Best Practice Guidelines

by The Editor

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Dumfries, Nov 11, 2006

<p>All fishermen are expected to comply with these Best Practice Guidelines. The Guidelines are intended to mitigate the effects of the fishery on the environment and to reduce the disturbance to locals living near areas to be fished. The Health and Safety Executive's 'Guidelines for Safe Working in Estuaries and Tidal Areas' will be made available to licence holders.</p> <p>Breaches of these Guidelines will be considered a breach of the Regulations governing SSMA licences. Any person who contravenes any restrictions or regulations made by the Regulating Body, or fails to pay the due toll or royalty is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine on summary convictions and forfeiture of any shellfish taken or a sum equal to their value. Two separate convictions for an offence under Section 3(3) of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 may result in either the refusal of a licence to the fisherman in question or, subject to the consent of the Scottish Ministers, the cancellation of his existing licence.</p> <h3>For Handgatherers</h3> <p>These Best Practice Guidelines are based on those used elsewhere. They have been tailored to the situation in the Solway.</p> <ol type="a"> <li> <b>The foreshore must be treated with respect</b><br> To avoid inconvenience to, and confrontation with, landowners: <ul> <li>Gates, fences and signposts must not be damaged</li> <li>Access points, other than public access points, must be negotiated with landowners</li> <li>Access areas must not be blocked</li> <li>The landowner's agreement must be sought before storing any fishing equipment, vehicles or catches of shellfish on private land</li> </ul> </li> <li> <b>Vehicles on the shore must be used carefully</b><br> To avoid complaints about the use of tractors and ATVs/quad bikes on the shore: <ul> <li>All vehicles must be adequately silenced and in good working order with a current MOT Certificate/service record from a garage</li> <li>Noise must be kept to a minimum - especially early in the morning and when congregating before and after accessing the fishing grounds.</li> <li>Every effort must be made to avoid churning up mud at the top of the shore</li> <li>Areas of eel grass (Zostera) beds and honeycomb worm colonies (Sabellaria alveolata) must not be driven over by vehicles</li> <li>Every effort must be made to recover abandoned vehicles</li> <li>Public access points should not be used at weekends or during the hours of darkness</li> </ul> </li> <li> <b>The shore must be left as it was found</b><br> Complaints are often made about litter being left by fishermen on the shore. 'Litter' may include food wrappers, sacks used while fishing and shellfish dropped on the shore. <ul> <li>Any litter left at the end of the day must be cleared up</li> <li>Unwanted shellfish or sacks must be removed</li> <li>If storing gear on the shore every effort must be made to ensure that it does not impede access or present a safety risk</li> </ul> </li> <li> <b>Wildlife must be respected</b><br>Most of the seashore is protected by wildlife designations making it a criminal offence to harm certain animals and plants or to enter certain reserve areas. <ul> <li>Birds' nests and eggs must not be disturbed</li> <li>Areas of nature reserves above the high water mark must be avoided</li> <li>Every effort must be made to avoid disturbance of colonies of the honeycomb worm (Sabellaria alveolata)</li> <li>High and low tide roost areas for waders and wildfowl should be avoided</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Sustainable fishing practices should be used</b><br>All relevant byelaws, restrictions, regulations and licence conditions must be complied with at all times. In addition, these Guidelines ask that fish stocks are conserved by using sustainable fishing methods. <ul> <li>Undersized riddled shellfish should be returned to the shellfish bed from which they were taken</li> <li>Riddled shellfish should be scattered evenly on the shore, not in a heap</li> <li>Every effort should be made to avoid harming juvenile shellfish as they are the future of the fishery</li> <li>Vehicles used in fishing should not harm the shellfish beds</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <h3>For Vessel Fishing</h3> <p>All catches must be riddled so that undersized cockles and other organisms can be returned to the seabed as soon as practically possible after capture <ul> <li>To protect undersized cockles every effort must be made to avoid continually redredging areas</li> <li>No litter shall be thrown overboard</li> <li>Noise must be kept to a minimum - especially early in the morning and at weekends</li> <li>All relevant byelaws, restrictions, regulations and licence conditions must be complied with at all times</li> </ul> <h3>For Tractor Dredgers</h3> <ul> <li>To protect undersized cockles every effort must be made to avoid continually redredging areas</li> <li>Tractors must work a bed only once each season</li> <li>The tractor operator must ensure that furrows are spaced in such a way that the wheeks of the machines do not run directly over the discards on successive passes</li> <li>No litter shall be thrown overboard</li> <li>Noise must be kept to a minimum - especially early in the morning and at weekends</li> <li>Public access points should not be used at weekends or during the hours of darkness</li> <li>All relevant byelaws, restrictions, regulations and licence conditions must be complied with at all times</li> </ul>

Ends. | [NITF]