Anglers and Recreational Shell fishermen from Hartlepool have all but brought the  North eastern Sea Fisheries Committees system for provision of permits for the new shellfish byelaw to its knees. In a NESFC document about the bye law it is claimed that

“Since the introduction of the new bye law there has been a concerted campaign in the Hartlepool area to encourage individuals and schoolchildren to apply for permits in an attempt to clog the committees administrative systems. This is peculiar to Hartlepool and has not been reflected in any other areas where the provisions have been widely accepted. To date 461 limited shellfish permits have been issued, 80% from Hartlepool “

“As an example one individual ordered 8 permits for his family and 300 for a local school”

“Applications have also been received from individuals as young as 3 years old”

The byelaw which was introduced some several months ago  is up for review at the committees next meeting and NESFC officers hope to introduce a fee for provision of replacement tags to individuals who lost their initial set which are provided free of charge.