Description

Gathering of molluscs or crustaceans or digging for fishing bait within the intertidal zone

Key locations

Bait collection for fishing is believed to occur on all suitable sediment shores throughout Northumberland and North Tyneside unless restrictions apply. Bait digging on the Berwickshire coast is believed to be minimal.

Collection of species such as periwinkle from rocky shores is believed to occur from all suitable locations within Berwickshire and Northumberland.

Commercial periwinkle fishery is thought to take place on rocks off Lookout Point at Seahouses.

Mussels are commercially harvested  at Fenham Flats near Lindisfarne

Frequency of Activity

Bait digging all year round but mainly September to March on low tides Rocky shore species are collected mainly during the summer months Periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is collected throughout the year. Lobsters and edible crabs mainly during the summer months

Potential issues

  • Biological disturbance – removal of crabs/ lobsters/ periwinkles (Littorina littorea) from rocky shores, and removal of sediment-dwelling worms from sandy and muddy shores. Non-target species can also be damaged/disturbed.
  • Physical damage to the structure of the interest feature caused by the movement of rocks and boulders, or digging of sand and mud
  • Bird disturbance

Features of Marine Protected Areas which might be affected

  • Reefs
  • Sea caves
  • Sand and mud flats
  • Inlets and bays
  • Grey seal
  • Birds (wintering)

Organisations with relevant management powers or responsibilities 

Organisation  Description of powers or responsibilities  
Northumberland Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority 
  • Byelaw making powers 
Marine Scotland 
  • Byelaw making powers 
Marine Management Organisation 
  • Byelaw making powers 
Natural England 
  • Byelaw making powers for National Nature Reserves 
  • Consenting of activity on SSSIs 
NatureScot  
  • Consenting of activity on SSSIs 
Local Authorities 
  • Byelaw making powers 
National Trust 
  • Byelaw making powers 

 

Relevant Legislation (England)

A number of legal powers, duties or regulatory tools exist which are relevant to this activity and its management. These are summarised in the table below:

Legal Powers or Duties  Relevant Legislation Lead Organisation(s)
Powers for IFCAs to create and enforce Bylaws Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (section 155-162) Northumberland IFCA
Powers for Local Authorities to make and enforce Byelaws Local Government Act 1972

The Byelaws (Alternative Procedure) (England) Regulations 2016

Public Health Amendment Acts 1907 (Section 82)

Northumberland County Council

North Tyneside Council

Power to make Byelaws on National Nature Reserves National Park and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (Sections 20 and 106) Natural England
Power for the Marine Management Organisation to create Bylaws for European Marine Sites The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (Regulation 40) Marine Management Organisation
Powers for the Marine Management Organisation to create Bylaws on Marine Conservation Zones

 

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (Section 129) Marine Management Organisation
Power for the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to create fisheries Bylaws to conserve marine habitats or species Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, as amended by the Fisheries Act 2020 (Schedule 10) Marine Management Organisation
Requirement on all Competent Authorities to undertake a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) before granting permission for plans or projects

 

The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (Regulation 63)

 

As modified by the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

DEFRA
Requirement for Consent, Assent or Advice from Nature England before certain activities take place on SSSIs

 

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (Section 28) Natural England

Relevant Guidance, Plans or Codes (England)

The following guidance, codes, plans or strategies are also relevant to the management of this activity:

Name Description Responsible Organisation Statutory or Non-Statutory?
NIFCA Code of Conduct for mussel collecting on Blyth Estuary

 

Voluntary Code of Conduct for collection of mussels within the Blyth Estuary

 

Northumberland IFCA Non-Statutory
NIFCA Periwinkle Gathering Code of Conduct Voluntary Code for collection of periwinkle from the Northumberland coast

 

Northumberland IFCA Non-Statutory
Voluntary agreement and Code of Conduct at Boulmer Haven Code of Conduct for bait collection Northumberland County Council Non-Statutory

Relevant Legislation (Scotland)

A number of legal powers, duties or regulatory tools exist which are relevant to this activity and its management. These are summarised in the table below:

Legal Powers or Duties Legislation Lead Organisation
Power to create Bylaws for European Marine Sites The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (Regulation 28) Marine Scotland
Requirement for all Competent Authorities to carry out a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) before granting permission for plans or projects

 

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994

(Regulation 48)

 

As modified by The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) (EU Exit) (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2019

Scottish Government
Requirement to obtain consent from NatureScot before carrying out certain activities within SSSIs

 

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (Sections 13-17) NatureScot

Relevant Guidance, Plans or Codes (Scotland)

The following guidance, codes, plans or strategies are also relevant to the management of this activity:

Name Description Responsible Organisation Statutory or Non-Statutory?
Berwickshire Marine Reserve (BMR) agreements and codes

 

The Berwickshire Reserve (BMR) has a voluntary no-take provision within its boundary that is generally well complied with. Berwickshire Marine Reserve Non-Statutory

Details of Current Management (England)

Intertidal hand gathering activities fall into two broad categories: 1) gathering of crustaceans or molluscs for consumption; and 2) collection of fishing bait. (including worms). The collection of intertidal ‘sea fish’ (fish, molluscs and crustaceans) is a public right and is regarded as part of the inalienable right to fish in tidal waters. For species which are considered sea fish the public right to fish means that both commercial collection and that for personal use can be carried out. This right to fish is capable of being regulated and managed (e.g. through byelaws) although in practice much hand gathering is largely goes unregulated. 

The public right to collect bait worms is ancillary to the public right to fish and is limited to personal use only. In practice, it is difficult to differentiate between personal and commercial bait collectors on the ground.

Collection of species from the rocky shore in England does not require a permit when for recreational/personal use but NIFCA byelaws for intertidal species collection enforce European and national minimum landing size for crab (edible and velvet), lobster and Nephrops, plus the number of individuals of crab (5), lobster (2), whelk (20) and prawn (5) that can be landed by an individual in any one day.

Bait collection (recreational and commercial):

Management responsibilities for bait gathering are complex, lying with various organisations depending on the landownership and impact issues.

Bait digging for personal/recreational use is ancillary to the right to fish from the foreshore and can be regulated and managed. No legal right exists to gather bait for commercial sale or reward. Commercial bait digging requires consent from the land owner and any relevant authority. Collection of species from the rocky shore for commercial use requires a permit from NIFCA if undertaken in Northumberland or North Tyneside.

Peeler crabs (crabs which have recently moulted and are still soft) are a sought after bait items. In some locations shelters, such as tyres, are placed in intertidal areas to aid collection. The legal basis of this is unclear. The right to fish on the foreshore includes the right to place fishing gear there without landowners’ permission. However, fishing gear must entrap ‘seafish’, which crab shelters do not – they simply provide habitat – so in theory landowner permission is required. The use of tyres as a shelter for peeler crabs appears to be on the increase in estuaries and further data is required on the extent of this practice and on its impacts.

Bylaws:

NIFCA byelaws ban digging in areas of seagrass within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC (Byelaw 8) and restrict the use of edible crabs for use as bait (Byelaw 3)

A Northumberland County Council byelaw prohibits digging in northern half of Boulmer Haven but is not enforced. A copy of the byelaw can be downloaded HERE The restrictions were not put in place for the purpose of environmental protection, but they do help to protect the conservation interest of the shore.

Lindisfarne NNR byelaws prohibit digging within NNR.

No regulations are place outside of these areas.

Mussel Beds:

This is a private fishery on Ross Sands where low level harvesting is regulated by a NIFCA permit.  Northumberland IFCA carries out an annual mussel survey to assess the stocks and to provide a baseline from which future management decisions can be made. Historically mussel harvesting also took place on beds south of Holy Island.

Unregulated collection takes place on Holy Island and Blyth. NIFCA  have a code of conduct in place for Blyth.

Collection of mussels from SSSI sites, if carried out or permitted by the owner or occupier of the land, will require consent from Natural England.

Periwinkle collection:

Commercial collection of periwinkle (Littorina littorea) takes place on the Tweed Estuary and there are reports of a commercial off Lookout Point at Seahouses.  Buyers will apparently only buy individuals over a certain size, smaller individuals are sieved out and put back. There is currently no regulation in place for periwinkle fisheries. Any future regulation would require a Habitat Regulations Assessment.

Northumberland IFCA have produced a Code of Conduct for Periwinkle Collection covering the Northumberland coast.

Details of Current Management (Scotland)

Intertidal hand gathering activities fall into two broad categories: 1) gathering of crustaceans or molluscs for consumption; and 2) collection of fishing bait. (including worms). The collection of intertidal ‘sea fish’ (fish, molluscs and crustaceans) is a public right and is regarded as part of the inalienable right to fish in tidal waters. 3. For species which are considered sea fish the public right to fish means that both commercial collection and that for personal use can be carried out. This right to fish is capable of being regulated and managed (e.g. through byelaws) although in practice much hand gathering is largely goes unregulated. 

The public right to collect bait worms is ancillary to the public right to fish and is limited to personal use only. In practice, it is difficult to differentiate between personal and commercial bait collectors on the ground. In Scotland mussels  belong to the crown through The Mussels Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1847 and permission must be gained from Crown Estate Scotland before commercial collection can be carried out.

It is not clear how much intertidal hand-gathering takes place on the Berwickshire coast. Previously this activity was thought to be rare but in recent years there have been increasing anecdotal evidence of hand-gathering activity including commercial collection of some species.

The Berwickshire Marine Reserve (BMR) has a voluntary no-take provision within its boundary that is generally well complied with.

Gaps in Management (England)

More information is needed about the extent of the use of tyres as shelters for peeler crabs and on the impacts of this practice. No regulation of periwinkle collection. Byelaws are generally not applicable to activities ancillary to the common right to fish, such as bait digging, although bait digging is still covered by the Habitats Regulations. Nothing to control turned boulders/cobbles – awareness-raising may be needed.

Gaps in Management (Scotland)

Need further information about the extent of intertidal hand gathering on the Berwickshire coast.