The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has revoked the Shellfish Gathering (Conservation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, with the change taking effect from 6 February 2026. The move is set out in Sea Fisheries Statutory Rule 2026 No. 15, recorded on legislation.gov.uk and sealed on 5 February by Owen Lyttle, a senior DAERA officer.

In plain terms, the new rule wipes the 2026 conservation instrument off the books. It specifically revokes the Shellfish Gathering (Conservation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, cited as S.R. 2026 No. 1. The Explanatory Note gives no further detail beyond the fact of revocation, so the industry will now look for accompanying guidance from the department.

For readers across the North of England, this matters beyond Belfast’s corridors. Irish Sea shellfish moves into northern processors, wholesalers and coastal kitchens from Cumbria and Lancashire through Merseyside to the North East. Any adjustment to Northern Ireland’s gathering rules can ripple through prices, delivery schedules and audit checks on this side of the water.

DAERA acted under section 124(1) and (2) of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966, a long‑standing legal power used to regulate conservation and harvesting activity. Revocation means the 2026 conservation instrument no longer applies; other fishery orders, licence conditions and local closures continue to stand unless separately amended.

Crews, buyers and hauliers will want a clean line on what applies through late winter into the spring tides. Processors and merchants will be checking procurement files to ensure landing and sourcing paperwork reflects the position from 6 February onwards, particularly where contracts reference ‘current law’ requirements.

Food‑safety classifications for bivalve mollusc harvesting areas, and any local authority public‑health notices, remain in force alongside fisheries law. This change does not alter hygiene rules on depuration, documentation or traceability, which sit with food authorities and operators’ own quality systems.

While DAERA has not set out a rationale in the published note, the timing-made on 5 February and in force on 6 February-shows officials have moved quickly to reset the legal position. Stakeholders will expect a short update indicating whether replacement measures are planned or whether existing frameworks are considered sufficient for conservation aims.

For now, one point is confirmed: the Shellfish Gathering (Conservation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 no longer apply from 6 February 2026. Operators with northern supply chains should keep an eye on DAERA marine and fisheries notices and speak with local fishery offices if in doubt about gathering or landing plans.