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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans next to renew the Net Limitation Order.

There are currently 15 Net Limitation Orders (NLOs) in place around the country. An NLO limits the numbers of licences allowed to fish for salmon and sea trout within that geographical area. They are often combined with fishery specific byelaws and licence conditions that restrict catch numbers, methods and fishing timings for that fishery. Each NLO lasts for up to ten years, so they expire at different times.

The current NLO for Southern Region expires in July 2018. Work is currently underway to review this NLO. The Environment Agency is not expecting to recommend an increase in exploitation by nets as a result of this review. Currently only one licence operates in the Southern Region NLO area.