Catalogue description Marine and Fisheries Agency Website

Please see information at Divisional level.

The Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) was an executive agency of the UK Government, responsible to Defra, which controlled sea fishing in seas around England and Wales. It was established on 1 October 2005, as the Marine Fisheries Agency, to co-ordinate for the first time the service delivery, inspection and enforcement of activities provided by the Government to the fishing industry and other marine stakeholders in England and Wales. The Agency incorporated the inspection and enforcement work previously undertaken by Defra's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate, and was responsible for fishing vessel licensing, quota management and grant schemes, as well as marketing and trade matters. It was renamed as the Marine and Fisheries Agency in 2007.

The MFA undertook marine consents and licensing work; advised ports and offshore oil companies and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on fisheries and marine environmental matters in the context of preparedness and response to maritime oil and chemical spills; approved oil treatment products for use on maritime oil spills and their specific use in shallow and coastal waters; issued dredging permissions for marine minerals extraction; and monitored and controlled the offshore marine regulations for implementing the EU Habitats and Wildbirds Directive. In England and Wales, the Agency had overall responsibility for the enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and its associated regulations.

The Marine and Fisheries Agency was replaced by the Marine Management Organisation on 1 April 2010.