The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has made the Shellfish Gathering (Conservation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 (SR 2026 No. 1), establishing an annual closed season for periwinkles (Littorina littorea). The Regulations were made on 6 January 2026 and come into operation on 6 February 2026.
The measure prohibits taking periwinkles by any means from the inter-tidal area during the period 1 January to 30 April each year. For clarity, the instrument defines the inter-tidal area as the zone between the high water mark of ordinary spring tides and the low water mark of ordinary spring tides, and defines periwinkles as the species Littorina littorea.
Because the instrument begins on 6 February 2026, the first year of operation runs from 6 February to 30 April 2026. From 2027 onwards the closed season will apply from 1 January to 30 April inclusive each year.
An exemption applies for activity carried out under, and in accordance with, a permit granted under section 14 of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966. Section 14 empowers the Department to authorise named individuals for artificial propagation, scientific purposes or fishery improvement, subject to conditions, and requires permit-holders to produce the permit on request by an authorised person; it is not a general harvesting licence for commercial gathering. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1966/17/section/14?utm_source=openai))
DAERA’s Inland Fisheries Statutory Approvals Section administers section 14 permits. Applications should be submitted at least 28 days before the proposed start date, using the published forms and guidance provided by the Northern Ireland Executive and DAERA. ([northernireland.gov.uk](https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/publications/application-permit-under-section-14-fisheries-act-ni-1966?utm_source=openai))
Foragers and small-scale fishers should treat the rule as a complete pause on periwinkle gathering during the closed season. The wording “by any means” captures hand-picking and the use of simple tools. The inter-tidal definition covers shorelines, rock pools and mudflats exposed at low spring tides, and the prohibition applies whether collection is for personal use or sale.
Permit-holders must adhere strictly to any conditions on areas, methods and reporting. A copy of the permit should be carried during fieldwork and produced to authorised officers on request. Breaches of fisheries legislation may constitute offences under the 1966 Act and enforcement is undertaken by DAERA fisheries officers.
The Regulation sits alongside wider reform. DAERA has scheduled an Intertidal Hand-gathering of Shellfish Fisheries Management Plan for 2027, expanding earlier periwinkle-focused proposals to include oysters, cockles, blue mussels and razor clams. The seasonal closure provides immediate conservation control while that framework is developed. ([daera-ni.gov.uk](https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/fisheries-policy?utm_source=openai))
Previous departmental work highlighted the need for management of intertidal hand-gathering. A 2022 call for evidence noted environmental pressures from unregulated activity and proposed measures to protect stocks and sensitive habitats. The new Regulations address periwinkle gathering on a Northern Ireland-wide basis. ([daera-ni.gov.uk](https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/intertidal-hand-gathering-shellfish-northern-ireland-call-evidence?utm_source=openai))