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New Regulations protecting Atlantic Tuna

The Department has made new regulations to protect a range of fish species covered by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna. The regulations can be found here. Unauthorised persons must not fish for, take or kill any of the protected species.

Research Contribution (Pilot) Scheme 2023 to 2024

The Department is to run another trial scheme that allows the fishing industry to establish a research fund using ‘excess scallops’. Note: vessels are not automatically signed-up to the scheme, but vessels and processors must sign-up together and have a permit issued by the Department.

The industry research fund is generated by the sale of excess scallops that vessels would be required to discard in order to remain under the daily catch limit (DCL). The DCL will be 800 kg when the king scallop dredge fishery opens on 1November 2023.  

The scheme is authorised by a conditional Fishery Improvement Permit issued by the Department. The pilot scheme that has ran since 2021 raises industry research funds, which help support industry-led high resolution survey of scallop stocks in the Isle of Man territorial sea.

DEFA has approved that the scheme can run for the 2023 to 2024 king scallop season. It is open to any vessel subject to:

  • the vessel being licenced and authorised to fish for king scallops in the Isle of Man territorial sea

  • the vesselcan onlyland excess scallops to an Isle of Man-based seafood processor

To be clear: excess scallops cannot be taken outside the territorial sea, and must only be landed to a Isle of Man-based processor.

The research funds generated from the sale of excess scallops will, once more, be used to support the Manx Fish Producers Organisation high-resolution scallop surveys in Isle of Man waters, which helps to manage stocks based on the best-available data. 

Landings of excess scallops will count against the fishery Total Allowable Catch (quota).

How it works

Processors receiving excess scallops from vessels (in addition to the 800kg daily catch limit) must not pay the landed value of excess scallops to the vessel, but instead into an industry research fund.

The fund shall have oversight from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), who will monitor both landings and payments. Expenditure of the fund shall also have oversight from DEFA, and will be used to deliver the research priorities of the industry, represented by the Scallop Management Board.

Strict Terms and Conditions apply to those taking part in the scheme.  

If you would like to apply to take part in this scheme, please email fisheries@gov.im or telephone +44 1624 685857 for a permit application.

The scheme is voluntary. If a vessel enters the scheme, but does not comply with the conditions, it shall have its permit revoked. If a processor enters the scheme and does not comply with the conditions, all permits associated with that processor shall be revoked. The Department reserves the right to end the scheme at any time by revoking all permits. Failure to comply with the conditions of the scheme may result in a fine of £1,000.

In addition to having its permit revoked, a vessel landing scallops anywhere other than to an Island-based processor may have its Isle of Man sea fishing licence suspended.

If you would like to discuss the scheme please telephone DEFA Fisheries Division on +44 1624 685857 or email fisheries@gov.im

Registration of Fish Buyers and Sellers - New Regulations

  • New regulations that govern the sale of first sale fish come into effect on Thursday 19 October 2023. The new regulations are titled the Sea Fisheries (Requirements) (Registration of Fish Buyers and Sellers) Regulations 2023

  • The new regulations do not introduce any changes to exiting policy, and those persons and businesses already registered do not need to re-register

  • The new regulations improve enforceability of the unlawful sale of first sale fish by unregistered persons/businesses, and update references to retained EC regulations post-Brexit

Important notices for vessel owners

Introduction of inshore vessel monitoring

  • On 1 April 2023, the Isle of Man Department of Environment, Food & Agriculture (DEFA) is to introduce legislation to require under-12m fishing vessels to have an operational Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (iVMS) when fishing in the Isle of Man territorial sea

  • This will impact all under-12m fishing vessels licensed to fish in Isle of Man waters, regardless of where they are registered

  • There are transition exemptions afforded to under-6m vessels that were licenced to fish in Isle of Man waters during the 22/23 licensing period

  • Vessels affected would need to have a device, which is approved by one or more of the British fisheries administrations, fitted and operational in order to fish in Isle of Man waters from April onwards

  • The Statutory Document - Sea Fisheries (Requirements) (Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems) Regulations 2022 is available online at the Tynwald website, and from next month would be available online at legislation.gov.im

Isle of man sea fishing licence

New licensing period

  • Current Isle of Man sea fishing licences are valid until 31 March 2023

  • If you wish for your vessel to fish from 1 April 2023 onwards you would need to renew/take out a licence for your vessel

  • DEFA Fisheries has emailed all licence holders an application form to renew their licence for the 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 licence period.

  • The 2023/24 Isle of Man sea fishing licence application form is available online to download.  Alternatively, contact DEFA Fisheries to request a paper copy.

Changes to administration of licences

  • DEFA will be issuing renewed/new Isle of Man sea fishing licences for 2023-24 electronically, via email. This means that the licence (Sections A-F) will be emailed to the vessel nominee

  • Other Sections of the licence, including the licence Schedule (Section H), Conditions (Section G) and Annexe (Section I), Glossary of Terms (Section J), and Legislation Index (Section K) will be available online. These documents will all form part of the licence

  • The Isle of Man sea fishing licence Schedule, Conditions and Annexe that are issued from April onwards will mirror relevant parts of your vessel’s UK licence applicable to Isle of Man waters (such as quota limits for Area VII/VIIa), as well as include specific additional requirements applied by DEFA

  • Schedules / Conditions / Annexes / Glossary of Terms / Legislation Index will all be made available on the Fisheries area of the gov.im website, to download, when the licences are issued.  You will be directed to the webpage when your licence is issued

  • To ensure you identify the relevant documentation on the website, the information will be grouped on the webpage by vessel nationality and PO/Non-Sector

Should you have any questions on the above contact DEFA Fisheries:

Phone: +44 1624 685857

Email: fisheries@gov.im

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