Conservation of Scallops (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

1998 No. 46

SEA FISHERIES

Conservation of Scallops (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Made

19th February 1998

Coming into operation

30th March 1998

The Department of Agriculture, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 19(1), 124(1) and (2) of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966(1) and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Conservation of Scallops (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 and shall come into operation on 30th March 1998.

Amendment of the Conservation of Scallops Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

2.—(1) The Conservation of Scallops Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2) shall be amended as provided in paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) In regulation 2 after the definition of “scallop dredge” there shall be inserted the following definition—

• ““size” in relation to any scallop means the size calculated by measuring the maximum length of the shell;”.

(3) In regulation 3(2)(e) for the words “minimum mesh size of 100mm” there shall be substituted the words “mesh size of less than 100mm”.

(4) In regulation 3(5) for the words “scallops with a minimum size of less than 110mm” there shall be substituted “scallops of a size less than 110mm”.

(5) For regulation 3(6) there shall be substituted the following paragraph—

“(6) A person who, within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland, catches fish by any means other than a scallop dredge shall not take and retain on board his vessel scallops which are more than 1% by weight of the total of all fish on board.”

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture on

L.S.

G. Lavery

Assistant Secretary

19th February 1998.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Conservation of Scallops Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (the principal Regulations) which lay down certain restrictions on fishing for scallops in the waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland.

The Regulations—

(a) insert a definition of scallop size;

(b) replace the existing provision on the amount of scallops that may be retained on board a vessel by limiting this to 1% by weight of the total of all fish on board if a scallop dredge is not being used; and

(c) clarify that the permitted mesh size in the netting cover of a scallop dredge must not be less than 110mm and that scallops of a size of less than 110mm must not be taken and retained on board a vessel in the British fishery limits adjacent to Northern Ireland.

(1)

1966 c. 17 (N.I.); the relevant amendment to which is S.I. 1981/227 (N.I. 7) Art. 6

(2)

S.I. 1997/89