Fisheries Conservancy Board (FCB)
FCB was established in 1966 as a Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) responsible for the application of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966. FCB's role is primarily the enforcement of statutory provisions in respect of salmon and inland fisheries, and also pollution control. FCB's parent Department is the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) which is responsible for fisheries policy and legislation.
FCB has a permanent staff of approximately 29 with about 7 full time equivalents being involved in work on behalf of Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
The main activities of FCB are:
- River quality sampling on behalf of NIEA
- Pollution investigation and prevention on behalf of NIEA
- Preparation of prosecution files under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (links to Office of Public Sector Information website)
on behalf of NIEA - Patrolling rivers and freshwater fisheries to enforce legislation, including angling and commercial fishing licensing provisions
- Providing a bailiffing service on the DCAL public angling estate
- Providing an assessment for authorities on developments, such as water abstraction, drainage schemes etc. which may have an impact on fishery interests
- Prosecuting persons in relation to offences under the Fisheries Act and subsequent amendments.
Work undertaken for NIEA is shown in bold type.
