Conservation of Scallops Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Prohibition of fishing and fishing methods

3.—(1) The prohibitions in this regulation are subject to the exceptions in regulation 4.

(2) A person shall not use or carry on board any fishing vessel in waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland—

(a) a scallop dredge or system of scallop dredges with a width, or in the case of a system of scallop dredges, an aggregate width, of more than 1219 cms (40 feet);

(b) a scallop dredge with more than 9 teeth per dredge or tooth bar;

(c) a scallop dredge with a tooth spacing between the internal edges of less than 75 mm on the dredge or tooth bar;

(d) a scallop dredge with belly rings having a clear opening of less than 75 mm internal diameter;

(e) a scallop dredge with a minimum mesh size of 100 mm in the netting cover; and

(f) a French dredge.

(3) A person shall not fish for scallops in waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland using more than 8 scallop dredges from each side of any fishing vessel.

(4) A person shall not, while diving, take scallops during the period 1st June to 31st October, both days inclusive, in any year, in waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland.

(5) A person shall not take and retain on board any vessel, in waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland, scallops with a minimum size of less than 110 mm.

(6) A person shall not, in waters within British fishery limits which are adjacent to Northern Ireland, take and retain on board scallops which are more than 1% by weight of the total of all catches on board.