The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Scotland) Order 2004

Powers of British sea–fishery officers in relation to fishing boats

17.—(1) For the purpose of enforcing articles 4, and 6 to 14 of this Order or any equivalent provisions, any British sea–fishery officer may exercise the powers conferred by this article in relation to–

(a) a Scottish fishing boat wherever it may be; or

(b) any other fishing boat which is within the Scottish Zone.

(2) The officer may go on board the boat, with or without persons assigned to assist the officer in the duties of that officer 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) The officer may require the attendance of the master and other persons on board the boat and may make any examination and inquiry which appears to that officer to be necessary for the purpose mentioned in paragraph (1) of this article and, in particular–

(a) may search for fish or fishing gear on the boat and may examine any fish on the boat and the equipment of the boat, including the fishing gear, and require persons on board the boat to do anything which appears to the officer to be necessary for facilitating the examination;

(b) may require any person on board the boat to produce any document relating to the boat, to any fishing operations or other operations ancillary thereto or to the persons on board which is in custody or possession of that person;

(c) for the purpose of ascertaining whether a relevant offence has been committed, may search the boat for any such document and may require any person on board the boat to do anything which appears to that officer to be necessary for facilitating the search;

(d) may inspect and take copies of any such document produced to that officer or found on board;

(e) without prejudice to sub–paragraphs (c) and (d), may require the master and any person for the time being in charge of the boat to render all such documents on a computer system into a visible and legible form, including requiring any such document to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and

(f) where the boat is one in relation to which the officer has reason to suspect that a relevant offence has been committed, may seize and detain any such document produced to the officer or found on board for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the offence,

but nothing in sub–paragraph (f) 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 this Order or any equivalent provision has at any time been committed, that officer–

(a) may require the master of the boat in relation to which the offence took place to take, or that officer may take, the boat and its crew to the port which appears to that officer to be the nearest convenient port; and

(b) may detain or require the master to detain the boat in the port,

and where such an officer detains or requires the detention of a boat that officer shall serve on the master a notice in writing stating that the boat will be, 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.