Closed areas · By nation
121 closures in English waters, watched from space. Together they cover 34.5 thousand km².
England’s closures come from two kinds of body. Inside six nautical miles the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) make byelaws for their own districts, so the rule can change at a district boundary. Further out the Marine Management Organisation makes the orders.
The practical consequence is that “is this legal here?” is a question about a particular district’s byelaw on a particular date, not about England. Several of these authorities also run permit schemes: a vessel on the permit list may tow gear in an area where an unpermitted vessel may not, so a permitted boat in a closure is doing nothing wrong. CAUGHT holds the permit lists it has been given and uses them only to clear cases — absence from a list proves nothing.
A case is a reason to look, not a verdict — most are examined and resolved. Every case is judged on three independent factors and nothing reads CAUGHT until all three are strong and a person has reviewed it. How a case is made.
By rule: No-take zones Bottom-towed gear Trawling Dredging All seabed fishing
By nation: Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Isle of Man Jersey
The full A–Z of all closures · Download the closure dataset · See live cases on the map