Whelk Permit Applications to Reopen from March – April 2026.

At the Authority’s Technical Science and Byelaw Sub-Committee (TSB) meeting on the 10^th February 2026, members agreed to reopen the application process for whelk permits within the district for a two-month period between March and April 2026.

The decision follows a review of the whelk flexible permit conditions under Byelaw 4 (Potting Permit Byelaw), which assessed fishing effort, landings data, landings per unit effort, stakeholder feedback and the policy direction set by the national Whelk Fisheries Management Plan. Recommendations 1-4 were accepted and Recommendation 5 was accepted subject to a minor amendment.

The full report can be found here – Agenda-Item-7-Review-of-Byelaw-4-Whelk-Flexible-Permit-Conditions-Report.pdf

The review concluded that while the fishery remains productive, effort controls are still necessary to safeguard stock sustainability. Therefore, members agreed to reopen applications on a limited and controlled basis.

Up to 2,500 pots in total will be made available to new entrants, with an initial target allocation of 500 pots for up to five vessels. If more than five applications are received, members will consider sharing the available pots between a greater number of vessels and / or introducing additional eligibility criteria to assist with permit allocation.

Existing vessels with a qualifying track record will retain their 1,000-pot entitlement and vessels with 400 pot entitlement may increase to 500 pots if new permits are issued at that number. However, if demand results in lower allocations (e.g. 300 pots per vessel) the existing permits will not be reduced below 400 pots.

Applications for whelk permits will be open from 1^st March to 30^th April 2026. Applications will be available on the website during this two-month period