The Environment Agency notifies the public of the decision made on certain applications for the abstraction or impoundment of water.

This decision statement explains:

• who has made the application
• what decision has been made
• how the decision has been made

The landing obligation, also called the discard ban, means that you have to land all the fish that you catch if they:

• are pelagic quota species, including blue whiting, boarfish, herring, horse mackerel, mackerel, Norway pout, sandeel and sprat
• include by-catch of quota species, such as cod and whiting
• include any quota fish that are below the minimum size

If you target certain demersal quota species you will be subject to the demersal landing obligation (discard ban) from 1 January 2018. Not all demersal fish are immediately affected from this date because the EU is gradually introducing the new rules.

Which rules apply to you depend on the sea area you fish in and the gear you use. Find out which apply to you

Specific regulations applying to pelagic and demersal fisheries are detailed in:

• Pelagic landing obligation 2018
• Demersal landing obligation 2018

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

• what the application is about
• how you can view the application documents
• when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

• whether to grant or refuse the application
• what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)