The Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) is scheduled to meet on 19 December 2025 to discuss budget monitoring, the revenue budget for 2026-27, and a report from the IFCA officers. The meeting will include a review of financial performance, a proposal for the upcoming year's budget, and updates on fisheries management, enforcement, and research activities.

Revenue Budget 2026-27

The committee will be asked to consider the proposed revenue budget for the financial year 2026/27. The CIFCA Revenue Budget 2026-27 - Report recommends a levy on Cornwall Council of £1,599,770, which is an increase of £47,000 from 2025/26.

The report notes that the IFCA has attempted to minimise the increase in levy, in light of the pressures on Cornwall Council's overall budget.

The report states that IFCA officers and accountants have identified savings and efficiencies, so that the service can continue to be delivered with only a £47,000 increase in the levy. It goes on to say that not increasing the levy is not feasible without impacting on the work that the IFCA will have to deliver in 2026/27. This includes continued involvement in the delivery of fisheries management plans, in particular work on effort management for inshore crustacean shellfisheries around Cornwall, which are described as fundamental to the continuing viability of the local fishing industry.

According to the CIFCA Revenue Budget 2026 to 2027 - Appendix 1, around two thirds of the organisation's total expenditure relates to the employment of staff, so changes in nationally negotiated pay awards, national insurance and superannuation have an impact. A 7.6% increase in superannuation lump sum deficit charges will result in an additional pressure on employee costs, from £68,000 to £73,195.

The report also notes that the majority of cost centres have been maintained at 2025/26 levels wherever possible, with small inflationary increases of up to 3.0% inflation applied across a range of supplies and services including accommodation costs, travel and utilities.

The IFCA is also utilising £134,162 of Defra RDEL funding¹ for workstreams on fisheries management plans, marine licensing, marine planning and marine protected areas.

It is estimated that the overall reserves figure at the end of 2026/27 would stand at £853,234. However, this figure will be drawn down significantly in the forthcoming financial year to fund the purchase of the new RIB², to replace Lyonesse.

Budget Monitoring Report April 2025 to October 2025

The Budget Monitoring Report April 2025 to October 2025 - Report details the financial performance of the Cornwall IFCA in the 2025-26 financial year against the approved budget. According to the Budget Monitor April 2025 to October 2025 - Appendix 1, at the end of October 2025, the IFCA's net expenditure before interest and reserve movements is £410,694 against a profiled budget of £828,213. This provides a favourable variance of £417,519.

The total forecast reserve position on 31 October 2025 is £908,234, according to the Budget Monitor April 2025 to October 2025 - Appendix 2.

According to the report, the committee receives regular updates on the IFCA's financial position throughout each financial year to provide assurance that the finances of the authority are being managed appropriately and that any significant issues are highlighted, and necessary action is then taken to address them.

Cornwall IFCA Officers' Report

The Cornwall IFCA Officers Report - Report includes updates from the enforcement and research teams.

Fisheries Management Plans

The report states that implementation groups have been established nationally for most of the initial frontrunner fisheries management plans (FMP), led either by Defra or the MMO, and these groups are now working their way through the short term objectives in each of the plans. IFCAs have representation on these groups, according to the scope of the individual plans.

Dame Angela Eagle, Fisheries Minister, visited Newlyn in late November to meet representatives from the catching sector and across the supply chain, to discuss a range of issues including the importance of developing and implementing management for crustacean shellfish.

Voluntary Marine Nature Recovery Framework

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Marine Nature Recovery Framework (CIOS MNRF) is described as a voluntary, evidence-based shared vision for the recovery of marine and coastal wildlife across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It was developed through a collaborative process, led by Cornwall Council and supported by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Marine and Coastal Partnership (CIOS MCP). Cornwall IFCA participated in the development stages and commented on the final framework.

The report states that the purpose of this voluntary framework is to demonstrate the importance of the marine environment around Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to identify the pressures placed upon it and suggest principles and best practice which individuals, groups and organisations can apply to their work, either independently or in collaboration.

The MNRF focuses on the existing marine protected area network and its structure and function. It also identifies a list of ten habitats and species of particular interest or importance to Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, identified through a previous consultative process. These include seagrass, native oysters, kelp, cetaceans and tuna.

Enforcement Team

Following the recent appointment of the Lead Engineer, a slight adjustment has been made to the compliment of the enforcement team. Instead of replacing the second engineer who was promoted to Lead Engineer, it was decided that it was more essential to employ an additional Enforcement Officer.

The report notes that over the summer and autumn months, no serious fisheries offences were detected in the district. It suggests that the outcomes of previous Cornwall IFCA investigations and the three ongoing 2025 investigations into serious offences, all related to lobster catches and subject to court proceedings, may have deterred similar offending later in the year.

The report also notes that three court prosecutions were scheduled for first hearings in November 2025 and February 2026. However, they have all had to be adjourned, following successful representations to the court by the defences' solicitors who were indisposed to attend court on the required dates.

General Fishing Matters

The report states that following good overall fishing during the summer, the Autumn months were a different story and resulted in a quite a drop in inshore fishing activity and generally much lower catches over the period. However, many fisheries picked up again during October.

Officers continued to conduct evening and night-time patrols, focusing on estuarine netting activity which remains a high priority.

As the winter months approached and the ratio of female lobsters carrying eggs increased, more inspections of shellfish catches were carried out, including checking for signs of any berried lobsters being retained.

The report also notes that despite declining sea temperature as winter approached, unusually high levels of octopus remained on many fishing grounds around Cornwall, as well as out to the west and around the Isles of Scilly. Whilst many potters and trawlers made substantial profits from landing these animals through 2025, the impact of octopus predation on crustacean and molluscan fisheries remains a major concern to many fishermen and fisheries authorities.

The Fal oyster fishery season began strongly in October, with native oysters dominating the catches, with far fewer queenies than had been picked up in several previous seasons.

Crawfish

The report notes that good catches of crawfish were reported but unfortunately for many fishermen, bad weather prevented them fishing over the August and September neap tides when top landings would ordinarily have been expected.

The 2025 ICES area 7 crawfish fishery was brought to a close on 17 November, one month earlier than last year, in accordance with a Marine Management Organisation (MMO) licence condition applicable to all UK and EU vessels. The MMO is proposing to re-open the fishery on 1 June 2026, which the report states is much to the consternation of many long experienced crawfish fishermen who have explained that this is too early in the year because it will cause unwelcome and unnecessary mortality of recently cast, softshelled and berried female crawfish.

Bluefin Tuna

The report states that whilst a number of the commercially licensed bluefin tuna (BFT) vessels were fully engaged in the BFT fishery from the beginning of the 2025 season from 1 July to 31 December, several vessels held off for many weeks whilst they continued with their more traditional fishing through the summer.

The report also notes that during the BFT fishing season, a number of BFT were taken as a bycatch by trawlers and ring-net vessels, with one tuna per commercial fishing trip allowed to be retained, landed and sold.

Commercial BFT fishermen are exploring the idea of having the UK hook and line fishery certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), similar to a Spanish fishery which gained certification in 2022.

Inshore Vessel Monitoring System and Catch-App

The previously reported dispute between Succorfish and MMO is ongoing and as a result, fisheries authorities remain unable to monitor the locations of many under 12m English fishing vessels.

Saint Piran Skipper and Lead Engineer Report

The report notes that the last quarter was dominated by extended periods of poor weather, with a series of low-pressure systems reducing fishing and patrol opportunities throughout the district.

Every two years the Saint Piran is lifted from the water for survey and maintenance. This must coincide with the certifying authority timetable to allow ongoing commercial use of the vessel. Planning has been completed for the next out of water maintenance period which must take place in March/April 2026.

The report also notes that good progress has been made with the replacement RIB project.

Research and Environment Team

The report notes that Kimara will be leaving the team to take on a role with a new employer. Kimara has been a truly valued member of the team since April 2012 and has been instrumental in almost single-handedly developing the mechanism and protocols by which the shellfish permit data is processed, analysed and reported.

The survey vessel Tiger Lily VI has had another relatively quiet quarter, mostly due to periods of prolonged poor weather.

The MECAL Work Boat Code 3 Gap Analysis survey was carried out on 15 October and the subsequent report has been received. There are a number of works that will need to be completed by August 2026 to meet the compliance deadline.

Between August and November 2025, a total of 16 sampling trips were completed. The trips were separated between the south, west and north coast areas of the district. Totals of 1235 lobsters, 979 edible crabs and 646 spider crabs have been sampled in this period.

The catch sampling program has shown octopus occurred in large numbers in 2025 with individuals being seen in surveys from March through to November 2025 in the south and west coast areas. Concerns over the octopus predating on shellfish in pots have continued to be raised by the fishermen.

A total of five scallop surveys were completed from three vessels collecting data in the area from Coverack to north of the Eddystone reefs.

The fishery dependent crawfish sampling has continued. In 2025 dead crawfish were reported being found in nets which were believed to be related to the presence of octopus.

The team have been contracted to carry out the data collection for the third part of Natural England's seabed mapping in the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay SPA project.

MPA Assessments

The team have been trialling processing methods for using iVMS data to inform the monitoring and control plans and outstanding assessments.

Annual Plan Quarterly Update

The focus of work has been to respond to the first phase of the MMO Quality Assurance process (QA1) for the Crustacean and Molluscan Fisheries (Vessel Specifications) Byelaw 2024 and its associated De Minimis Assessment (DMA) document.

Officers submitted a response to the national consultation on the period for the proposals for the 2026 crawfish closure.

Following the direct sampling trips this season, work continued on preparing and analysing biological samples that had been retained from the surveys.

At the September Authority meeting it was reported that invitations had been sent out to a number of angling bodies and representatives with the aim of organising a meeting towards the end of September to review the Recreational Sea Angling Strategy. At the time of writing this report, officers are still waiting for responses to these invitations.