The Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) met on 13 June 2025, and re-elected Tony Tomlinson as Chairman and Councillor Kenny as Vice-Chairman. The committee noted and agreed to the budget outturn and reserves position for the 2024-25 financial year, as well as the audit report for the same period. Members also discussed the IFCA Officers' Report, covering a range of topics from vessel replacements to the impact of octopus on shellfish stocks.

Budget Outturn Report

The committee noted and agreed to the Budget Outturn Report April 2024 – March 2025. The report detailed the financial performance of the Cornwall IFCA in the 2024-25 financial year against the approved budget. At the end of March 2025, the IFCA's net expenditure before interest and reserve movements was £1,488,159 against a total budget of £1,487,708, representing a small adverse variance of £451. However, when interest received was taken into account, this improved to a favourable variance of £55,399. A contribution to reserves of £10,399 was made at year end, bringing the final reserve position on 31 March 2025 to £859,330.

The report also noted that DEFRA grant income of £370,000 had been treated as a receipt in advance, with the expenditure that offsets this grant to be forecast across all three main budget heads in the coming financial year. Prosecution income received was £7,485, which was £3,485 above the budgeted amount. Interest on balances performed very well with a surplus of £55,850 against the budget of £150.

The audit report gave a Substantial Assurance on the effectiveness of CIFCA's systems and processes for managing their main financial systems and on their effectiveness in relation to safeguarding its own resources and those of its funding body (Cornwall Council).

During the presentation of the report, members were advised that a decision would need to be made at a future meeting about whether Cornwall IFCA's reserves should be increased.

IFCA Officers' Report

The Cornwall IFCA Chief Officer, the Principal Enforcement Officer, and the Principal Scientific Officer presented the IFCA Officers' Report, which covered a range of topics including:

Vessel Replacement

Members were informed of the pressing need to replace both the Saint Piran and her daughter RIB, Lyonesse, as both vessels are now 25 years old. It was noted that the existing RIB, Lyonesse, was built to fit into the existing patrol vessel, Saint Piran. The Saint Piran would be sold, and replaced with a vessel which will be compliant with Workboat Code 3¹. Following the purchase of the replacement RIB, Lyonesse would be kept so that she could be sold as part of a package with Saint Piran. It was anticipated that Saint Piran would be sold abroad, where compliance with the necessary UK codes would not be required. The cost of replacing Saint Piran was estimated to be around £2 million, but DEFRA funding had been withdrawn and the Cornwall IFCA reserves would not cover the cost of the replacement vessel. Saint Piran's replacement would be a smaller vessel of around 19 metres.

The replacement RIB would need to be a 6.5 metre vessel with a 2 horsepower engine, in order to fit into the ramp system, and that it would be beneficial to have the replacement RIB before ordering the new, bespoke, patrol vessel.

Enforcement

The Principal Enforcement Officer announced that the Chief Engineer would be leaving Cornwall IFCA, and thanked him for his work. Members were also advised that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to proceed with civil recovery proceedings in the case related to fishing with electric current.

There were ongoing compliance problems with crustacean fisheries, with berried lobsters² being the main issue.

Octopus Predation

A member explained that large amounts of octopus were being caught around Mevagissey and Looe; that they were an invasive species, that were currently moving westward, and were decimating shellfish. It was pointed out that any pot type could be used to catch octopus, and that they could be caught using any type of inshore fishing license. Members were advised that a review of the impact of octopus on shellfish within the fishery might be presented at a future meeting.

Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (IVMS)

In response to a question, members were advised that there had been issues with some Marine Management Organisation (MMO) approved Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (IVMS) devices not functioning correctly, and that they could only be repaired by the supplier. Vessels would not be able to go to sea without an IVMS, and those with device issues were monitored to ensure that they had contacted the supplier.

Bluefin Tuna

Confirmation was given that DEFRA had completed the annual allocation of commercial fishing licenses for bluefin tuna, and that there was currently only scope for 15 vessels due to the limited amount of quota. Tuna were line-caught as nets were not permitted when fishing for tuna in the fishery.

Other Points

A member pointed out that locally, European Union fishing vessels did not have access to United Kingdom waters within the 12 mile limit. Another member congratulated Cornwall IFCA for their work in respect of crab fishing, and advised that other IFCAs had been following Cornwall IFCA's work.