Sea Fishing

0 - 3 miles

Who can fish?

To fish from a registered fishing vessel (unless by hook and line) you need a permit issued by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry in the Isle of Man. This is in addition to the UK commercial licence for the vessel and the Isle of Man licence.

A permit form is available from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (click here for address).

Permits are not available for vessels that are more than 50 foot registered length.

Rules

Restricted zone

You must not fish with a net inside a "restricted zone". This means

within a harbour; or
within 500 metres of a pier or quay, where it forms part of a harbour, or of a breakwater; or
within 500 metres of where certain rivers enter the sea

Nets

The Bye-laws for within the three-mile area contain details of requirements for catching target species. For each target species there is a minimum mesh size, and minimum percentage catch taken and retained, and also a maximum percentage for protected species. If you want further information about mesh size, or percentages, please contact us (E-mail daff@gov.im).

Downloadable Documents