Review of Anglian Coast (Limitation of Net Licences) Order 2025

Overview

Background:

A net fishery for salmon and sea trout has been in operation in East Anglia for more than 150 years.

As part of our duty to maintain, improve and develop salmon and sea trout fisheries in England, the Environment Agency has the power to licence fishing for salmon and migratory trout, and to make Orders setting limitations for the provision of net licences, known as Net Limitation Orders (NLOs).

NLOs are used to secure sustainable exploitation of salmon and sea trout stocks by controlling the number of licensed nets allowed to operate in specified fisheries.

In limiting the number of licences, we also consider the interests of those who are licensed to fish and are dependent for their livelihoods on the fishing, to ensure the economic impacts are minimised, as well as protecting vulnerable fish stocks.

In September 2015, the number of licences available in the East Anglian coast net fishery for salmon and sea trout was determined by the Anglian Coast (Limitation of Net Licences) Order 2015.

That order has now expired.

The Environment Agency has considered four options for managing the net fishery after from 2025. Each option would have some degree of impact on the livelihoods of beach net licensees and on the level of protection offered to stocks of salmon and sea trout exposed to the net fishery.

These options are summarised below:

Option 1 - Do nothing. Do not create a new NLO. Anyone applying for a net licence would be issued with one.

Option 2 - Replace the 2015 NLO with a new reducing NLO with identical provisions - licences are restricted to those already operating in the net fishery, and as current licensees retire, the number of licences is reduced.

Option 3 - Introduce a fixed NLO that caps the number of licences at the current level, such that as existing licensees retire, their licences are made available to other fishers.

Option 4 - Introduce an NLO which sets the number of licences available at zero, suspending all netting for sea trout.

Our foremost consideration is the protection of salmon and sea trout stocks, but we also consider the economic impact that any NLO, together with the other means of regulating the net fishery, would have on those who rely on fishing for sea trout as part of their livelihoods.

In regulating the fishery, we seek to achieve the best balance between providing vulnerable stocks with much needed added protection, while minimising the economic and social impacts of regulating the Anglian net fishery for sea trout. We will license a sea trout fishery as far as that is sustainable and consistent with providing adequate protection for fish stocks, in line with precautionary principles.

The benefits of allowing a sea trout net fishery must therefore be carefully balanced against any increased risks to salmon and sea trout stocks from the impact of that fishery.

We have assessed management options against the latest available evidence describing the performance of stocks of salmon and sea trout, the impact of the net fishery upon those stocks, the wider regulatory and policy framework and the socio-economic impacts for those participating in the fishery.

We recognise that factors other than exploitation in net fisheries impact upon salmon and sea trout stocks, and that marine survival is one of the most important of these factors. We are working with partners to address all factors affecting salmon and sea trout stocks under the Salmon Five Point Approach, including water quality, fish habitat and access improvements, as well as working to better control levels of exploitation.

Our Proposal

Having carefully reviewed the latest scientific evidence and having regard for all other factors, we find the best balance between protecting fish stocks and allowing a net fishery, as far as that is sustainable, is achieved by allowing those netsmen currently operating in the fishery to continue to do so, and continuing to reduce the size of the net fishery over time as current licensees retire - that is, Option 2:

Replace the 2015 NLO with a new reducing NLO with identical provisions - licences are restricted to those already operating in the net fishery, and as current licensees retire, the number of licences is reduced.

Why your views matter

This matter will be of interest to anyone who fishes for and/or has an interest in the salmon and sea trout populations and fisheries in East Anglia, their conservation and management.

We are now advertising our preferred option for the future management of the net fishery to give people an opportunity to provide us with any information they think is relevant to our decision making.

You can respond using this website by clicking the below link named "Give us your views", or by e-mail or by post direct to DEFRA using the details below:

Migratory & Freshwater Fisheries, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,1st Floor, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF

or at freshwater.fish@defra.gov.uk

All responses must be received by 19 January 2026.

Please note: the Environment Agency is the data controller for the personal data you provide. For further information on how we deal with your personal data, please see our Personal Information Charter on gov.uk (search 'Environment Agency personal information charter') or contact our Data Protection team at: Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH or dataprotection@environment-agency.gov.uk