A commercial fisherman from Holy Island, Mr Paul Douglas, was fined £2,690 by magistrates at the Quayside Law Courts in Newcastle on Friday, May 10th. The fine comes as a consequence of breaching national fisheries legislation aimed at protecting key species along the Northumberland Coast.

This related to incidents in November 2023 and January 2024 when Mr Douglas retained egg bearing Lobsters.

The case was brought against Mr Douglas by the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) who manage the inshore fishery along the Northumberland and North Tyneside coastline.

During the hearing, Andrew Oliver of Andrew Jackson Solicitors prosecuting on behalf of NIFCA, informed the court that on both the 16^th of November 2023 and the 16^th of January 2024, enforcement officers from NIFCA had conducted inspections on Mr Douglas’s catch and vessel.

Mr Douglas, the owner/skipper of the commercial fishing vessel Scarlet Cord R7, was found to have had prohibited egg bearing lobsters in his catch on both occasions, tests later performed on one of the lobsters showed that although there was only a limited number of eggs still present, the remainder that would have also been attached had not naturally hatched.

Mr Douglas had committed two offences,

• He, on the 16^th of November 2023 had fished for and retained two berried lobsters, contrary to the Lobster and Crawfish (Prohibition of Fishing and Landing) Order 2000 and the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967.
• He, on the 16^th of January 2024 had fished for and retained two berried lobsters, contrary to the Lobster and Crawfish (Prohibition of Fishing and Landing) Order 2000 and the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967.

Mr Douglas, represented in court by Richard Arnot of Ward Hadaway Solicitors pleaded guilty to both offences. The Bench issued Mr Douglas a Band D fine of £960 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £384 along with prosecution costs of £1,350.

Nick Weir, lead enforcement officer for NIFCA, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, stating: “The Authority is pleased that the court recognises the importance of enforcing conservation measures within our district. The shellfish fishery is vital for Fishers in the district and allowing lobsters to breed successfully helps to ensure stocks can be maintained”.

“Fishing in Northumberland is an economically sensitive activity and of great social importance to our local heritage and character. Our byelaws in conjunction with national legislation, balance the social, environmental, and economic needs of our stakeholders to promote healthy seas, sustainable fishing, and a viable industry”.

You are invited to take part in a research study looking to understand mental health in the commercial fishing industry. 

This research is funded by the University of Exeter and the Seafarers’ Charity and hopes to understand the state of mental health in the fishing industry and the current stressors facing fishermen. This information will help the project to make recommendations to government and other organisations about how to support coastal communities.

This survey is for ALL commercial fishermen in England, not just those with mental health concerns. We would like you to take part if you are happy and healthy and/or if you have mental health concerns. If you participate in this survey there is the option to be entered into a prize draw for £200. Please see the attached poster for more information.

Please use the following link to access the survey:

https://exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7afn9yuX1jxkkKi

For any further information, please contact Skylar Collins at sc1286@exeter.ac.uk

NIFCA Spring 2024 Newsletter

Please note that our next Quarterly Meeting will be held at East Bedlington Community Centre, 16 Station Street, Bedlington, NE22 7JN on Monday 22nd April 2024 at 1pm.

The meeting is open to all.  If you have any queries or would like to attend, please email nifca@nifca.gov.uk

The Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) requires the Secretary of State to lay a report
before Parliament on the ‘conduct and operation’ of the IFCAs as soon as reasonably
practical after the end of every four-year period. The third report is now due and will cover
from 1st September 2018 to 31st August 2022.

There are two ways that your views can be shared::

1. A targeted Qualtrics survey designed for individuals that are most knowledgeable about the IFCAs including: recreational anglers, inshore fishers, IFCA General Members, local government Councillors, Arm’s Length Body employees, academics and members of Non-Governmental Organisations. The survey is anonymous and can be accessed using the following link:
   https://defragroup.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9QS0m2CMiuQuC6W

2. An online Citizen Space survey for members of the public and representatives of organisations. This is available via the following link:
   https://consult.defra.gov.uk/arm2019s-length-body-governance-relationship-management/callforevidence-ifca-conductandoperations2018-2022/

Both methods are now open and will close on 22 April 2024.

On Thursday 8 February at the Quayside Law Courts in Newcastle, Magistrates sentenced three members of the Armstrong family from Blyth and Newbiggin by the Sea, for breaching key local fisheries legislation that manages the pot fishery along the Northumberland coast.

The prosecution related to an incident in July 2023 when fishing pots operated by the Armstrong family were inspected at sea and found to be missing or have incorrect identification tags attached.

The case was brought against David Armstrong Snr, David Armstrong Jnr, and Christopher Armstrong by the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA), which manages the inshore fishery along the North Tyneside and Northumbrian coastline.

During the hearing, Elizabeth Rowley of Andrew Jackson Solicitors, prosecuting on behalf of the Authority informed the court that on the 31 July 2023, enforcement officers from NIFCA had undertaken routine inspections of fishing pots set off Whitley Bay aboard the Authority’s patrol vessel the St Aidan.

The officers inspected a fleet of 40 pots whose surface markers stated they were set from the Wendy Patricia BH22, a potting vessel owned and operated by the Armstrong family. Upon inspection, the individual pots either had no mandatory NIFCA pot tags attached or they displayed tags allocated to another vessel owned by the family.

The three members of the Armstrong family represented by Richard Arnot of Ward Hadaway Solicitors pleaded guilty to the same offence, that they had: ‘Fished for specified shellfish using pots without tags issued to the commercial permit holder and named vessel affixed, contrary to NIFCA’s byelaw 4. Crustacea and Mollusc Permitting and Pot Limitation.’

The court determined that the actions of the defendants were negligent but did not cause harm to the fishery. To Christopher Armstrong and David Armstrong Snr the owners of the Wendy Patricia BH22, the court individually imposed financial penalties of a £433.00 fine, a victim surcharge of £173.00 and awarded costs of £1,300. David Armstrong Jnr as master of the vessel was ordered to pay a £300.00 fine, a victim surcharge of £120.00 and to pay £780.00 in costs. In total £5,012.00 is to be paid by the family.

Nick Weir, lead enforcement officer for NIFCA, said: “The Authority is pleased the court recognised the importance of NIFCA byelaws. Pot limitation is a fundamental method of managing the fishing effort within the NIFCA district to ensure that stocks of key species are only caught at a sustainable level. All pots set within the district for both commercial and recreational fishers must be affixed with NIFCA tags which are issued under our permit schemes.

“Fishing in Northumberland is an economically sensitive activity and of great social importance to our local heritage and character. Our byelaws in conjunction with national legislation, balance the social, environmental, and economic needs of our stakeholders to promote healthy seas, sustainable fishing, and a viable industry.”