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Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland


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2004 No. 173

FISHERIES

Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004

  Made 8th April 2004 
  Coming into operation 9th April 2004 

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 30(2) of the Fisheries Act 1981[1] and now vested in it[2] and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement, extent and application
     1.  - (1) This Order may be cited as the Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004 and shall come into operation on 9th April 2004.

    (2) This Order does not apply to any fishing boat which is less than 10 metres in length as set out in point 1 of Annex V.

Interpretation
    
2.  - (1) In this Order -

    (2) In this Order -

    (3) Any information provided to any authority for the purposes of any provision of this Order shall be treated as also provided for the purposes of any equivalent provision.

    (4) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[8], except section 20(2) and (3), shall apply to this Order at it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Establishment of management periods
     3.  - (1) Management periods for a Northern Ireland fishing boat, as referred to in point 6(b) of Annex V, shall be determined and notified by the person in charge of the boat, as follows:

and they are established by that determination and notification unless point 12 of Annex V applies to the boat, in which case they are established by confirmation of that determination and notification by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development or by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs taking that point into account.

    (2) The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which, at any time during the Annex V year, is absent from port in the cod recovery zone carrying regulated gear for which a management period has not been established provided in paragraph (1), is guilty of an offence.

    (3) For the purposes of this Article a notification given to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (whether after or in anticipation of the coming into operation of this Order) covering a management period including February, March or April 2004 and any grouping of gears for the period shall be treated as meeting the requirement of paragraph (1)(c).

Absences from port etc
    
4.  - (1) A person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which, at any time in the Annex V year, either -

    (2) In paragraph (1) -

Carriage and operation of fishing gears
    
5.  - (1) The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which fishes in contravention of the first paragraph of point 7 of Annex V is guilty of an offence.

    (2) The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which deploys regulated gear in contravention of the second paragraph of point 7 of Annex V whilst present in the cod recovery zone is guilty of an offence.

    (3) The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which uses regulated gear in contravention of the remainder of point 7 of Annex V is guilty of an offence.

    (4) Where point 7 of Annex V requires notification or prior notice it must, in the case of a Northern Ireland fishing boat, be given to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    (5) The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat which carries fishing gear on board in contravention of point 8 or 11 of Annex V is guilty of an offence.

Transfer of days from one boat to another
    
6.  - (1) Unused days may be transferred from one British fishing boat ("donor") to another British fishing boat ("recipient") under point 10 of Annex V where either the donor or the recipient is, or both are, a Northern Ireland fishing boat.

    (2) A transfer under paragraph (1) is only effective if, where the donor is a Northern Ireland fishing boat, a written notification of transfer, signed by the donor's owner (or, as the case may be, each part owner), is sent to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development before the end of the management period in relation to which the transfer is to take effect, and contains all the following particulars:

    (3) A person who makes a false declaration in a notification under paragraph (2) is guilty of an offence.

    (4) For the purpose of this Article -

Transportation of cod
     7. Where any quantities of cod are transported, during the Annex V year, in contravention of point 21 of Annex V, the owner or hirer of, and the person responsible for, the vehicle used to transport the cod is guilty of an offence.

Mixing of species
    
8. A person in charge of -

which retains or stows cod during the Annex V year in contravention of point 19 of Annex V, is guilty of an offence.

Notification prior to entry to a Northern Ireland port
    
9.  - (1) The person in charge of a British or foreign fishing boat to which point 15 of Annex V applies, which, during the Annex V year, enters a port in Northern Ireland without the information called for by that point having been provided as required by it, is guilty of an offence.

    (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is the person to whom that information is to be provided.

Landing of cod where prior notification is required
    
10.  - (1) A British sea-fishery officer may, by written or oral direction to the person in charge of a British or foreign fishing boat landing at a port in Northern Ireland, require that the discharge referred to in point 16 of Annex V does not commence until authorised by a British sea-fishery officer.

    (2) The person in charge of a fishing boat from which a discharge is made during the Annex V year in contravention of the requirement in paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence.

Landing of cod at a designated port
    
11.  - (1) The person in charge of a British or foreign fishing boat which lands cod in Northern Ireland in contravention of point 17 of Annex V during the Annex V year is guilty of an offence.

    (2) If, in the circumstances to which point 20 of Annex V applies, cod is first landed from a fishing boat in a port within Northern Ireland designated as specified in paragraph (3), it is required that a representative sample, as called for by that point, shall be weighed in the presence of a British sea-fishery officer prior to being offered for first sale, unless the following conditions are met -

and the person in charge of a fishing boat from which cod is offered for first sale during the Annex V year in contravention of that requirement is guilty of an offence.

    (3) For landings in Northern Ireland, the ports, and where applicable the landing locations within them, designated for the purposes of paragraph 17 of Annex V are listed in the Schedule.

Recording information on catches of fish
    
12. The person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat, in respect of which the 8% margin of tolerance set out in point 18 of Annex V is exceeded during the Annex V year, is guilty of an offence.

Maintenance of logbooks
    
13.  - (1) An entry shall be made in a logbook of any Northern Ireland fishing boat which is absent from port (on a trip which includes any period in the cod recovery zone) carrying regulated gear but not fishing as specified in Article 6 of Regulation 2847/93, in respect of each particular gear which would be required to be entered by that Article (as amplified by Regulation 2807/83) were the boat so fishing, and such an entry shall state the type of fishing gear carried.

    (2) Such an entry shall be made -

and the requirements of those Regulations for handing over and dispatch of logbook entries shall apply to the entries required by this Article as they apply to other entries.

    (3) Where a Northern Ireland fishing boat is absent from port and paragraph (1) requires a logbook entry to be made in respect of that absence, the logbook entries shall be handed over and dispatched as if landing were made at the time of the boat's arrival in port.

    (4) Where in relation to any time in the Annex V year there is, in respect of a Northern Ireland fishing boat, a failure to make an entry required by this Article, or to comply with requirements for handing over and dispatch referred to in this Article, the person in charge of that fishing boat is guilty of an offence.

Penalties and defence
    
14.  - (1) A person guilty of an offence under Article 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13 or under any equivalent provision shall be liable -

    (2) The court by or before which a person is convicted of an offence under Article 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 or under any equivalent provision may order forfeiture of:

    (3) Any person found guilty of an offence under Article 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 or under any equivalent provision shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the value of the fish in respect of which the offence was committed.

    (4) A person shall not be liable to a fine under paragraph (3) in respect of such an offence if, under paragraph (2), the court orders the forfeiture of the fish in respect of which that offence was committed; and where a fine is imposed under paragraph (3) in respect of any offence, the court shall not have the power under paragraph (2) to order forfeiture of the fish in respect of which the offence was committed.

    (5) Subject to paragraph (4), any fine to which a person is liable under paragraph (3) shall be in addition to any other penalty (whether preliminary or otherwise) to which he is liable in respect of that offence under this Article.

    (6) In any proceedings for an offence under Article 4(1)(b), it shall be a defence for a person to show that the number of days absent from port carrying any type of fishing gear comprising the offence was no greater than the number of days of absence carrying that gear purportedly but not validly transferred to that person's fishing boat under Article 6 and that he did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the donor was not entitled to transfer the days.

    (7) References in this Article to fish in respect of which an offence was committed include fish caught at any time in the period during which the offence was committed.

Recovery of fines
    
15.  - (1) Where a fine is imposed by a magistrates' court on a person in charge of a fishing boat who is convicted by the court of an offence under this Order or any equivalent provision, the court may -

    (2) Articles 114(2) and 154 of the Magistrates Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981[10] (postponement of certain warrants and objections as to want of form or variance between complaint etc and evidence adduced) shall apply to a warrant of distress issued under this Article as they apply to a warrant referred to in those Articles of that Order.

    (3) Where, in relation to an offence under this Order or under any equivalent provision a court orders under section 90 of the Magistrates Court Act 1980[11] or section 222 of the Criminal Procedures (Scotland) Act 1995[12] that a fine shall be enforceable in a petty sessions district in Northern Ireland specified in the court's order, paragraphs (1) and (2) shall apply as if the fine were imposed by a court within that petty sessions district.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers in relation to fishing boats
     16.  - (1) For the purpose of enforcing Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provisions, or to operate or facilitate the operation of any monitoring deriving from point 22 of Annex V, any British sea-fishery officer may exercise the powers conferred by this Article in relation to -

    (2) He may go on board the boat, with or without persons assigned to assist him in his duties, and may require the boat to stop and do anything else which will facilitate either the boarding of, or the disembarkation from, the boat.

    (3) He may require the attendance of the master and other persons on board the boat and may make any examination and inquiry which appears to him to be necessary for the purpose mentioned in paragraph (1) and, in particular -

but nothing in sub-paragraph (f) above shall permit any document required by law to be carried on board the boat to be seized and detained except while the boat is detained in a port.

    (4) Where it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that an offence under Article 3, 4, 5, 8, 12 or 13, or under any equivalent provision, has at any time been committed in respect of a fishing boat, he may -

and where such an officer detains or requires the detention of the boat he shall serve on the master a notice in writing stating that the boat is (or is required to be) detained until the notice is withdrawn by the service on the master of a further notice in writing signed by a British sea-fishery officer.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers on land
    
17.  - (1) For the purpose of enforcing Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provisions, or to operate or facilitate the operation of any monitoring deriving from point 22 of the Annex, any British sea-fishery officer may -

    (2) The provisions of paragraph (1) above shall also apply in relation to any land used in connection with any of the activities described in paragraph (1), or in respect of any vehicle which a British sea-fishery officer has reasonable cause to believe is being used to transport fisheries products, as they apply in relation to premises and, in the case of a vehicle, shall include power to require the vehicle to stop at any time and, if necessary, direct the vehicle to some other place to facilitate the inspection.

    (3) If a justice of the peace on sworn complaint in writing is satisfied -

Powers of British sea-fishery officers to seize fish and fishing gear
    
18.  - (1) This Article applies -

    (2) Where this Article applies, any British sea-fishery officer may seize -

under Article 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, or under any equivalent provision.

Protection of British sea-fishery officers
    
19. A British sea-fishery officer or a person assisting him by virtue of Article 16(2) or 17(1)(b), or authorisation under Article 17(3), shall not be liable in any civil or criminal proceedings for anything done in the purported exercise of the powers conferred on him by Articles 16 to 18 if the court is satisfied that the act was done in good faith, that there were reasonable grounds for doing it and that it was done with reasonable skill and care.

Obstruction of British sea-fishery officers
    
20.  - (1) Any person who -

is guilty of an offence.

    (2) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) is liable -

Provisions as to offences
    
21.  - (1) Where any offence under any of Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provision committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, or a person purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

    (2) Where any offence under any of Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provision committed by a partnership is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner, he as well as the partnership shall be guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

    (3) Where any offence under any of Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provision committed by an unincorporated association (other than a partnership) is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any officer of the association or any member of its governing body, he as well as the association shall be guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Admissibility in evidence of logbooks and other documents
    
22.  - (1) Any -

of Regulation 2847/93 shall, in any proceedings for an offence under this Order or any equivalent provision, be evidence of the matters stated therein and so shall any additional entry in a logbook made pursuant to this Order or any equivalent provision.

    (2) For the purpose of paragraph (1), "required information" means -

as communicated via a satellite-based vessel monitoring system established under Article 3(1) of Regulation 2847/93.

Consequential and connected amendments
    
23. The Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Control Measures) Order 2000[13] is amended, so far as it applies in Northern Ireland, as follows:

Revocation
     24. The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003[14] is revoked.



Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on


8th April 2004.

L.S.


T. McCusker
A senior officer of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development


SCHEDULE
Article 11(3)


LISTS OF PORTS (AND LOCATIONS WITHIN THE PORT) IN NORTHERN IRELAND AT WHICH ALL LANDINGS OF COD COVERED BY POINT 17 OF ANNEX V MUST TAKE PLACE


Port Location within port (where applicable)
Ardglass On the wall of the fish market and port office
Portavogie On the wall of the fish market and port office
Kilkeel On the wall of the fish market and port office
Bangor On the central pier



EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)


This Order provides for the enforcement in Northern Ireland of the provisions of Annex V ("the Annex") to Council Regulation (EC) No. 2287/2003 (O.J. No. L344 31.12.2003. p. 1) fixing for 2004 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required.

The Order contains provisions relating to the aggregation of management periods (Article 3), the number of days which a vessel may be absent from port (Article 4) , the use of regulated fishing gear (Article 5) and the manner in which days may be transferred between fishing vessels within the same management period (Article 6).

Further, the Order sets out provisions for the transportation of cod (Article 7), a provision relating to the mixing of species within containers on board fishing vessels (Article 8), procedures for the landing of cod in designated and non-designated ports (Articles 9 to 11), a margin of tolerance relating to the recording of catches of fish in logbooks (Article 12) and provisions relating to the maintenance of logbooks (Article 13).

The Order creates offences in respect of the contravention, by the person in charge of the relevant fishing boat (or the individuals otherwise specifically referred to) of provisions of the Annex. The offences relate to absences from port without notified gear (Article 3) or in excess of the days permitted (Article 4), failure to use regulated fishing gears in the manner set out in the Annex (Article 5), giving false information when attempting to transfer days from one vessel to another (Article 6), transporting cod in a manner inconsistent with the Annex (Article 7), unlawful mixing of species (Article 8), the landing of cod in designated and non-designated ports in contravention of notification and documentary requirements (Articles 9 to 11), and failing to comply with the 8% tolerance for logbook records relating to catches of fish and failure to handover and dispatch logbooks in the manner prescribed (Articles 12 and 13).

The Order provides that a person guilty of an offence under it other than an offence under Article 20 is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £50,000 and on conviction on indictment to a fine. Further fines up to and including the value of any fish caught in committing the offence are permitted and the court may also order the seizure of fish caught or equipment used in, or in activities leading to, the commission of the offence (Article 14).

The Order also provides for the recovery of fines imposed, or treated as imposed, by a magistrates' court (Article 15).

For the purposes of enforcing provisions of the Annex, the Order confers on British sea-fishery officers the powers to enter premises, to go on board fishing boats, to stop and search vehicles transporting fish, to examine fish, to require the production of documents, to search for and seize documents, to take a boat to the nearest convenient port and to seize fish and fishing gear (Articles 16 to 18). Protection of such officers from liability is set out in Article 19, and impeding them is an offence under Article 20, with a fine of up to the statutory maximum on summary conviction and a fine on conviction on indictment. Articles 21 and 22 deal with corporate and equivalent offences and admissibility of documents in evidence. Consequential amendment and revocation is carried in Articles 23 and 24. In addition Article 23 includes further provision bringing forward the time for submission of logbook entries for landings in designated ports.


Notes:

[1] 1981 c. 29back

[2] See Sea Fisheries (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/790) Article 3(2) and Schedule 2back

[3] O.J. No. L344, 31.12.2003, p. 1back

[4] 1995 c. 21back

[5] 1998 c. 47back

[6] O.J. No. L276, 10.10.1983, p. 1; the last amending instrument is Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1965/2001 (O.J. No. L268, 9.10.2001, p. 28)back

[7] O.J. No. L261, 20.10.199, p. 1; the last amending instrument is Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003 (O.J. No. L289, 7.11.2003, p. 1)back

[8] 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)back

[9] S.I. 1993/ 3138; the relevant amending instrument is S.I. 1999/3206back

[10] S.I. 1981/1675 (N.I. 26)back

[11] 1980 c. 43back

[12] 1995 c. 46back

[13] S.I. 2000/51 as amended by S.R. 2003 No. 59back

[14] S.R. 2003 No. 59back



ISBN 0 337 95542 5


  © Crown copyright 2004

Prepared 2 June 2004


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