Committee answered the call to serve King and Empire. A record of those who served is still held within the reports of the committee’s meetings. To mark the centenary of the end of the war and to honour their service their names are published below: Royal Naval Reserve E.H. Nicholson T.B. Richardson R. Anderson S. Porter C.E. Wilson R. Westhead S. Croft F.A. Jones W. Dewhurst C. Schofield J. Leadbetter G. Hanley E. Gregg British Army C. Porter – Inniskilling Dragoons. H. Baines – R.A.M.C. W. Riddle – 8th Liverpool Irish. T. Hampson – R.A.M.C. Sadly, it was recorded in the report of 21st March 1917 that T. Hampson formerly a Scientific Assistant at Liverpool University had died following discharge from the Army. Main Patrol Vessel’s Service During WW1 It was not only the staff of the committee that served in World War One. The main patrol vessel the “James Fletcher” was offered and accepted for service with the Royal Navy. The following excerpt from a report written by retired IFCO Steve Brown details the vessels service during the war….

On 6th November TSB approved the closure of the cockle fisheries at Flookburgh / Leven Sands. Members were very concerned about the failure to adhere to the craam only regulation and the consequent concern that the Authority may be in breach of the Habitats Regulations Assessment for this fishery. A lot more cockle may have been fished than was expected and juvenile cockle and spat may have been reduced by use of rakes. A failure to comply with the HRA leaves the Authority open to challenge that the Morecambe Bay European Marine Site is not being properly managed. Therefore, TSB members resolved to close the cockle bed with immediate effect. Surveys to assess remaining stock will be carried out. Should sufficient stock remain a revised Habitats Regulations Assessment will be required before any fishing could recommence. Any questions about the fishery should be sent by post or email.  

Dog mess should never be left on beaches to be washed away by the tide. It contains high levels of bacteria that can affect water quality and pose a risk to public health. Some people believe that leaving dog poo on the beach is OK because the tide washes it away, however this natural disposal technique isn’t the best thing for our beaches and seas. Bacteria present in dog poo is potentially harmful to beach users and can affect water quality. Dog poo contains high levels of bacteria. Just one gram of dog poo diluted in one million litres of sea water (that’s enough to fill six double decker buses or two and half standard swimming pools) could pose a health risk to bathers Less than half a teaspoon of dog mess contains enough bacteria to potentially affect the classification of a bathing water Dog mess contains high levels of the two types of bacteria that are measured when testing bathing water quality and can determine whether the classification of a bathing water is Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poo Millions of people head to the UK’s beaches to relax, paddle and swim every year and we want water quality to…

Sea Bass Fisheries Conservation UK (SBFC UK) are looking for fishers, both recreational and recreational, across the UK (excluding Scotland) to complete their survey. SBFC UK is a project tasked with describing sea bass fisheries on a regional level to help improve future sea bass conservation and management. This survey allows SBFC UK to complete that description by gathering information directly from you, they will collate this evidence to create an accurate picture of regional sea bass fisheries in the UK. They also want to underline where data gaps are to help prioritise our science to best suit the needs of fishers in each region. They hope to address these data gaps through fisher-led data collection and collaborations, please email SBFC at [email protected] for more details. Click here to complete the questionnaire.