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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps with (a) recreational fishermen and (b) Fish Legal to clarify the guidance for Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities on the introduction of emergency bylaws under section 157 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) are independent statutory authorities and have direct responsibility to sustainably manage sea fisheries resources in their districts. Therefore, it is for each IFCA to decide whether a situation warrants an emergency byelaw and if this meets the qualifying criteria as laid down in Section 157 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. Defra has provided best practice guidance on IFCA byelaw-making, including emergency byelaws made under section 157, this is available online through GOV.UK and IFCA websites. Defra has not been approached by any IFCA to provide further statutory guidance on the aforementioned qualifying criteria.