Aquaculture Regulatory Toolbox for England | Seafish
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Aquaculture Regulatory Toolbox for England

England's aquaculture industry is currently made up of a diverse range of mostly small and medium sized enterprises that are close to local markets.



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

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. 

Processes and flowlines for establishing classification and bio-toxin status of new offshore shellfish growing areas

Potential aquaculture areas in marine plans - What they mean for potential new aquaculture businesses and their relationship with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Clarification and guidance on the shellfish exemption from marine licensing and subsequent variations to licences

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