NEIFCA Surgeries - February

As you may be aware North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) has identified pot limitation as an appropriate management tool to service the increasing effort within the Authority’s district. Since 2006 we have held a series of consultations regarding the sustainable management of our regions crustacea fisheries and during these meetings pot limitation received broad support from industry members.

NEIFCA is looking to open specific discussions about the possible impacts of a pot limitation and has identified two initial scenarios for your consideration and discussion;

1.      Track records from DEFRA returns over the 2009-2012 period could be reviewed to provide a baseline of effort, where operators will be entitled to their maximum monthly pots set over this period, minus 10%.

2.      Track records from DEFRA returns over the 2009-2012 period could be reviewed to provide a baseline of effort, where operators will be entitled to their maximum monthly pots set over this period, up to a maximum of 800 pots.

NEIFCA is hosting a series of ‘surgeries’ to discuss the potential impacts of these pot limitation scenarios on individual commercial fishing operations and  at the request of several industry members we have decided to structure the consultation as ‘one-to-one’ 25 minute meetings. 

Officers have identified four venues where they will provisionally spend one day on location (increasing subject to demand):

Commercial shellfish permit holders and merchants are invited to either pre-book a meeting at a specified time by contacting 01482 393515, or to drop in on the day and wait for a vacant slot.    We expect significant demand for these sessions so cannot guarantee a meeting without pre-booking.  Sessions will begin at 10:00am and close at 6:00pm.