2003 No. 560
RIVERS

The Prohibition of Keeping or Release of Live Fish (Specified Species) (Scotland) Order 2003

Made
Laid before the Scottish Parliament
Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2) and (3)
The Scottish Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 1(1) of the Import of Live Fish (Scotland) Act 19781 and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf and, in accordance with section 1(2)2 of that Act, after consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage and such other persons as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate and being of the opinion that the species of live fish to which this Order applies might compete with, displace, prey on or harm the habitat of any freshwater fish, shellfish or salmon in Scotland, hereby make the following Order:

Citation and commencement1.

(1)

This Order may be cited as the Prohibition of Keeping or Release of Live Fish (Specified Species) (Scotland) Order 2003.

(2)

Articles 1, 2 and 4 of this Order shall come into force on 10th December 2003.

(3)

Article 3 of this Order shall come into force–

(a)

in relation to fish specified in Schedule 1 first kept before 10th December 2003 on 10th June 2004;

(b)

in relation to fish specified in Schedule 2 first kept before 10th December 2003, on that date; and

(c)

in relation to fish specified in Schedules 1 and 2 first kept or released on or after 10th December 2003, on that date.

Interpretation2.

In this Order “Scotland” has the same meaning as in section 126(1) of the Scotland Act 19983.

Prohibition of keeping or release of specified fish3.

No person shall keep or release in Scotland any live fish or the live eggs of fish of the species specified in Schedules 1 and 2 to this Order, except under the authority of a licence granted by the Scottish Ministers.

Revocations and savings4.

(1)

Subject to paragraph (2), the Orders specified in Schedule 3 to this Order are hereby revoked.

(2)

The Orders specified in Schedule 3 to this Order shall continue to apply for the purposes of the legal process of such charges as may be brought for contravening the provisions of the Orders prohibiting the keeping or release of live fish or live eggs of fish without a valid licence.

ALLAN WILSON
A member of the Scottish Executive

Pentland House, Edinburgh

SCHEDULE 1SPECIES OF FISH (INCLUDING LIVE EGGS) WHOSE KEEPING OR RELEASE IN SCOTLAND IS PROHIBITED EXCEPT UNDER AUTHORITY OF A LICENCE GRANTED BY THE SCOTTISH MINISTERS

Article 3

Common name

Scientific name

Asp

Aspius aspius

Barbel

species of the genus Barbus (excluding the native Barbus barbus)

Bass (including striped bass, white bass and their crosses e.g. hybrid striped bass)

species of the genus Morone

Bighead carp

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

Bitterling

Rhodeus sericeus/Rhodeus amarus

Blacknose Dace

Rhinichthys atratulus

Blageon

Leuciscus souffia

Blue bream

Abramis ballerus

Blue Sucker

Cycleptus elongatus

Burbot

Lota lota

Catfish

species of the genera Ictalurus, Ameiurus and Silurus

Charr

species of the genus Salvelinus (excluding the native Salvelinus alpinus)

Chinese black or snail-eating carp

Myopharyngodon piceus

Chinese Sucker (also known as Zebra Hi Fin, banded shark/sucker)

Myxocyprinus asiaticus

Common White Sucker

Catostomus commersoni

Danubian bleak

Chalcalburnus chalcoides

Danubian Salmon & Taimen

species of the genus Hucho

Eastern Mudminnow

Umbra pygmaea

European Mudminnow

Umbra krameri

Fathead minnow (or Roseyreds)

Pimephales promelas

Freshwater minnow, Dragon Fish or Pale chub

Zacco platypus

Grass carp

Ctenopharyngodon idella

Landlocked salmon

non anadromous varieties of the species Salmo salar

Largemouth bass

Micropterus salmoides

Marbled trout

Salmo marmoratus

Nase

Chondrostoma nasus

Northern Redbelly Dace (common minnow

Phoxinus/Chrosomus eos

Pacific salmon and trout

species of the genus Oncorhynchus (excluding Oncorhynchus mykiss and Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Paddlefish

species of the genera Polyodon and Psephurus

Perch

species of the genus Perca (excluding the native Perca fluviatilis)

Pike

species of the genus Esox (excluding the native Esox lucius)

Red shiner

Cyprinella/Notropis lutrensis

Rock bass

Ambloplites rupestris

Ruffe

Gymnocephalus cernuus

Schneider

Alburnoides bipunctatus

Silver carp

Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

Small mouth bass

Micropterus dolomieu

Snakehead

species of the genus Channa

Southern Redbelly Dace (common minnow)

Phoxinus/Chrosomus erythrogaster

Sturgeon or sterlet

species of the genera Acipenser, Huso, Pseudoscaphirhynchus and Scaphirhynchus

Sunbleak (Sundace), also known as Belica or Motherless Minnow

Leucaspius delineatus

Sunfish, including pumpkinseed (also basses, crapies & bluegills)

species of the genus Lepomis

Topmouth gudgeon

Pseudorasbora parva

Toxostome (or French nase)

Chondrostoma toxostoma

Vimba

Vimba vimba

Weatherfish

Misgurnus fossilis

Whitefish

species of the genus Coregonus (excluding the native Coregonus lavaretus and Coregonus albula)

SCHEDULE 2SPECIES OF FISH (INCLUDING LIVE EGGS) WHOSE KEEPING OR RELEASE IN SCOTLAND IS PROHIBITED EXCEPT UNDER AUTHORITY OF A LICENCE GRANTED BY THE SCOTTISH MINISTERS

Article 3

Common name

Scientific name

Coho salmon

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Crayfish

freshwater decapod crustacean of the Families Astacidae, Cambaridae or Parastacidae, (excluding Austropotamobius pallipes)

Pikeperch

species of the genus Stizostedion lucioperca

SCHEDULE 3REVOCATIONS

Article 4

Orders

Revoked

The Import of Live Fish (Coho Salmon) (Prohibition) (Scotland) Order 1980

S.I.1980/376

The Prohibition of the Keeping or the Release of Live Fish (Pikeperch) (Scotland) Order 1993

S.I.1993/1288

The Prohibition of Keeping of Live Fish (Crayfish) (Scotland) Order 1996

S.I.1996/1107

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order is made under section 1(1) of the Import of Live Fish (Scotland) Act 1978 (“the Act”). The Order prohibits the keeping or release in Scotland of any species of fish or the live eggs of fish specified in Schedules 1 and 2 to the Order, except under authority of a licence granted by the Scottish Ministers (article 3). The prohibition comes into force, in relation to fish specified in Schedule 1 and first kept before 10th December 2003 on 10th June 2004. The prohibition comes into force on 10th December 2003 in relation to fish specified in Schedule 2 and first kept before 10th December 2003 and fish specified in Schedules 1 and 2 first kept or released on or after 10th December 2003.

Section 3 of the Act provides that any person who keeps or releases any of the species of fish specified in Schedules 1 and 2 on the date the Order comes into force without a valid licence or who contravenes the terms of a licence shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

In addition to prohibiting the keeping or release of certain fish specified for the first time in the Order, the Order consolidates three other Orders – the Import of Live Fish (Coho Salmon) (Prohibition) (Scotland) Order 1980 (S.I. 1980/376), the Prohibition of the Keeping or the Release of Live Fish (Pikeperch) (Scotland) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1288) and the Prohibition of Keeping of Live Fish (Crayfish) (Scotland) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/1107). The species which were specified in these three Orders are now specified in Schedule 2 to the Order. The Order revokes the three Orders that it consolidates, subject to a saving provision (article 4).

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared in relation to this Order and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Copies may be obtained from the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, Pentland House, 47 Robb’s Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY.