Following on from last year’s successful joint venture between the Fishermen’s Mission and the Old Low Light:

Harvest of the Sea on the Quay

(Outside but under cover)

A short service of Thanksgiving for the Fishing Fleet, led by Superintendent Peter Dade, Mission Area Officer North Shields.

Followed by Refreshments in the Old Low Light, Clifford’s Fort.

Visit the middle floor of the Old Low Light and see the fishing and nautical heritage of the Tyne, including a continuous loop screen of fishing stories.

There will be a Fishermen’s Stall too.

This is the first time for about ten years that this service has been held in the Gut. We are very grateful to North Shields Fish Quay Company Limited for allowing us to hold this event.

In 2015, a survey of individuals involved with the fishing industry in the district was conducted by a student from Newcastle University in conjunction with the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to identify changes to Northumberland’s fishing industry over the past 25 years.

The full report can be read here:

Observed Changes to the Northumberland Fishing Industry over the Past 25 Years – Leah Brown 2015

On Sunday 14th February, NIFCA officers attended the 39th PENN Amble Sea Angling Club Open. This is Northumberland’s biggest angling competition of the year, with over 400 entrants fishing within the competition boundaries from Lynemouth to Seahouses.

As part of our ongoing initiative to engage with the recreational sea angling community and raise awareness of our work within the district, we had a great day spent meeting anglers from all over the North East and further afield, talking about our work as well as various current issues such as the new bass regulations and the designation of the tranche 2 marine conservation zones. Many anglers were very pleased to receive a free NIFCA weatherproof measuring sticker for their tackle boxes which include all the minimum conservation reference sizes for fish in the district.

At the end of the day, 62 anglers weighed in a total of 94 fish, with the top prize going to Sean Crowe from Scarborough for a 10lb 7.5oz cod. Full results can be found on the Amble SAC website: http://www.amblefishing.com/open_competition.asp

Attendance at angling competitions throughout the district has proved to be an effective way of meeting and interacting with our local sea angling community, which is of significant socio-economic importance to our coastal communities.

Northumberland County Council in partnership with NIFCA are submitting an application to the European Maritime Fisheries Fund to form a Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) within our district and we want to hear your views. Please follow the links below to learn more about how you can help to form the FLAG and how it can help you. Email your responses to nifca@nifca.gov.uk . Many thanks for your help.

Find out about how you can help HERE

Download the questionnaire HERE

Please see the latest edition of NIFCA News HERE.

NIFCA has been working with Moorbridge School to improve the student’s knowledge of native marine life, conservation measures and the local fishing industry. Please see their newsletter featuring an article about their work with NIFCA HERE.