Fisheries Act 2020

Power to attach conditions to sea fishing licence

1 (1) A sea fish licensing authority may, on granting a sea fishing licence, attach to the licence such conditions as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for the regulation of sea fishing (including conditions which do not relate directly to fishing).

(2) The conditions that may be attached to a sea fishing licence include, in particular, conditions—

(a) as to the landing of fish or parts of fish (including specifying the ports at which catches are to be landed);

(b) as to the use to which the fish caught may be put;

(c) restricting the time the fishing boat may spend at sea (whether for the purpose of fishing or otherwise);

(d) which are imposed for the purposes of conserving or enhancing the marine and aquatic environment.

(3) Where a sea fish licensing authority attaches a condition under sub-paragraph (2)(c) to a licence, it may include in the licence provision as to the circumstances in which time is, or is not, to count as time spent at sea for the purposes of the condition.

(4) If a licence condition is broken, the master, the owner and the charterer (if any) of the fishing boat named in the licence are each guilty of an offence.

(5) For further provision about an offence under sub-paragraph (4) (including provision as to penalties), see sections 19 to 21.