About NIFCA - NIFCA

Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) is one of ten IFCAs in England, established in 2011 under Sections 149 and 150 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. IFCA duties include the management of sea fisheries resources to ensure fishing is carried out in a sustainable way, and to balance the social and economic benefits with the need to protect the marine environment.

All IFCAs share a Vision: ‘to lead, champion and manage a sustainable marine environment and inshore fisheries, by successfully securing the right balance between social, environmental and economic benefits to ensure healthy seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry’.

What we do

The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 Part 6, section 153 (1 & 2) and section 154 (1) details the duties of the IFCAs. We must:

Seek to ensure that the exploitation of sea fisheries resources is carried out in a sustainable way

Seek to balance the social and economic benefits of exploiting the sea fisheries resources of the district with the need to protect the marine environment from, or promote its recovery from, the effects of such exploitation

Take any other steps which in the authority’s opinion are necessary or expedient for the purpose of making a contribution to the achievement of sustainable development

Seek to balance the different needs of persons engaged in the exploitation of sea fisheries resources in the district

Seek to ensure that the conservation objectives of any Marine Conservation Zones in the district are furthered

History of NIFCA

Preceded by the Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee formed in 1890, the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) was established in April 2011. The IFCAs replaced the Sea Fisheries Committees (SFC) under provisions contained within the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act.

This new management/duties gave greater responsibilities to the IFCAs, not only to achieve sustainable inshore fisheries, but also to help achieve conservation objectives.

NIFCA District

The Northumberland IFCA district extends from the centre of the River Tyne to the Scottish border, out to 6 nautical miles and to the normal tidal limit of estuaries. To learn more about the surveys we conduct in the district, visit our Conservation & Research page.

The NIFCA office is located towards the south of the district in Blyth and we are pleased to welcome visitors wishing to collect tags or speak to an Officer.

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