The participants in MSFOMA meetings listed below have all agreed to abide by the “Nolan Principles” for holders of public office with respect to selflessness, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. For each participant a brief statement of their interests is provided. For the Directors of the Association, we have included a list of their other Directorships, which are published on the Companies House website (accessible here).
MSFOMA Members
Members of the Association are entitled to attend meetings and vote on motions.
Alan Winstone, Chair*
Alan has over 30 years of experience working in Fisheries Science and environmental management across Wales. At the Environment Agency Wales, Alan was responsible for Fisheries Enforcement and management in North Wales for 15 years and led on the introduction of a Regulating Order for cockles in the Dee Estuary which resulted in the Fishery achieving MSC accreditation. Since retiring in 2014 has been actively involved in the Rivers Trust movement in Wales and is Chairman of the North Wales Rivers Trust.
Interests
- Trustee and Director of the North Wales Rivers Trust
Directorships (listed here)
- Menai Strait Fishery Order Management Association Ltd
- North Wales Rivers Trust Ltd
Professor Lewis Le Vay, Bangor University
Lewis joined the academic staff in the School of Ocean Sciences in 2001. He is now the Director of the Centre for Applied Marine Sciences, as well as holding a personal chair at the School. His research covers a wide range of aquaculture including the cultivation of tropical and temperate crustacea; bivalve shellfish aquaculture; tropical mangroves and seagrasses; the integration of aquaculture in coastal wetlands; coastal water quality and wastewater remediation.
Interests
- Research lead for a range of projects, some of which involve partnership working or co-funding from the shellfish industry.
- Member of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain
Kim Mould, Myti Mussels Ltd*
Kim Mould BSc(Hons) has 46 years of experience working in the shellfish industry in U.K., Eire and Europe. His company Myti Mussels was established in Bangor in 1982, and was responsible for the revitalisation of the mussel cultivation industry in the Menai Strait. He has served as a Council Member of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and worked closely with Seafish developing modern depuration systems for live bivalve molluscs. Once a leading supplier of live mussels to the U.K. , Myti Mussels is now a leading company in the culture of Mytilus edulis for export.
Interests
- Leaseholder of lays in eastern Menai Strait Fishery Order
- Member of NW-IFCA’s Bivalve Mollusc Working Group, established to advice on bivalve mollusc fisheries in Morecambe Bay.
James Wilson, Bangor Mussel Producers Ltd*
James has worked in many different roles in the seafood industry over the past 25 years, including the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific Region and as a researcher at CEMARE, University of Portsmouth. He has degrees in Marine Biology, Fisheries Economics, and Law. James is a founding Director of the Bangor Mussel Producers Ltd and MSFOMA. He is also director of Deepdock Ltd, one of the shellfish farming companies in the eastern Menai Strait. He is actively involved in various Committees and Associations (listed below), was a Board Member of Seafish from 2005-18, and has previously Chaired the Welsh Sea Fisheries Advisory Committee and the Shellfish Association of Great Britain Mollusc Committee.
Interests
- Mussel farmer, interested in all aspects associated with shellfish farming in the Fishery Order
- Board Member, Shellfish Association of Great Britain (2015-present)
- Member of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee and Food Standards Agency (FSA), so interested in food safety issues (2017-present).
- Board Member of Welsh Food & Drink Industry Board (FDIBW), so interested in matters of food policy and their application in a Welsh context (2015-present).
Directorships (listed here, here, here & here)
- BM Marine Services Ltd
- Bwyd y Môr Ltd
- Deepdock Ltd
- Deepdock (NI) Ltd
- Fish on Line Ltd
- Menai Mussels Ltd
- Môn Mariculture Ltd
- Môn Shellfish Ltd
- The Menai Seafood Company Ltd
- The Menai Strait Fishery Order Management Association
- The Shellfish Association of Great Britain
- Tyfy & Associates Ltd
Ioan Thomas, Cyngor Gwynedd Council
Ioan is a Member of Cyngor Gwynedd Council for the Menai ward in Caernarfon, and the current Cabinet Member for Finance. He also represents the Menai ward for Caernfarfon Town Council. He has served as Mayor of Caernarfon on 4 occasions, which included the role of Deputy Constable of Caernarfon Castle. He is a Trustee of Caernarfon Harbour Trust and is currently its Chairman. Ioan’s main interest is rugby (no surprise as he is originally from Llanelli), and he is also a member of Caernarfon Sailing Club.
- Member of Gwynedd Council
- Member of Caernarfon Town Council
- Member of Caernarfon Harbour Trust
- Member of Plaid Cymru
- Member of Caernarfon Sailing Club
- Member of Prospect (Trade Union)
- Member of RICS (retired)
Observers
Observers are representatives of organisations that are invited to attend meetings and observe the business of the Association. They are not entitled to vote on motions. The Observers’ statements of interest are summarised below.
Rowland Sharp, Natural Resources Wales
Rowland is NRW’s Senior Marine Advisor. He has worked for NRW and its predecessor organisation for over 20 years as a specialist in marine fisheries and policy. He has been an active participant in the work of MSFOMA since it was first set up in 2010. The input and advice of Rowland and his colleagues at NRW is vital to ensure that MSFOMA manages shellfish farming in the Menai Strait is compatible with the wildlife species and habitats that thrive in its unique environment.
Julian Bray, Welsh Government
- Head of Domestic Fisheries Policy and Management Branch.
Michelle Billing, Welsh Government
- Domestic Fisheries Policy and Management Branch – Fishery Orders
Gareth Roberts, Bangor City Council
- No interests to declare
Iwan Huws, Isle of Anglesey County Council
- Also Chair of Y Felinheli Community Council
- No interests to declare.
Trevor Jones, Menai West Fishery Order Applicants
Trevor has farmed mussels in the Menai Strait for over 30 years. His company, Extramussel, is one of the tenants of the Fishery Order in the eastern Menai Strait.
Trevor has been one of the leading champions for the renewal of the Fishery Order in the western Menai Strait which expired in 2008.
Interests
- Leaseholder of a lay in the eastern Menai Strait Fishery Order area
- Prospective leaseholder for a lay in the western Menai Strait Fishery Order
Howard Mattocks, Beaumaris Town Council
- Beaumaris Bay is on the edge of the Fishery Order area.
- Beaumaris Town Council has an interest in the deep water mooring licensed by Anglesey County Council that are located within the Fishery Order area.
Ruth Iliffe, Royal Yachting Assocation Cymru
Ruth is the National Development Officer and Equity Lead for RYA-Cymru, based in North Wales. She worked closely with MSFOMA on the proposals for renewing the Fishery Order in the western Menai Strait, providing a key link between the local sailing community and MSFOMA. Recognising her abilities and the importance of this role, Ruth was invited to attend MSFOMA meetings as an observer after our meeting in June 2022. She attended her first meeting in September 2022.
Nia Jones, North Wales Wildlife Trust
Nia Jones works as the Marine Awareness Officer at North Wales Wildlife Trust. Since graduating from University of Wales, Bangor in 2004 Nia has run several projects to educate and enthuse people of all ages about the local marine environment. Nia was invited to attend MSFOMA meetings as an observer after our meeting in June 2022.
Advisors
Advisors are individuals invited by the Association to provide advice on particular topics. Advisors are not entitled to vote on motions.
Jim Andrews, AWJ Marine Ltd*
Jim has over 25 years’ experience working in marine fisheries and environmental management. From 1992 to 2005 he worked first for English Nature and then for the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee. At the NW&NWSFC he was responsible for managing three Fishery Orders in North Wales: at Conwy, the eastern Menai Strait and the western Menai Strait. He has subsequently provided expert advice to lawyers working on the Wash Fishery Order, and carried out a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment of the cockle fishery conducted in the Thames Fishery Order. He has carried out MSC assessments of bivalve fisheries in Denmark, Germany, India, Japan and Australia, and has worked on the management of bivalve shellfisheries with the Irish and Isle of Man Governments. He helped to establish MSFOMA in 2010, and has provided technical and administrative support to the Association for the past 10 years.
Interests
- Independent fisheries and environmental consultant
- Member of Shellfish Association of Great Britain
- MMO appointed Member of North West Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (2015-present)
Directorships (listed here)
- Andrews Ward James Ltd
- Menai Strait Fishery Order Management Association Ltd
- Morecambe Bay Shellfish Farms Ltd
- Sea Fish Directory Ltd
* These individuals are also Directors of the Association. They are entitled to vote on motions in this capacity.