The MMO have been given responsibility by Defra to manage the process of making appointments of General Members to IFCA Committees.
The MMO operates a rolling campaign for the recruitment of IFCA General Members, this means that the IFCA General Member advert will be open to receiving applications for all regional IFCAs from interested candidates throughout the year without the restriction of a cutoff date. The sifting and interviewing of successful applicants will be held on a quarterly basis.
The MMO accept applications from both current and former IFCA general members who are nearing the end of their ten-year term as well as those members who have left having already served a ten-year term. Applications from these members will be considered alongside all other applicants in a fair an open competitive process and appointed on merit to ensure a fair balance of sector representation.
The role of an IFCA General Member
The members of the IFCA contribute their knowledge and experience to provide sustainable management of the inshore marine area of their IFCA district. Appointees to IFCAs are legally required to consider all the local fishing and marine conservation interests in the waters of the IFCA district in a balanced way, taking full account of the needs of the IFCA district. Appointees should recognise that they are part of a committee and should not regard themselves as representing solely one area of particular interest within the IFCA district.
As an IFCA General Member you will have the opportunity to contribute your knowledge and experience to committee meetings helping to shape and direct the work of the IFCA.
This membership puts local people in the driving seat of fisheries management and is an exciting opportunity to shape the development of inshore fisheries in your region.
As a member of an IFCA committee you will work in a team with others, helping to ensure that:
• the use of sea fisheries resources is carried out in a sustainable way and is balanced with the need to protect the marine environment or promote its recovery from, the effects of exploitation
• the different needs of those engaged in the exploitation of sea fisheries and marine resources are balanced
• the conservation objectives of marine conservation zones are achieved
Although these appointments are unpaid some local authorities pay expenses and allowances.
We seek to achieve a balanced membership across various interest groups, including but not limited to those with commercial, recreational, and environmental interests.
IFCA Application Form and further information here.