North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority 22 Byelaw 1 – MCRS Byelaw 2023 saw the laying and making of our new byelaw setting out a minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) for specific species routinely caught and landed within the district; this byelaw is known as ‘Byelaw 1’. The remainder of the previous year focussed on issuing comms and guidance to stakeholders on this, and in 2024/25 we will move to full implementation of the byelaw, conducting compliance assurance checks on relevant commercial and recreational fishers to ensure species below their designated MCRS are not being landed, undertaking proportionate enforcement action where necessary. Lead Officer: Head of Enforcement Byelaw 3 – Cockles and Mussels Permit Byelaw The byelaw establishing our permit regime for hand-gathering of cockles and mussels within the district is known as ‘Byelaw 3’. This byelaw entitles 150 fishers to hand gather cockles and mussels on relevant open beds throughout the district. It also creates a waiting list for individuals who wish to acquire a permit. Over previous years, this waiting list has grown as more and more individuals have asked to be placed on it. This means that individuals further down on the waiting list face the prospect of having to wait several years, or even decades, before they might receive a Byelaw 3 permit. Last year, we decided to review this waiting list and condense it where possible. As such, we wrote out to all individuals on the waiting list, asking them to positively confirm that they wished to remain on it. In early 2024/25, we will review responses from this exercise and remove any individuals who confirmed they no longer wished to remain on the list, or who did not respond to us. We will then readvertise waiting list positions to the remaining individuals and communicate the results of this refresh exercise to our members. Lead Officer: CEO Byelaw 4 – Potting Permit Byelaw In 2023/24, our Science Team conducted work to look at the size of maturity of whelks throughout the district. This work was undertaken to inform the ultimate MCRS for whelks as prescribed in Byelaw 4 and involved working with permit holders to collect samples for analysis. Further samples and analysis are needed in 2024/25 to determine the final MCRS that will be set under Byelaw 4; the default position is the MCRS will increase to 75mm in June this year and we need to collect evidence to support any MCRS that might be considered. Lead Officer: Head of Science
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