Great to meet with Filey fisherman, Rex, along with Jon from the Environment Agency today. We spoke about the need to maintain heritage fishing in Filey after byelaw amendments for net fishing have shortened the fishing season.
Filey is leading conservation efforts in terms of salmon and sea birds and, with the seal population increasing, there is a compelling case for retaining sustainable fishing in Filey, such as using different types of nets.
The outcome that myself and fishermen would like to achieve is the granting of a restricted number of licences. Following a consultation on this, options are being proposed and I will continue to work with local fishermen, ministers and the Environment Agency going forward.
