The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) abolished Sea Fisheries Committees in England and Wales. In England Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) were created and in Wales Welsh Government (WG) centralised inshore fisheries management. Our report examines the impact of WG’s approach.   We conclude that centralising marine and fisheries management in Wales has not produced claimed benefits – in contrast IFCAs have embraced their twin roles of fisheries management and environmental protection. Key findings:

1. WG has not used its powers under MCAA to create Marine Conservation Zones and has not engaged meaningfully with pre-existing European Marine Site management groups;
2. National Assembly for Wales has failed to impose a duty on WG, in its capacity as the inshore fisheries manager, to engage with marine conservation managers;
3. the non-statutory Inshore Fishery Groups were disbanded in 2016 as they were seen to be ineffective and WG does not genuinely engage with the fishing industry and other marine stakeholders;
4. WG is not fully utilising the resources it now has available to monitor adequately fishing activity, nor does it carry out adequate effective enforcement;
5. WG does not appear to have created a regime which learns from its mistakes.

Full report available online at: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/34112