Marine Management Organisation homepage
About us
What we do
We license, regulate and plan marine activities in the seas around England and Wales so that they're carried out in a sustainable way.
This helps the government achieve its vision for clean, healthy, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas.
Who we are
We were created by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and are now a team of almost 300 people. We combine our Newcastle upon Tyne and London operations with a local presence around the English coastline in North Shields, Scarborough, Grimsby, Lowestoft, Harwich, Hastings, Shoreham, Poole, Portsmouth, Brixham, Plymouth, Penzance and Preston.
Our responsibilities
We’re responsible for:
- managing and monitoring fishing fleet sizes and quotas for catches
- ensuring compliance with fisheries regulations, such as fishing vessel licences, time at sea and quotas for fish and seafood
- managing funding programmes for fisheries activities
- planning and licensing for marine construction, deposits and dredging that may have an environmental, economic or social impact
- making marine nature conservation byelaws
- dealing with marine pollution emergencies, including oil spills
- helping to prevent illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing worldwide
- producing marine plans to include all marine activities, including those we don’t directly regulate
- enforcing wildlife legislation and issuing wildlife licences
Our priorities
From 2014 to 2017, our priorities are to:
- publish the plans and guidance for England’s East Inshore and East Offshore Marine Plan Areas and continue to work on the south marine plans
- improve the application process for marine licences and harbour applications
- work with other regulators and government bodies to coordinate marine and coastal development, using marine plans as a basis for decisions
- support the fishing industry by helping businesses access grants from the European Fisheries Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
- work with the fishing industry and other government bodies to achieve the changes set out in the new Common Fisheries Policy
- make sure the fisheries industry knows about changes in EU and domestic laws that affect them
- ensure that our stewardship of MPAs contributes to a well-managed network, bringing together conservation authorities and other regulatory bodies
Corporate information
Access our information
Jobs and contracts
Find out About our services.
Corporate reports
-
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) triennial review 2013
-
Regulators' Code Action Plan
-
Marine Management Organisation annual report and accounts 2013 to 2014
-
Corporate Plan
-
Marine Management Organisation annual report and accounts 2012 to 2013
-
Marine licensing and better regulation
-
Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy
-
Social Research Strategy
-
Strategic Evidence Plan
-
Marine Management Organisation annual report and accounts 2011 to 2012
-
Marine Management Organisation annual report and accounts 2010 to 2011