Review of the Netting Permit Conditions - Have Your Say

Your view is important and D&S IFCA is inviting you to be involved in the review and have your say. We are directly contacting everyone on our mailing list and giving you options on how to respond. All stakeholders can respond even if they don’t have a Netting Permit.

A pdf version of the circular can be read here.

The review of the Netting Permit Conditions will be an extended process, including collating information and evidence, and decision making by D&S IFCA’s Byelaw and Permitting Sub-Committee (B&PSC). The review may or may not lead to changes to the existing Netting Permit Conditions.

  • The information gathering exercise starts on 19th May 2023
  • The information gathering exercise ends on 30th June 2023.
What is covered by the current Netting Permit Conditions?

The existing Netting Permit Conditions regulate netting within estuaries and at sea in the D&S IFCA District. The Netting Permit Conditions apply to both commercial fishers (Category One Permit) and recreational fishers (Category Two Permit) and the restrictions are tailored to these diffing sectors.

The Netting Permit Conditions and Annexes (charts) can be viewed in full by using the links below:

Summary of the key current restrictions
  • No drift or fixed nets are authorised within any of the estuaries.
  • A series of coastal zones at sea that prohibit the use of fixed surface nets.
  • Minimum sizes for shellfish and bass.
  • Protection for berried crab, lobster and spiny lobster.
  • A limitation on the removal of parts of crabs (claws).
  • A bag limit for recreational fishers (2 lobsters and 3 crabs per calendar day).
  • Gear marking requirements (floating markers and flags for fixed nets).
  • A 25-metre maximum length for nets at sea operated by recreational fishers.
  • Net tags requirement for recreational fishers.
  • No removal of spiny lobster from defined Marine Protected Areas.
  • No netting authorised in an area surrounding Lundy Island.
How to have your say?

The consultation is not a questionnaire. This phase one consultation has no focussed or specific items, but it does give all stakeholders the opportunity to examine the present Netting Permit Conditions, see how netting is being managed by D&S IFCA and respond accordingly.

The following prompts may help you provide a response:

  1. What is your interest in the review?
  2. How did you find out about this review?
  3. What changes do you think should be made (if any) to the Permit Conditions and why should there be changes?
  4. What works well from your point of view and why?
  5. What doesn’t work so well and why?
  6. Please provide any supporting information or evidence to support your response.
  7. Are you on our mailing list and would you like to be added if not already?

Please respond by emailing or writing to us and please call if you need further information or to speak to an Officer.

Email: consultation@devonandsevernifca.gov.uk

Telephone: (Neil Townsend) – 07590 224011 or 01626 331589

Telephone IFCA Office: 01803 854648

Privacy Policy

D&S IFCA's privacy policy can be found on the home page. The information provided in this consultation will be used to assist the Authority in decision making. All personal data submitted will be held securely at all times, and, as part of this review of permit conditions, used only by D&S IFCA. All personal data will be anonymised and summarised for insertion into consultation reports. Personal data will not be held for longer than necessary and in accordance with D&S IFCA’s data protection register. We may disclose your information if required by law.

Completed Consultations

More information regarding a range of completed consultations can be viewed here.

Page updated: 19th May 2023.