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The court heard how on Thursday 16^th December 2021 officers from the Southern IFCA attended the premises and carried out an inspection of the shellfish contained within. 317kg of manila clams were found stored within Viviers (UK) Ltd. A random sample of clams were inspected, of which an average of 12.4% measured below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size of 35mm (Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes ensure sustainable fish stocks by considering the maturity of a species and allowing time for reproduction before removal from the sea).

Officers returned to the premises for a follow-up inspection on Tuesday 21^st December 2021, when they found 1000kg of manila clams stored within the premises. This time the percentage of undersized clams was much higher. Officers from the Southern IFCA individually measured 2250 manila clams, of which 1072 (47.6%) measured below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size. In addition, 38 undersized American Hard-Shelled clams were identified (The Minimum Conservation Reference Size for this type of clam is 63mm).

For the offence committed on 16^th December 2021 the court issued Viviers (UK) Ltd. with a fine of £2000. In relation to the offences committed on 16^th December 2021 - the company were fined £4000, for storing undersized manila clams, and £750 for undersized American Hard-Shelled clams. They were also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £4006 and a victim surcharge of £190, making the total of all fines & costs £10,946.

When asked to comment, Deputy Chief Officer Sam Dell said, “Minimum size legislation is the principle management tool to protect clams and the purchasing of undersized shellfish undermines the purpose of such legislation and protection of juvenile stock. The Southern IFCA is committed to protecting our coastal fisheries, ensuring healthy seas and a viable fishing industry. This type of illegal activity puts other legitimate Merchants at a disadvantage; by pursuing these matters vigorously through court we aim to support legitimate operators and protect the local fisheries”.

The court heard how during the afternoon of Saturday 25^th September 2021 Andrew Skinner was observed by officers from the Southern IFCA fishing from his vessel, Lula Bon PE892, in Poole Harbour. Lula Bon is jointly owned by Andrew Skinner and his father Reginald Skinner. Andrew Skinner returned to Poole Quay late in the afternoon to land his catch. The vessel’s fishing activity and return to the quayside was video recorded by officers using the Southern IFCA’s drone. This video footage was played in court.

On return to the quayside Andrew Skinner landed 16 sacks (approximately 500kg) of manila clams to a fish merchant who was purchasing the clams for £3 per kg. When Mr. Skinner landed his catch, he was intercepted by officers from the Southern IFCA and Dorset Police, who carried out a full inspection. Samples of clams were removed from 9 of the 16 sacks and measured for compliance with the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes ensure sustainable fish stocks by considering the maturity of a species and allowing time for reproduction before removal from the sea). On average, 24% of Mr. Skinner’s catch measured below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size of 35mm.

As joint owners of the vessel both Andrew Skinner and Reginald Skinner were liable for the breach of regulations. Each were fined £800.00 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,167.00 and a victim surcharge of £80.00.

When asked to comment, Deputy Chief Officer Sam Dell said, “This case sends out a clear message that not complying with the regulations will not be tolerated. The clam fishery in Poole Harbour is very important to the local commercial fishing industry.  Minimum size legislation is the principle management tool to protect clams within the Harbour and the taking of undersized shellfish undermines the purpose of such legislation and protection of juvenile stock. The Southern IFCA is committed to protecting our coastal fisheries, ensuring healthy seas and a viable industry. By taking offenders to court we aim to support a sustainable local fishery.”

The byelaw manages fishing with pots in the Southern IFC District and introduces Commercial and Recreational Potting Permits under which conditions are attached. The byelaw also requires all fishers in the District to mark their pots or strings of pots using marker buoys that clearly identify the vessel or permit number using those pots. 

Any person wishing to object to the confirmation of the above-named byelaw sould visit our Live Consultations page to find further information and how to respond to the consultation. 

The FIP group (involving merchants, fishing associations, management bodies etc.) has been working for the past five years. The main action remaining requires the group to produce a Harvest Strategy and associated ‘Harvest Control Rules’ (HCRs) including Management Measures for the fishery.

MSC on are requesting responses to their SURVEY and organising workshops with industry to gather opinions and ideas on how best to manage the fishery going forward. These will be collated and put forward in a paper to DEFRA as well as used by the FIP to help inform the development of the Harvest Strategy.

Could all fishery participants please complete the SURVEY and indicate whether you would attend a workshop if it were to be held in Dorset.

Please could you also, by 30^th April, contact Southern IFCA (enquiries@southern-ifca.gov.uk or 01202 721373) to register your interest in participating in the FIP if it were to progress to apply for MSC Accreditation.

·  Thursday 3^rd Feb – Weymouth Harbour 10:00 – 12:00

·  Friday 4^th Feb – Lyme Regis, The Cobb 10:00 – 12:00

·  Sunday 6^th Feb – Weymouth Harbour 10:00 – 12:00

·  Tuesday 8^th Feb – Poole, Fisherman’s Dock 10:00 – 12:00

·  Wednesday 9^th Feb – Mudeford Quay 10:00 – 12:00

·  Friday 11^th Feb – West Bay Harbour 10:00 – 12:00

·  Saturday 12^th Feb – Poole, Fisherman’s Dock 10:00 – 12:00

·  Sunday 20^th Feb – Lyme Regis, The Cobb 10:00 – 12:00

The court heard how during the afternoon of Thursday 3^rd September 2020 in Poole Harbour, Geoffrey Bennett returned from fishing aboard his vessel PE443 Sea Turkey. Officers saw Mr. Bennett travel from the direction of Rockley Spit to bring his fishing vessel alongside the quay wall in front of the slipway at Rockley Boat Park Marina. Once alongside the quay wall Mr. Bennett dropped off his crewman who walked to a van parked nearby. The crewman opened the rear doors of the van and reversed to meet the bow of Mr. Bennett’s fishing boat.

The officers in attendance moved to carry out an inspection of Mr. Bennett’s catch, but on seeing the officers Mr. Bennett reversed away from the quay wall and the crewman sped away with the rear doors of the van still open. The Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Officers were well known to Mr. Bennett. They stood on the quay wall near to Mr. Bennett issuing numerous directions asking Mr. Bennett to stop to allow an inspection of his catch, but these directions were ignored by Mr. Bennett who drove his vessel under Rockley Bridge and into Lytchett Bay. The officers could see a large quantity of manila clams (with an estimated weight of 425kg and a first sale value of between £1,275 and £1,487.50) situated on the deck of the fishing vessel. Most of the incident was captured on the body worn cameras of the officers attending.

At court Mr. Bennett said that he had not seen the officers or heard their directions. He told the court that he needed to get away in a hurry because of the poor weather conditions and the risk of damage to his boat if he left it there. The court did not find Mr. Bennett’s account credible and he was found guilty of two charges of Failing to Comply with officers. Mr. Bennett was fined £6,000, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £10,000 and a victim surcharge of £180.

When asked to comment, Deputy Chief Officer Sam Dell said, “This case sends a clear message that failing to comply with the Authority’s officers will not be tolerated. The Marine and Coastal Access Act gives our officers common enforcement powers to carry out inspections. It provides robust legislation to protect officers against this type of misconduct. The Southern IFCA is committed to protecting the fishery to ensure healthy seas and a viable industry. By taking offenders to court we aim to support a sustainable local fishery.”

The byelaw introduces Net Prohibition Areas, Net Restriction Areas and Net Permit Areas. Net fishing will be prohibited in Net Prohibition Areas. Net fishing within Net Restriction Areas will be subject to seasonal and/or gear restrictions and net fishing within Net Permit Areas will be managed under flexible permit conditions, subject to the review procedure set out in the byelaw.

The byelaw ensures that all nets used in the District must be marked at each end by a marker buoy that clearly identifies the vessel using that net. The byelaw details both ‘Exceptions’ and ‘Dispensations’ for certain lawful activities.

The management of the Net Permit Areas will be informed by a Net Fishing Monitoring and Control Plan to ensure that the Authority is using the best available to ensure that the ongoing management of the District’s net fisheries remain compatible with the Conservation Objectives set (specific to Altantic salmon, Salmo salar ) for relevant SACs and where Atlantic salmon and/or sea trout ( Salmo trutta ) are a notified feature or component of a SSSI.

For details of the full byelaw, supporting documents and how to respond to the consultation please see the LIVE Consultations page.   The consultation closes on   3 ^rd  February 2022.

- Provide a forum to discuss fisheries management topics relevant to the local sea angling sector
- Develop more effective communication between the sea angling sector and the bodies responsible for management
- Assist in the development of local sea angling strategies
- Comment and provide input into proposed local fisheries management
- Promote sea angling to the local community
- Promote data sharing between the local anglers and the relevant management bodies

The group is currently trying to improve its membership distribution across the district and is particularly interested in hearing from individuals who may wish to join from the West Dorset or Hampshire areas. Meetings of the group are held roughly every quarter and currently take place on a weekday evening via MS Teams.

If you are interested in learning more about the group or would like to apply to join please get in contact with Patrick Cooper – Patrick.Cooper@southern-IFCA.gov.uk

• A consultation is currently live, considering the next steps in the Solent Scallop Fishery Review. Currently under consultation with permit holders and relevant stakeholders is the Solent Scallop Code of Conduct, and whether the measures contained in the Code should be incorporated into the permit conditions for a Solent Dredge Category A Permit. More details of this consultation can be found on our Live Consultations page .

• An amendment has been made to the Solent Dredge Permit Byelaw Access Policy, allowing an additional entry route for a Category A Permit in years 1-3 of the fishery, relating to track records in the Solent scallop fishery between January 2019 and March 2021. Applications under this route are live until the 3rd December 2021. Details on this and the Solent Dredge Permit application process can be found here .

To increase awareness of the IFCA’s fish monitoring program amongst stakeholders and the public a new report format has been developed whereby snapshots of each survey are captured in an easily digestible poster. These posters are then available to partners and the local community of each survey to share through newsletters, notice boards etc. A more comprehensive evaluation of the data will also be captured in a report once both Spring and Autumn surveys have been completed each year.

Working with industry has some important benefits:

• It provides the IFCA with on the ground knowledge and expertise when developing, implementing and interpreting the results of surveys.
• It provides the fishers with an understanding of the process for collecting data and allows industry to feed into the process at an early stage
• It can provide officers with key platforms (e.g. chartered vessels/gear) for undertaking evidence gathering

When developing and undertaking surveys therefore officers, where appropriate will:
 

• Engage early with fishers to feed into survey design, getting information where appropriate on survey areas, methods, gear and equipment to use
• Involve fishers in the undertaking of surveys, where necessary inviting participation or chartering vessels to allow for a partnership approach on evidence gathering.
• Feedback the results to industry at relevant points, providing information on how this is informing management.

The above has been exemplified in this calendar year where surveys including the Poole Bivalve survey, fish monitoring net surveys, Solent native oyster survey and Solent scallop survey have all involved participation of industry in either the development or undertaking of the survey. The above have fed into management decisions, or ongoing monitoring, therefore contributing towards co-management. 

As part owner of fishing vessel Sky PE1232, Mr. Skinner pleaded guilty to charges of retaining a quantity of undersized clams aboard his vessel and to obstructing enforcement officers from the Southern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (Southern IFCA).

The court heard how on 12 ^th  December 2019, Mr. Skinner’s sons, Andrew & Christopher were fishing from 2 different vessels in Poole Harbour. Aboard fishing vessel Sky PE1232, was Christopher Skinner. Christopher returned from a day’s fishing to the area of his mooring, where he jettisoned numerous bags of shellfish close by and out of view in shallow water. As the tide receded, these and another quantity of bags of shellfish, situated further up the foreshore, came into view.

Warranted officers from the Southern IFCA saw Mr. Reginald Skinner arrive at the location in a vehicle. The bags furthest up the foreshore (9 in total) were lifted into the back of the vehicle before Reginald Skinner returned to the driver’s seat. As he did so Mr. Skinner was hailed by officers who instructed him to stop to allow an inspection of his vehicle and catch of shellfish, but Mr. Skinner prevented the officers from doing so by driving off. The officers made several attempts to stop Mr. Skinner, using hand signals and verbal commands, but he repeatedly failed to comply with officer instructions. The officers eventually had to take evasive action to avoid being struck by Mr. Skinner’s fast moving vehicle.

As the tide receded further, the shellfish previously jettisoned from Mr. Skinner’s fishing vessel Sky PE1232 came into view. In total 9 bags of clams, weighing 332.3kg with an estimated first sale value of between £1329.20 and £1,827.65, were recovered by Southern IFCA officers. The catch was inspected for compliance with the minimum size regulations and an average of 75.9% of the clams were below the minimum conservation reference size of 35mm. Officers returned the seized catch to the harbour alive. Minimum conservation reference sizes are established to ensure the protection of juvenile marine species. They allow individuals to reproduce at least once before they are removed from a fishery.

Mr. Reginald Skinner was fined £400 and ordered to pay £400 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £40. The Southern IFCA cases against Andrew and Christopher Skinner for their involvement in the same incident were heard earlier in the year at Poole Magistrates Court on 12 ^th May 2021, when they received identical sentences.

Acting Deputy Chief Officer Sam Dell said, “Obstruction of the Authority’s officers will not be tolerated. The Marine and Coastal Access Act gives officers common enforcement powers to carryout inspections and provides robust legislation to assist officers in regard to this type of misconduct.  Southern IFCA is committed to protecting the fishery to ensure healthy seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry. By taking offenders to court we aim to support a sustainable local fishery.”