Aquaculture Regulatory Toolbox for England
Farms produce a range of finfish, shellfish and crustaceans in marine, intertidal and freshwater environments. With increasing focus being placed on topics such as food and nutritional security, a growing population and increasing demand for healthy products, the English aquaculture industry must increase production to meet these needs.
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has developed guidance on English aquaculture regulatory issues which is collated in this single Seafish hosted portal to assist businesses and regulators deal with aquaculture business applications.
As owners of this guidance Cefas have in place a program of annual review and update schedules. Any comments or questions about the Aquaculture Regulatory Toolbox and its contents should be directed to Cefas.
For further information, please contact Cefas
The 2025 version of the Toolbox is in the process of being uploaded.
Regulatory Requirements and Guidance for Aquaculture Businesses in England
Here you will find Cefas guidance on regulatory requirements for new aquaculture businesses in England covering existing and emerging sub-sectors. This information has been offered on the Seafish website since March 2016 and the below downloadable documents (in PDF format) were most recently updated by Cefas in March 2020.
Note: A similar toolbox providing Cefas guidance for aquaculture businesses in Wales is available on the Marine Wales website
Initial Documents
Aquaculture Sectors in England (existent and emerging)
Aquaculture Regulators - Quick Look Reference Table
Aquaculture Sectors
Marine Shellfish - Marine-based Culture
Marine Shellfish - Land-based Culture
Marine Shellfish - Purification Centre
Marine Crustacean - Cage Culture
Marine Finfish - Land-based Pump-ashore Culture
Marine Finfish - Open Net Pen and Submerged Cage Culture
Marine Finfish - Recirculation Aquaculture System (RAS) Culture
Marine Macro algae - Marine-based Culture
Marine Macro algae - Land-based Culture
Marine Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
Freshwater Finfish - Flow-through and Static Water Culture
Freshwater Finfish - Recirculation Aquaculture System (RAS) Culture
Regulatory Guidance
Aquaculture Guidance for Regulators in England
Below we bring together Cefas guidance for regulators and cover how aquaculture should be treated and considered between differing regulators. This helps improve consistency and transparency with regards to aquaculture business applications.