Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason nearshore clam dredging and trawling is permitted; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those activities on basic marine systems.

Fisheries management is devolved.

In England, inshore clam dredging, and trawling fisheries are managed and monitored by the Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). IFCA byelaws include a variety of measures including permitting schemes to control fishing effort. Byelaws are accompanied by an Impact Assessment which sets out the anticipated costs and benefits of the proposed measure, including the environmental, social, and economic impacts. The Fisheries Act includes a commitment to develop domestic Fisheries Management Plans which will be a key mechanism to delivering sustainable and well-managed fisheries.