Northumberland fishermen left in limbo over proposed fishing ban off Holy Island

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson has led the criticism of Defra after it delayed the publication of views on the creation of a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMAs) taking in the waters around Holy Island.

The government department was expected to publish a summary of responses to its 12-week consultation in December.

However, in a letter to key stakeholders, it reveals ‘its detailed analysis of all the evidence provided has taken longer than expected’ and it will now publish the summary in early 2023.

Cllr Renner-Thompson, Bamburgh ward member on Northumberland County Council and vice chairman of the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA), said: “We were expecting a recommendation to the minister in December.

"It is totally unacceptable that Defra can leave our fishing community in limbo for another few months.

"Decisions need to be made on boats, gear and staff for the year ahead which now will have to wait.

"The overwhelming majority of people, parish councils, the county council, the NIFCA, the church, have all been clear with Defra that banning fishing around Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands would be devastating to the area. The sooner this scheme is thrown out the better.”

Rev Canon Dr Sarah Hills, Vicar of Holy Island, added: “People are getting quite worried and anxious about when they are going to hear the result.

"One of the main difficulties is that the fishermen spend the winter repairing pots and gear, buying new equipment and getting various bits and pieces done but if the decision doesn’t go their way that work’s been wasted along with thousands of pounds. For fishermen and their families that is a very worrying situation to be in. We need to know.

"People’s mental health is also suffering,” she added. “People are going to bed worried and getting up worried.”

Fellow councillor Colin Hardy, member for Norham and Islandshire, has previously said the proposal would ‘devastate’ the Holy Island economy.

Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan has also warned of the ‘catastrophic consequences’ and continued to argue against the proposal in conversations with two Defra ministers this week.

"To ban fishing altogether would bring minimal ecological benefits but would rip this community apart,” she said.

Islanders have also spoken out about the potential loss of a fishing heritage stretching back hundreds of years and fear it would have a significant social and economic impact on the community. They have also questioned the ecological need for the area to be designated a HPMA.

The proposal is part of an attempt to re-wild the sea. If approved, fishing would be banned from Goswick to Bamburgh, and include habitats on the north shore of Holy Island, Budle Bay and the outer group of the Farne Islands.

Defra intends to provide the resulting evidence to the Secretary of State in early 2023 for consideration before a decision on any pilot sites and final site boundaries to progress towards designation.

Any HPMAs would be designated through the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 by July 6, 2023. This would be a year from the start of the consultation as required by the Act.