The Isles of Scilly Sea Fisheries Committee is one of twelve similar Committees around the coast of England and Wales. Half of each Committee membership is made up of local Councillors, with the remainder being appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), from nominated people familiar with the fishing industry. The Committee is responsible for the management of fish stocks in the inshore waters around the Islands (out to the 6 mile limit) and the necessary enforcement regime that flows from the management duty. In recent years the remit of the Committee has been enhanced by the inclusion of environmental and conservation powers.
The Committee does not employ a full time fishery officer, but appoints an Honorary Patrol Officer from amongst the local fishing community. The administration of the Sea Fisheries Committee is undertaken by the Maritime Officer. The Committee has a cross warranting arrangement with Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee allowing their Sea Fisheries Officers jurisdiction within the 6 mile limit around the Islands. The Honorary Fisheries Patrol Officer and the Maritime Officer have similar powers in Cornish waters. The photograph is of the Council's Maritime Officer on patrol in the Cornwall Sea Fisheries' RIB to the South of the Islands in July 2005.
The core activities of the service are:
- To fulfil the statutory protection and enforcement duties within the Isles of Scilly Sea Fisheries District, some 252 square nautical miles
- To carry out enforcement at sea using the Honorary Patrol Officer's vessel
- To lead the way in the management and protection of the fishery through the introduction of relevant byelaws that address issues surrounding the fish stocks within the waters around the Islands.
Service priorities are:
- Build on the solid foundations in place to ensure continued compliance with current and future legislation
- Education of fishermen and the wider general public in all matters concerning the complexities of fisheries
- Encourage individuals (both ashore and at sea) to consider the environmental implications of their actions
- Assist the newly opened Lobster Hatchery at Padstow in Cornwall to seed juvenile lobsters onto suitable grounds around the Isles of Scilly
- Develop an improved understanding of the environmental issues surrounding the local fishing industry and formulate a fisheries management strategy to take account of those issues.
Joint Working Arrangements
The Service maintains a close liaison with a whole range of fishing, other enforcement and environmental bodies including the following:
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Association of Sea Fisheries Committees and other Sea Fisheries Committees
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- Cornwall Sea Fisheries Marine Protected Area group
- English Nature
- The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust
- The Isles of Scilly Fishermen's Association
- The Duchy of Cornwall
- Sea Fish Industry Authority
- Non-governmental conservation bodies
The Service is actively involved in a response to the Ministry regarding the forthcoming Marine Bill particularly over the issue of reducing the number of Sea Fisheries Committees. With other agencies, bodies and the fishing industry, we will explore the issues surrounding low-impact, sustainable fisheries in the inshore zone, encouraging fishermen to diversify where it appears to be sensible. The members have agreed to join the Cornwall SFC Marine Protected Areas group to explore the options of creating areas for conservation purposes.
