Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change & Rural Affairs
The Welsh Government currently manages a number of permitted public cockle fisheries around the coastline of Wales. In response to calls for improvements in the way we manage our cockle fisheries, the Welsh Government launched a public consultation on proposals for change in 2022. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed measures and I am grateful to all those who took the time to respond.
Today I am pleased to announce the coming into force of The Cockle Fishing Management and Permitting (Specified Area) (Wales) Order 2024. This Order will, for the first time, introduce a cohesive and adaptive management system for all public cockle fisheries in Wales within specified areas. It will build on other initiatives brought forward by this government to introduce more flexible fisheries management to ensure sustainability.
The Order will help to protect cockle stocks and the sensitive intertidal habitats and species that live nearby. As a result, it will ensure the long term sustainability of cockle fisheries in Wales, so they continue to provide social and economic benefits to coastal communities in the future.
I am fully committed to introducing similar evidence based flexible management regimes for a range of other stocks to safeguard the marine environment and the fishing industry in Wales.