ANNUAL PLAN 2024/25 5 Introduction NWIFCA is the lead statutory regulator under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MaCAA) responsible for the protection of the marine environment and sustainable use of sea fisheries resources within our district. The Authority’s statutory duties are defined in MaCAA, which includes the requirement for us to prepare an annual plan setting out our main objectives and priorities for the year ahead; this is that plan. This Annual Plan sets out NWIFCA’s main performance targets and priorities to deliver in the forthcoming fiscal year. It demonstrates how we will continue to implement and improve our inshore marine management and contribute towards the operational implementation of the UK Government’s marine and fisheries policies. Our Functions NWIFCA is responsible for managing the exploitation of sea fisheries resources within our district. This includes all animals and plants which habitually live in the sea. In delivering this function, the Authority is required to ensure that all exploitation and development taking place within the district is sustainable, and that stakeholders’ socio-economic needs are balanced with the requirement for strong marine environmental protection. The Authority’s principal regulatory functions relate to the enforcement of minimum landing sizes for specific species, fishing gear restrictions, restricted fishing areas, opening and closing of certain shellfisheries, and the management of marine protected areas (MPAs)1. Alongside our enforcement responsibilities, our scientific work continually furthers our collective understanding of our main fisheries and how our inshore marine environment is responding to various pressures. This enables us to implement sound adaptative management processes and flex our approach depending on the environmental circumstances at play. To support the delivery of our management functions, the Authority can make byelaws to address local and regional fisheries and marine environmental management issues. This also extends to the ability to make emergency byelaws to address the most urgent matters. 1 MPAs include the international designations of Special Areas of Conservations (SACs), protecting habitats, and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), protecting birds, known collectively as European Marine Sites (EMSs), along with national designations known as Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
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