MSFOMA is responsible for managing the mussel fishery within the “Fishery Order” boundary in the eastern Menai Strait (see the map below). The legal basis for managing this area is explained here.
Within this area, MSFOMA has the legal authority to:-
- Lease the right to cultivate shellfish in areas known as “layings”; and
- Licence operators to harvest any wild mussels that occur in the area.
At present (September 2020) all of the 8 mussel “layings” within the Fishery Order are occupied. There are currently very few wild mussels outside these areas in the Fishery Order area, and no licences have been issued this year.
Applying for a lease or licence
If you are interested in being placed on the waiting list for either a lease or a licence you can make an application to MSFOMA either on-line or using an application form which can be downloaded and posted to us. These are available here.
MSFOMA has a formal policy for issuing leases and licences. This makes it clear how we take decisions when opportunities to re-issue leases or licences arise. These policies can be viewed and downloaded from this website:-
- Licensing policy – the current (2020) policy can be viewed here
- Leasing policy – the current (2020) policy can be viewed here
If you have any queries about applying for a lease or licence, or if you want to make any enquiries about an application that you have submitted you can contact us by post or e-mail.