Each year thousands of fish and shellfish die from disease. Recovering from an outbreak can take a long time and can be very expensive.

Serious fish and shellfish diseases

You must tell the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) if fish or shellfish:

• could be infected with a serious or notifiable disease
• are dying in larger numbers or dying in a way you haven’t seen before

Prevent the spread of disease in fish and shellfish

You can help control the spread of disease if you:

• follow rules for imports
• perform regular monitoring to spot disease early
• contain outbreaks as quickly as possible
• use good fish husbandry practice
• follow rules when moving fish

• keep health records using the
  Finfish biosecurity logbook
  (PDF, 123KB, 7 pages)
  

• keep medicine records using the
  Aquatic animal medicine record book
  (PDF, 254KB, 52 pages)
  

• follow a biosecurity measures plan:

  • 
    Shellfish biosecurity measures plan
    (PDF, 500KB, 28 pages)
    

  • 
    Finfish biosecurity measures plan
    (PDF, 325KB, 32 pages)
    

  • 
    Importer biosecurity measures plan
    (PDF, 244KB, 36 pages)
    

Control areas for notifiable disease outbreaks

If a notifiable disease is found, FHI puts controls in place to limit the spread of disease (these areas are known as confirmed designations).

If your fish or shellfish are in a control area you must:

• comply with any conditions issued by FHI
• get written permission from FHI to move fish or equipment (allow at least 5 working days)

Fish

Maps of areas with controls in place to limit the spread of spring viraemia of carp (SVC):

2017

• 
  Warwickshire: Arden Lakes
  (PDF, 668KB, 3 pages)
  

Maps of areas with controls in place to limit the spread of koi herpesvirus disease (KHV):

2018

• 
  Church Lane Lake, Essex – 6 July
  (PDF, 416KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Newstead and Annesley Country Park, Nottingham – 6 July
  (PDF, 422KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Parkers Fishery Pools, West Midland – 6 July
  (PDF, 392KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Mawgan Porth Pools and Lake, Cornwall – 9 July
  (MS Word Document, 388KB)
  

• 
  Mill Farm Fishery, Hereford – 13 July
  (PDF, 403KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Holme Grange Fishery, Berkshire – 19 July
  (PDF, 402KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Clear Water Fisheries, Lancashire – 24 July
  (PDF, 632KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Trench Pool, Shropshire – 24 July
  (PDF, 746KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Old Hough Fishery, Cheshire – 25 July
  (PDF, 384KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Woodside Fishery, Hereford & Worcester – 31 July
  (PDF, 355KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Coopers Arms, Derby – 1 August
  (PDF, 443KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  K Lakes, Skegness – 2 August
  (PDF, 368KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Martham Pits, Norfolk – 3 August
  (PDF, 484KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Ashland Lakes, Buckinghamshire – 7 August
  (PDF, 648KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Shadwell Pool, Greater London – 8 August
  (PDF, 707KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Locklands Lake, Lincoln – 9 August
  (PDF, 451KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Acton Park Lake, Wrexham – 13 August
  (PDF, 499KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Canvey Lake, Essex – 14 August
  (PDF, 834KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Stoneham Lakes, Hampshire – 17 August
  (PDF, 449KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Lakewood Fisheries, Scunthorpe – 29 August
  (PDF, 374KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Middle Pool, Shropshire – 18 September
  (PDF, 674KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Kippax Park, Leeds – 26 September
  (PDF, 456KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Gatton Waters, Norfolk – 28 September
  (PDF, 375KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Watmore Farm Fishery, Hampshire – 2 October
  (PDF, 556KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Orchard Lakes, Hampshire – 3 October
  (PDF, 478KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Broadlands Lake Complex, Hampshire – 5 October
  (PDF, 375KB, 3 pages)
  

2017

• 
  East Sussex: Swanborough Fishing Lakes
  (PDF, 657KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Surrey: The Lakeside
  (PDF, 1010KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  East Yorkshire: Risby Park Fisheries
  (PDF, 690KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Kent: Mansfield Lake
  (PDF, 627KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Staffordshire: Meadows Fishery and Manor Park Fishery
  (PDF, 854KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Lancashire: Bannister House Fishery
  (PDF, 764KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Humberside: Newlake
  (PDF, 709KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  West Yorkshire: Tyersal Hall Fishery
  (PDF, 636KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Hertfordshire: Willows Farm Fishery
  (PDF, 851KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  East Yorkshire: Sam Hosticks Fisheries
  (PDF, 670KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Lancashire: Cleveley Bridge Fishery Complex
  (PDF, 851KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Kent: Danson Park
  (PDF, 1.18MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Hertfordshire: Frogmore Fishery
  (PDF, 728KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Berkshire: Windsor View Lakes
  (PDF, 565KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Derbyshire: Birch House Lakes
  (PDF, 511KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Shropshire: Monkhall Fishery
  (PDF, 460KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Berkshire: Lea Farm Lakes
  (PDF, 791KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  London: Hampstead Heath Ponds
  (PDF, 1.83MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Essex: White Shots Reservoir
  (PDF, 662KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Lancashire: The Cunneries
  (PDF, 754KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Northamptonshire: Boating Lake
  (PDF, 1MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Essex: Cleverley Mere
  (PDF, 817KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Cambridge: Manderson Trust Lakes
  (PDF, 618KB, 3 pages)
  

2016

• 
  South Yorkshire: Lodge Farm Fisheries
  (PDF, 416KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Staffordshire: Coppice Lane Pools
  (PDF, 438KB, 3 pages)
  

Shellfish

You can use an interactive map (Desktop. Mobile) to view shellfish disease controls across Great Britain.

Alternatively below are individual maps of control areas of each disease:

Bonamia ostreae

• 
  Anglesey and Caernarfonshire
  (PDF, 1.13MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Cornwall and Devon
  (PDF, 1020KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex
  (PDF, 1.16MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Kent and Essex
  (PDF, 1.46MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Pembrokeshire
  (PDF, 1.01MB, 3 pages)
  

Oyster herpesvirus

• 
  Essex and Kent
  (PDF, 613KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Poole Harbour Dorset
  (PDF, 4.09MB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  River Teign, Devon
  (PDF, 1.99MB, 3 pages)
  

Marteilia refringens

• 
  River Tamar, Cornwall and Devon
  (PDF, 385KB, 4 pages)
  

Contacts

Fellowship funding is aimed at building capacity in developing countries.

The Fellowship programme is intended to support Fellows to draw on UK technical and scientific expertise in the fields of biodiversity and sustainable development to broaden their knowledge and experience.

You can read more about a successful fellowship award in this case study.

How to apply

You will need to apply online for Round 25 Darwin Initiative Fellowship projects through the Flexi grant application portal.

Before applying, please read the Guidance notes for applicants (round 25) and the The Darwin initiative: Fellowship award Flexi-Grant user guide.

Once you have read the guidance, complete the Darwin Fellowship Round 25 application form on the Flexigrant application portal. For drafting purposes, you may find the
Darwin Fellowship Round 25 application form
(MS Word Document, 154KB)

useful.

When to apply

The timetable for Round 25 Darwin Fellowship Awards is set out below:

• application process opens: Tuesday 22 May 2018
• deadline for applications: Tuesday 13 November 2018
• expected notification of successful projects: February 2019
• expected start date for successful projects: From July 2019

Who can apply

Applications for Fellowship funding should come from an organisation (the Lead Organisation) and not an individual. There should be a named individual within the Lead Organisation responsible for the application, called the Project Leader. The host organisation where the individual will carry out the training or research must be in the UK.

The Lead Organisation:

• must have expertise in natural resource management
• can be either a public or private sector organisation
• should provide experts from within the organisation with a proven track record and at the forefront of their discipline(s) to work closely with or supervise the Fellow. This expertise is typically expected to be a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience

Darwin Fellowships will support promising individuals who:

• have a link with a recent or current Darwin Initiative project or
• are currently involved directly in the implementation of the key biodiversity conventions and agreements listed above

Further information is available in the guidance.

Funding available

Eligible costs (depending on the nature of the Fellowship) include a monthly subsistence, Lead organisation expenses, travel costs and fees for academic qualifications. Further information on Darwin Fellowship awards can be found in the Darwin Round 25 Guidance.

Case study

You can read more about a successful fellowship award in this case study.

Standard rules guidance to allow the operator to undertake mining waste operations in respect of inert extractive waste and unpolluted soil on the site of a mine or quarry.

These rules do not allow any point source emissions to air, water or land from the mining waste operations.

You can apply online for most standard rules environmental permits.

Apply for a standard rules environmental permit.

The River Wye is 251km long. It drains a catchment containing a rich and varied landscape spanning the Welsh and English borders. It rises in the uplands of mid Wales, flowing past the towns of Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth, entering the Severn Estuary at Chepstow.

The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the River Wye, from Hay to Bigsweir Bridge. Navigation on the tidal Wye, below Bigsweir, is the responsibility of Gloucester Harbour Trustees.

The Wye Navigation Advisory Committee meets in spring and autumn, helping to maintain sustainable recreation and navigation on the River Wye.

For details of the committee and a copy of approved minutes, please email wye-navigation@environment-agency.gov.uk.

River access for boaters

Boaters have confirmed legal access on the River Wye between Hay-on-Wye and Chepstow (where the River Wye enters the Severn Estuary). Upstream of Hay-on-Wye there are a number of negotiated access points.

Access upstream of Hay Bridge

• there is no confirmed legal right of navigation upstream of Hay Bridge
• access to navigate the upper Wye is disputed
• there are two arrangements to help facilitate shared access and river use between anglers and paddlers; please refer to the Wye & Usk Foundation website and the Canoe Wye website for further details
• much of the upper Wye isn’t recommended for beginners, or boaters who don’t have considerable experience of white water; please read the available guides before paddling
• it is recommended that you check and if necessary obtain permission from the owner(s) of the riverbed along your route before you access the river

Access downstream of Hay Bridge

• the public right of navigation doesn’t give an absolute right of access to the river bank downstream of Hay Bridge, except in an emergency, or to prevent one
• other than at accepted public sites or where there is public access to the river bank, you should get permission from the owner of the riverbank/surrounding land before you launch or land your boat
• any use of the banks must be not only incidental to your navigation, but also reasonable and considerate to the needs of landowners and other users
• permission is needed to camp or picnic on the banks or neighbouring fields

River Wye event calendar 2018

There may be river restrictions around each event.

If you are participating in an event make sure you’re aware of the Wye Code of Conduct; a guide to using the river without reducing the enjoyment of others or damaging the environment:

If you are planning an event or know of an event which isn’t on the Environment Agency calendar, please email wye-navigation@environment-agency.gov.uk.

If you would like more information about an event please contact the event organiser:

Canoe facilities

To help you plan and enjoy your canoe trip on the River Wye the Environment Agency produced a detailed guide to the River Wye, Canoeists’ guide to the River Wye or you can buy a hard copy online or in bookshops near the River Wye. Updates for the 2009 and 2011 editions of the canoeists guide are available online Updates to Canoeists’ guide to the River Wye, July 2012

The guide contains practical information to help plan your journey, featuring:

• a series of 12 maps, based on Ordnance Survey data
• navigation and recreational advice
• health and safety guidelines
• where you can launch and land
• river grades for the Wye
• tourist information on local parking, refreshments, camping, useful addresses and telephone numbers
• Code of Conduct for the River Wye

The Environment Agency are indebted to Ron and Ruth Shoesmith who wrote previous editions of this guide and to the late Allen Greenhill who was the co-author of the first edition in 1968 and the inspiration behind its publication. The Environment Agency would also like to thank the local access officers of the British Canoe Union and the Welsh Canoeing Association, who provided advice on the contents of this guide.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this guide is accurate. No liability can be accepted for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions. In particular, readers should note that details such as land ownership, camp sites and landing places can change

PCSs provide a service for packaging producers. The producers join a scheme as members. For a charge, the PCS takes on their packaging producer legal obligations.

Packaging PCS: apply for approval

If your business is in England you need to contact the Environment Agency to apply for approval to operate a PCS.

If your business is in:

• Wales, Natural Resources Wales approves
• Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency approves
• Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency approves

Approved or appropriate person

You must be an approved or appropriate person to:

• sign applications for PCS approval and registration
• submit data and declaration of compliance statements

The approved or appropriate person must be one of these legal entities:

• a director or company secretary of a company registered in the UK
• a partner in a partnership
• an individual operating as a sole trader
• a person who has control or management of the business

Use the delegation of approved/appropriate person form if you want to delegate your function to another person. Sign the form and send it to your environmental regulator.

PCS registration

Once approved you need to get an account set up on the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD) so you can register your PCS.

If your business is in England email packaging@environment-agency.gov.uk to get a login.
If your business is in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland you need to ask for a login from your relevant environmental regulator.

You must:

• register your PCS and members details in NPWD by 15 April each year
• provide full details of the agreement for the constitution of the PCS including any rules or regulations the members must follow
• provide a statement of the PCS policies, which should include:
  • details of the steps it will take to increase the use of recycled packaging waste in the manufacture of products or materials supplied by its members
  • the methods by which packaging waste will be recovered and recycled through the scheme
  • information about the steps the user or consumer may take to help the PCS apply these methods
  • pay the appropriate fee

When you submit your registration the relevant environmental regulator will assess your application. They may ask you for more information. You will be notified of the decision within 28 days.

Conditions of the approval

To get your PCS approved and to maintain your approval, you must:

• complete the registration template provided by your environmental regulator
• ensure all of your members’ data is correct

• provide resources to your members so they can meet their Consumer Information Obligation (CIO), including access to information on their role in reuse, recycling and recovery of packaging and packaging waste; return, collection and recovery systems; the meaning of recycling and recovery symbols and the latest waste strategy guidance

• meet your members’ recycling and recovery obligations
• ensure you have acquired sufficient electronic packaging recovery notes (ePRNs) and electronic packaging export recovery notes (ePERNs) to meet your members recycling and recovery targets
• submit a yearly statement of compliance confirming how you’ve met your member’s obligations and CIO
• keep records for 4 years

Penalties for non-compliance

You must comply with the conditions of approval of your registration.

If you don’t, your environmental regulator may withdraw your approval and cancel your registration.

See the Environment Agency monitoring plan which sets out how they’ll check businesses are complying each year.

If you fail to comply you may face prosecution under criminal law. In England and Wales there are also civil penalties available. These include:

• fixed penalty fines for minor offences
• higher fines for a more serious offence
• an enforcement undertaking – an offer, formally accepted by your environmental regulator that redresses the impact of your non-compliance

Contact the environmental regulators

England

Telephone: 03708 506 506

Email: packaging@environment-agency.gov.uk

Wales

Telephone: 0300 065 3096

Email: packaging@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Scotland

Email: producer.responsibility@sepa.org.uk

Telephone: 07786 457700

Northern Ireland

Telephone: 028 9056 9387

Email: packaging@daera-ni.gov.uk

Legislation and regulations

See packaging and packaging waste legislation and regulations:

• Packaging and Packaging Waste European Directive (94/62/EC)
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2008
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2012
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2016
• Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations