North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee

 

The management of sustainable fisheries relies on the effective management of the wider marine environment. It is right therefore that the Committee's role extends to wider marine environmental management. In some instances responsibilities are laid out in statute and the nature of that role is defined therein; in other instances the responsibility however goes beyond that defined in legislation and in many cases the principles of sustainable management are discharged through consultation. The Committee is a consultee for all proposals for the discharge of effluents and deposition of dredged material within its District, the carrying out of borehole investigations and seismic surveys on the seabed, in coast protection works, wind farms and other matters that might impact on the inshore fishery.

Acts

The Committee's responsibility for the protection of the wider marine environment are laid out in three principal pieces of legislation, they are:

• The Environment Act, 1995,
• The Sea Fisheries (Wildlife) Conservation Act, 1992,
• The Conservation (Natural Habitats Regulations &c.) 1994

Regulations

The Environment Act 1995 amended the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966 to allow Sea Fisheries Committees to make byelaws to control fisheries for environmental reasons, as well as for fisheries management, and provides for people with environmental expertise to be included on their Committees.

The Sea Fisheries (Wildlife) Conservation Act 1992 requires Sea Fisheries Committees to have regard to the conservation of marine flora and fauna when exercising their functions, and to endeavour to achieve a reasonable balance between that and other considerations in the discharge of their functions under the Sea Fisheries Acts.

The Conservation (Natural Habitats Regulations &c.) Regulations 1994 require Sea Fisheries Committees to comply with the Habitats Directive and the Committee is a ‘Relevant and Competent Authority’ under this legislation. This responsibility is an example of the European Union's requirement to integrate environmental needs into fisheries legislation.

Conservation Designations

A number of statutory and non-statutory marine conservation areas exist throughout the Committee’s District. There are three European Marine Sites which are:

• Tees Estuary European Marine Site
• Flamborough Head European Marine Site
• Humber Estuary European Marine

The Committee continues in dialogue with other competent and relevant authorities to work towards the development of a single scheme of management for the Humber Estuary European Marine Site.