Guidance

Regional Fisheries Groups - East 4c

This area covers from Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire through to Hythe in Kent.

From:
Marine Management Organisation
Published
26 July 2022
Last updated
25 March 2026 — See all updates

Back to RFG homepage

East newsletter

The Regional Fisheries Groups (RFG) are a way for the fishing industry to come together to share their views and work with organisations including:

  • Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)
  • Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
  • Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA)

The RFG lead will regularly send email updates, organise port visits, arrange online/hybrid meetings, topic specific workshops as well as 1-2-1 meetings.

If you would like to become a member of the RFG network you can subscribe to the East newsletter or you can email regionalfisheriesgroups@marinemanagement.org.uk

Meeting notes and quota presentations

Meeting notes and quota presentations which occurred over 18 months ago can be accessed by contacting the RFG team at regionalfisheriesgroups@marinemanagement.org.uk

Fisheries Management Plans – useful links

To learn more about Fisheries Management Plans (FMP), please visit the FMP blog.

For the policy paper, please visit: Fisheries management plans: policy information

If you want to contact Defra’s FMP team you can do so by emailing FMPs@defra.gov.uk

FMP infographics and videos

Bass FMP

You can find useful links to the Bass FMP below:

Stakeholders can provide comments on the bass FMP by emailing bassfmp@defra.gov.uk

RFG & MCA roadshow – working together

Following recent meetings with stakeholders, there has been growing interest in engaging with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). In response, MMO RFG team has been working closely with the MCA to set up a series of meetings to gather views on stakeholder engagement and explore how this can be strengthened in future.

A trial of this approach took place in the East in 2025 and proved successful. The collaboration will now continue in 2026.

Updates on upcoming RFG–MCA visits will be shared through the RFG East newsletter. For more information or to share your views, you can contact your RFG lead or regionalfisheriesgroups@marinemanagement.org.uk

How to guides

Getting involved in fisheries management can seem complicated. Many stakeholders are unsure where to begin or do not feel confident about the process. The RFGs have provided clear, practical guides that explain, step by step, how you can participate and make your views heard.

You can find the videos and additional resources here: How to guides for fisheries management participation - GOV.UK

Seals

The RFG teams are aware of the increasing seal population nationally and the impact this is having on fisheries catches.

University of Oxford researchers Dr Claire Tanner and Dr Katrina Davis, supported by the RFG team, conducted industry workshop in the Southeast and East of England in Spring 2024 to access the success rate of mitigation technologies. This included discussions on acoustic deterrents, what techniques have been the most effective in different settings, as well as the overall attractiveness and practicality of these technologies for fishers.

The report can be found here: The extent and severity of seal-interactions with fisheries in the United Kingdom

The RFG team used these workshops to further note industry concerns, issues and ideas, which were passed onto both MMO evidence and relevant Defra teams for consideration.

MMO have previously commissioned two projects:

Defra are also considering the issue of entanglement of seals under Clean Catch which is developing and trialling bycatch monitoring and mitigation measures.

Information on the existing regulation for grey seals and common seals can be found here.

Area contact list

For further contact details, please see ‘Who to Contact in the MMO’

Updates to this page

Published 26 July 2022
Last updated 25 March 2026 show all updates

  1. Wednesday 25 March 2026 - Page update.

  2. Updated meeting notes and quota presentations.

  3. 26 April 2023 update.

  4. Feb update

  5. successes

  6. Date amend

  7. Meeting notes and presentation updated from meeting held on 23 August 2022.

  8. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page

Contents