Within Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authoritys (Eastern IFCA) district a variety of inshore fisheries are operated by local fleets and individuals. These include nationally important shellfish species including cockle, mussel, shrimp, crab and lobster, in addition to several finfish species. The district also supports a wealth of important natural features that are protected under a suite of UK and EU designations (Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protected Area, Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Ramsar site), which collectively form a network Marine Protected Areas. It is also likely that that several new Marine Conservation Zones will be designated within the district during the next three years. To ensure the Districts sea fisheries resources are managed in a sustainable manner, without having an adverse impact on the environmental features, Eastern IFCA conducts stock assessments, fisheries impact research, environmental monitoring and habitat mapping. A large proportion of these activities are conducted in The Wash in order to support the Authoritys management of The Wash Fishery Order 1992, which oversees the major molluscan fisheries in The Wash. This report details the main research activities conducted by Eastern IFCA during 2012.
