The Sea Fishing (Enforcement and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 2015

Competent authorities

2.—(1) The competent authorities responsible for fisheries monitoring centres for the purposes of Article 9(8) of the Control Regulation are—

(a) for the fisheries monitoring centre for English and Welsh fishing boats and for EU and third country fishing boats in British Fishery Limits (other than in Scotland, the Scottish zone(1), Northern Ireland or the Northern Ireland zone), the Marine Management Organisation;

(b) for the fisheries monitoring centre for Northern Ireland fishing boats and for EU and third country fishing boats in Northern Ireland or the Northern Ireland zone, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(2) The competent authority acting as the contact point for the purposes of Article 80(5) of the Control Regulation is the Marine Management Organisation.

(3) The competent national authority for the purposes of Article 125 of the Commission Implementing Regulation is—

(a) in relation to vessels registered at a port in England, the Marine Management Organisation;

(b) in relation to vessels registered at a port in Wales, the Welsh Ministers;

(c) in relation to vessels registered at a port in Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(4) In this article—

“the Commission Implementing Regulation” means Commission Regulation (EU) No. 404/2011 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of the Control Regulation, as amended from time to time;

“the Control Regulation” means Council Regulation (EC) No. 1224/2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, as amended from time to time;

“fishing boat” means a vessel equipped for the commercial exploitation of living aquatic resources, including sea fish, and—

(a)

an “English fishing boat” is a fishing boat registered at a port in England;

(b)

a “Northern Ireland fishing boat” is a fishing boat registered at a port in Northern Ireland;

(c)

a “Welsh fishing boat” is a fishing boat registered at a port in Wales.

(1)

The Scottish zone is defined in section 126(1) of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46).