SUCCESS CRITERIA
ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
Effective communication and engagement remained central to NIFCA's work throughout 2025-26. NIFCA shared news via the website and social media channels and secured strong media coverage in local and national news outlets, including Northumberland Gazette and Fishing News. Throughout the year NIFCA produced three editions of its newsletter ‘NIFCA News’, highlighting the latest projects and initiatives undertaken by the team. The Fisher Focus newsletter continued to be distributed to commercial permit holders, providing updates on fisheries management and regulatory developments affecting local fisheries, and members received a monthly roundup of relevant news items impacting our industry. To enhance our user experience, NIFCA also began redesigning our website, with its launch planned to coincide with the IFCA's fifteenth anniversary. Direct engagement with the commercial fishing sector remained a priority, with Fisher Forum meetings held in six large ports this year and NIFCA engagement continuing in MMO Regional Fisheries Groups. These forums provide a valuable mechanism for gathering stakeholder feedback, improving two-way communication and ensuring local fishing industry perspectives are represented in wider fisheries discussions. Engagement with the recreational sea angling community also developed, as NIFCA held a stakeholder event at its office to launch the Bass Scale Project, which uses citizen science data to improve understanding of recreational fisheries. Community engagement activities continued to broaden NIFCA's profile across the district. Officers participated in the North Shields 800 celebrations, including the ‘Parade of Sail’ on the Tyne, and events supporting the ‘Pride of the Seas II’ exhibition. NIFCA featured for a second time in Our North Tyneside residents' magazine, reaching more than 97,000 households. Officers attended Amble Open Angling Competition, St Mary's Wildlife Festival, National Fishing Remembrance Day events, and local beach cleans. An auction of seized non-compliant fishing gear raised funds which were donated to local maritime charities, with the Fishermen's Mission in North Shields and RNLI station at Berwick-upon-Tweed each receiving £2,200. Supporting skill development and recruitment within the fishing industry, Officers presented at the Seafish Five-Day Deckhand Course, providing participants with an insight into the skills which could support their access to the industry. The Authority’s partnership with Newcastle University continued with Officers attending Blue Planet Connect recruitment events and hosting a range of work placements, including a Stage Two Marine Biology student. NIFCA welcomed visits from Members of Parliament Ian Lavery and Emma Foody and North Tyneside Mayor Karen Clark. This engagement allowed us to raise the profile of local fisheries issues and build support for sustainable management approaches among key decision-makers. Nationally, NIFCA contributed to the IFCA and Small-Scale Fisheries Symposium, which brought together more than 120 delegates from across England to discuss current issues affecting the inshore fishing sector. International engagement also featured during the year as NIFCA was invited to present on the IFCA model of inshore fisheries and Marine Protected Area management to representatives of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. In partnership with the MMO, the Authority also hosted representatives from the Ghana Fisheries Directorate aboard the patrol vessel as part of the UK-funded Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP), providing an opportunity to share knowledge and best practice in fisheries governance and marine management. Through its communications and engagement activities, NIFCA continued to strengthen connections across local, regional and national networks, helping to promote a wider understanding of fisheries management and marine conservation.
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