Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending the closed season for periwinkle gathering in inter-tidal areas in England.

No national assessment has been made of the merits of amending closed seasons for periwinkle gathering.

The management of inshore fisheries in England, including the gathering of periwinkles in inter‑tidal areas, is the responsibility of the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). IFCAs are committees of local Government. IFCAs have powers to introduce local byelaws, including seasonal restrictions, to ensure the sustainable management of species within their districts.