The Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota and Third Country Fishing Measures) Order 2000

Title, commencement and extent

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota and Third Country Fishing Measures) Order 2000 and shall come into force on 11th April 2000.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), this Order shall not form part of the law of Scotland.

(3) Nothing in paragraph (2) shall be treated as prejudicing the effect in Scotland of section 30(2A) of the Fisheries Act 1981(1) in relation to, or for purposes incidental to, any provision in this Order which creates an offence.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In this Order–

“the Council Regulation” means Council Regulation (EC) No. 2742/1999 fixing for 2000 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where limitations in catch are required and amending Regulation (EC) No. 66/98(2);

“Council Regulation 2847/93” means Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy(3), as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 2870/95(4), Council Decision (EC) 95/528(5), Council Regulation (EC) 2489/96(6), Council Regulation (EC) 686/97(7), Council Regulation (EC) 2205/97(8), Council Regulation (EC) 2635/97(9) and Council Regulation (EC) 2846/98(10);

“relevant British fishing boat” means a fishing boat, other than a Scottish fishing boat, which is registered in the United Kingdom under Part II of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995(11) or is owned wholly by persons qualified to own British ships for the purposes of that Part of that Act;

“relevant offence” means an offence under:

(a)

article 3; or

(b)

any provision in an order extending to any other part of the United Kingdom made for the purposes of implementing a specified Community provision, being a provision in respect of which, by virtue of section 30(2A) of the Fisheries Act 1981, proceedings may be commenced in any place in the United Kingdom;

“Scottish fishing boat” means a fishing vessel which is registered in the register maintained under section 8 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and whose entry in the register specifies a port in Scotland as the port to which the vessel is to be treated as belonging;

“Scottish zone” has the same meaning as in the Scotland Act 1998(12);

“specified Community provision” means a provision of the Council Regulation specified in column 1 of Schedules 1 and 2 as read with any qualifying words relating to that provision in that column; and

“third country fishing boat” means a fishing boat flying the flag of and registered in a state other than a Member State of the European Community.

(2) In this Order–

(a) the term “within relevant British fishery limits” does not include–

(i) the Scottish zone;

(ii) the territorial sea adjacent to Wales;

(iii) the territorial sea adjacent to the Isle of Man;

(iv) the territorial sea adjacent to Jersey; and

(v) seas within British Fishery Limits adjacent to Guernsey, as defined by section 8 of the Fishery Limits Act 1976(13);

(b) any reference to any relevant British fishing boat “wherever it may be” does not include such a fishing boat while in the territorial sea adjacent to Wales;

(c) any reference to a logbook, declaration or document includes, in addition to a logbook, declaration or document in writing–

(i) any map, plan, graph or drawing,

(ii) any photograph,

(iii) any data, howsoever reproduced, communicated via a satellite-based vessel monitoring system established under Article 3.1 of Council Regulation 2847/93,

(iv) any disk, tape, sound track or other device in which sounds or other data (not being visual aids) are recorded so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom, and

(v) any film (including microfilm), negative, tape, disk or other device in which one or more visual images are recorded so as to be capable (as aforesaid) of being reproduced therefrom.

(3) In this Order–

(a) any reference to a Community instrument is a reference to that instrument as amended on the date this Order is made; and

(b) any reference to a Schedule or to an article shall be construed as a reference respectively to a Schedule to this Order or an article in this Order.

(4) For the purpose of the prohibition contained in paragraph 2 of Annex IV to the Council Regulation–

(a) the harbours at which a fishing boat may land a catch of fish containing unsorted herring are those within relevant British fishery limits whose sampling systems a British sea-fishery officer at that harbour decides are adequate for that purpose;

(b) in making such a decision, a British sea fishery officer shall have regard to the overall size and characteristics of a catch;

(c) a British sea-fishery officer may only make such a decision following an application by the master of a fishing boat to a British sea-fishery officer at that harbour before the landing of a catch, and

(d) a British sea-fishery officer shall notify the master of a fishing boat of any such decision.

Offences

3.—(1) Where there is, in respect of–

(a) any relevant British fishing boat wherever it may be; or

(b) any other fishing boat (other than a third country fishing boat) which is within relevant British fishery limits,

a contravention of, or failure to comply with, any specified Community provision in column 1 of Schedule 1, the master, the owner and the charterer (if any) shall each be guilty of an offence.

(2) Where there is, in respect of any third country fishing boat to which any specified Community provision in column 1 of Schedule 2 applies which is within relevant British fishery limits, a contravention of, or failure to comply with, any such specified Community provision, the master, the owner and the charterer (if any) shall each be guilty of an offence.

Penalties

4.  A person found guilty in England or Northern Ireland of an offence under article 3(1) or 3(2), or under any equivalent provision in an order extending to any other part of the United Kingdom, proceedings in respect of which have been brought in England or Northern Ireland by virtue of section 30(2A) of the Fisheries Act 1981, shall be liable–

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the amount specified:

(i) in respect of an offence under article 3(1), in column 3 of Schedule 1; and

(ii) in respect of an offence under article 3(2), in column 3 of Schedule 2

in relation to the specified Community provision, the contravention of, or failure to comply with which, founded the offence; and

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine.

Recovery of fines

5.—(1) Where a fine is imposed by a magistrates' court in England or Northern Ireland on a master, owner, charterer (if any), or any other person who is convicted by the court of a relevant offence or an offence under article 10, the court may for the purposes of recovering the fine–

(a) issue a warrant of distress against the boat involved in the commission of the offence and its gear and catch and any property of the person convicted for the purpose of levying the amount of the fine; or

(b) order such boat and its gear and catch to be detained for a period not exceeding three months from the date of the conviction or until the fine is paid or the amount of the fine is levied in pursuance of any such warrant, whichever occurs first.

(2) Sections 77(1) and 78 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980(14) (postponement of issue of, and defects in, warrants of distress) shall apply to a warrant of distress issued under this article in England as they apply to a warrant of distress issued under Part III of that Act.

(3) Articles 114(2) and 154 of the Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(15) (postponement of issue 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 in Northern Ireland as it applies to a warrant referred to in those articles of that Order.

(4) Where in relation to a fine in respect of a relevant offence a transfer of fine order under section 90 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, Article 95 of the Magistrates' Courts Order 1981 or section 222 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995(16) specifies a petty sessions area in England or a petty sessions district in Northern Ireland this article shall apply as if the fine were imposed by a court within that petty sessions area or petty sessions district.

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

6.—(1) For the purpose of enforcing article 3(1) or 3(2), or any equivalent provision in an order extending to any other part of the United Kingdom made for the purposes of implementing a specified Community provision, a British sea-fishery officer may exercise in relation to–

(a) any relevant British fishing boat wherever it may be; or

(b) any other fishing boat which is within relevant British fishery limits,

the powers conferred by paragraphs (2) to (4) of this article.

(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 purposes mentioned in paragraph (1) or (2) 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 him 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 his custody or possession;

(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 him to be necessary for facilitating the search including rendering all documents on the boat’s computer systems into a visible and legible form;

(d) inspect and take copies of any such document produced to him or found on board and, where any such document is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and

(e) where the boat is one in relation to which he has reason to suspect that a relevant offence has been committed, may seize and detain any such document produced to him 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 (e) 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 a relevant offence has at any time been committed, he may–

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

(b) 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 he 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.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers on land

7.—(1) For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of article 3(1) or 3(2), or any equivalent provisions in an order extending to any other part of the United Kingdom made for the purposes of implementing any specified Community provision, any British sea-fishery officer may in England or Northern Ireland–

(a) enter and inspect at any reasonable time any premises used for carrying on any business in connection with the operation of fishing boats or activities connected therewith or ancillary thereto or with the treatment, storage or sale of sea fish;

(b) take with him such other persons as appear to him to be necessary and any equipment or materials;

(c) examine any fish on the premises and require persons on the premises to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the examination;

(d) carry out at such premises such other inspections or tests as may reasonably be necessary;

(e) require any person not to remove or cause to be removed any fish from such premises for such a period as may be reasonably necessary for the purposes of establishing whether a relevant offence has at any time been committed;

(f) require any person on the premises to produce any documents which are in his custody or possession relating to the catching, landing, transportation, trans-shipment, sale or disposal of any sea fish;

(g) for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person on the premises has committed a relevant offence, search the premises for any such document and may require any person on the premises to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the search including rendering all documents on computer systems into a visible and legible form;

(h) inspect and take copies of any such document produced to him or found on the premises and, where any such document is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and

(i) if he has reason to suspect that a relevant offence has been committed, seize and detain any such document produced to him or found on the premises for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the offence.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) above shall apply mutatis mutandis in relation to any land used in connection with any of the activities described in paragraph (1) above, 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 in England or Northern Ireland a justice of the peace on sworn information in writing is satisfied–

(a) that there is reasonable ground to believe that any document or other item which a British sea-fishery officer has power under this article to inspect is on any premises and that its inspection is likely to disclose evidence of the commission of a relevant offence; and

(b) either–

(i) that admission to the premises has been or is likely to be refused and that notice of intention to apply for a warrant has been given to the occupier; or

(ii) that an application for admission or the giving of such notice would defeat the object of the entry, or that the premises are unoccupied, or that the occupier is temporarily absent and it might defeat the object of the entry to await his return;

the justice may by warrant signed by him, and valid for one month, authorise a British sea-fishery officer to enter the premises, if need be by reasonable force, and take with him such persons as appear to him to be necessary.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers to seize fish and fishing gear

8.—(1) This article applies–

(a) in England and Northern Ireland;

(b) to any relevant British fishing boat wherever it may be; and

(c) to any other fishing boat which is within relevant British fishery limits.

(2) Where this article applies, a British sea-fishery officer may seize–

(a) any fish (including any receptacle which contains the fish) in respect of which he has reasonable grounds to suspect that a relevant offence has been committed; and

(b) any net or other fishing gear which he has reasonable grounds to suspect has been used in the course of the commission of a relevant offence.

Protection of officers

9.  An officer or a person assisting him by virtue of article 6(2) or 7(1)(b) shall not be liable in any civil or criminal proceedings for anything done in the purported exercise of the powers conferred on him by article 6, 7 or 8 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 officers

10.  Any person who–

(a) fails without reasonable excuse to comply with any requirement imposed by a British sea-fishery officer under the powers conferred on British sea-fishery officers by article 6, 7 or 8;

(b) without reasonable excuse prevents, or attempts to prevent, any other person from complying with any such requirement; or

(c) assaults an officer who is exercising any of the powers conferred on British sea-fishery officers by article 6, 7 or 8 or intentionally obstructs any such officer in the exercise of any of those powers,

shall be guilty of an offence and liable–

(i) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum; or

(ii) on conviction on indictment to a fine.

Provisions as to offences and proceedings

11.—(1) Where any offence under article 3(1) 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 article 3(1) 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 article 3(1) 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

12.—(1) Any–

(a) logbook kept under Article 6 or 17.2;

(b) declaration submitted under Article 8.1, 12 or 17.2;

(c) effort report completed under Article 19b or 19c;

(d) document drawn up under Article 9 or 13; and

(e) document containing required information received by a fisheries monitoring centre established under Article 3.7,

of Council Regulation 2847/93 shall, in any proceedings in England or Northern Ireland for a relevant offence, be evidence of the matters stated therein.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) of this article, “required information ” shall mean data relating to–

(a) a fishing boat’s identification;

(b) the most recent geographical position of the fishing boat expressed in degrees and minutes of longitude and latitude; and

(c) the date and time of the fixing of that position,

as communicated via a satellite-based vessel monitoring system established under Article 3.1 of Council Regulation 2847/93.

Revocation

13.—(1) The Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota Measures) Order 1999(17) and the Third Country Fishing (Enforcement) Order 1999(18) are hereby revoked except in so far as:

(a) they form part of the law of Scotland; or

(b) they have effect in relation to Wales.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), “Wales” has the same meaning as in section 155(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998(19).

Elliot Morley

Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

14th March 2000

John Reid

Secretary of State for Scotland

16th March 2000

Paul Murphy

Secretary of State for Wales

15th March 2000

Peter Mandelson

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

20th March 2000