Kent & Essex IFCA

Consultation on the long term management of whelk stocks in the KEIFCA District. 

A consultation document has been issued seeking your views on whether or not further regulations, or voluntary control measures, should be introduced to ensure the sustainable exploitation of whelk stocks (Buccinum undatam) in Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority district.  No decision has yet been made and we would strongly encourage you to contact us with your views on this subject and answer the questions that are asked at in the consultation document. 

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 NOTIFICATION OF WHELK POT LIMITATION EMERGENCY BYELAW

Notification is given that a Whelk Pot Limitation Emergency Byelaw, made by the Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, comes into force on the 28^th November 2011. The byelaw will remain in force for 12 months but will be kept under review and could, with the Secretary of State’s approval, be extended for a further 6 months.

This Emergency byelaw is made under the provisions of Sections 155 and 157 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The purpose of the emergency byelaw is to implement a whelk pot permit scheme and pot limitation which it is intended will ensure against over exploitation of whelk stocks within the district.  It is also intended that these measures will provide time to assess future fishery management options which will feed in to consideration of a full byelaw being made. The data collected under the requirements of the permit will also inform future decision making.

Persons intending to operate whelk pots within the Authority’s district after that date will need to obtain a permit. A condition of the permit is that no person shall set more than 300 whelk pots within the district and that each pot shall be marked with a tag which will be provided with the permit. No more than one permit allocation of 300 pots shall be set from each fishing vessel.

Please see the wording of the byelaw for full details.

Permit application forms are obtainable from the Authority’s Head Office at Paragon House, Albert Street, Ramsgate, Kent, CT11 9HD; telephone 01843 585310 or can be printed from our website.  Completed application forms, including detail of how many tags are required – to a maximum of 300, should be returned to the Authorities Head Office with the payment specified in the byelaw and a copy of the Fishing Vessel registration document and Fishing Licence.

Joss Wiggins

Chief IFC Officer

Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority

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Kent & Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority

The district of Kent & Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (K&EIFCA) contains some of the most attractive, productive and intensively used coastal waters in the UK; from the small picturesque harbours of Whitstable, Leigh and West Mersea to the major industrial ports of Harwich, London and Dover.  This marine environment includes unique features such as the Essex mud flats and marshes, offshore sandbanks, the Kent chalk cliffs and cobble beaches all of which contain a fascinating array of habitats and species.  K&EIFCA has been created to sustainably manage local inshore fisheries resources and protect this diverse marine environment.

The creation of K&EIFCA provides an opportunity for local people to engage in the management of fisheries resources and the marine environment within our district, and we hope that our new organisation will help lead the way in creating and implementing locally and nationally recognised successful marine management.  K&EIFCA faces many challenges in the next four years, including the integration of five new areas into the K&EIFCA district, the introduction of new Marine Conservation Zones, and the review of inherited byelaws.  Our annual plan aims to provide stakeholders with an overview of some of the key actions that K&EIFCA intends to carry out in the forthcoming financial year and lays out how the organisation will operate. 

Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, K&EIFCA is required to develop systems that will balance the needs of the various users and sectors that work and fish in the district.  K&EIFCA will also need to reconcile the needs of the present with the requirement to leave a sustainable marine legacy for the future.  Unfortunately these challenges are made even more difficult given the current financial climate, however we hope that with the help of our partners and stakeholders we can start to deliver and move forward on some of these key areas. 

JOSS WIGGINS

Chief IFC Officer

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