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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the regulatory framework governing Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to improve protections for Atlantic salmon entering Poole Harbour.

Defra is not planning to review the regulatory framework for Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). IFCAs already have a duty to manage inshore fisheries sustainably, balancing socioeconomic factors with protecting the marine environment, including Atlantic salmon. Southern IFCA have published a Salmonid Good Handling Code of Practice and introduced a Net Fishing Byelaw in 2023, both of which help to protect salmon in Poole Harbour.