Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 18th May, 2018.

I, MICHAEL CREED, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 15 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 (No. 8 of 2006) and of the Sea-Fisheries, Foreshore and Dumping at Sea (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2007 ( S.I. No. 707 of 2007 ) (as adapted by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011 ( S.I. No. 455 of 2011 )), hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Razor Clam (Conservation of Stocks) (North Irish Sea) Regulations 2018.

(2) These Regulations come into operation on 1 July 2018.

2. In these Regulations—

“razor clam” means Ensis spp.;

“sell” includes offer, expose or keep for sale, invite an offer to buy, or distribute for reward;

“specified zone” means the internal waters or territorial seas west of an imaginary line drawn from:

Latitude 54°01.3617’N, Longitude 006°03.7762’W through

Latitude 54°00.0000’N, Longitude 005°59.2000’W through

Latitude 53°11.2881’N, Longitude 005°59.2000’W to

Latitude 53°11.2881’N, Longitude 006°04.5611’W.

3. These Regulations apply to razor clam with a shell length of less than 125 millimetres, measured along the longest part of the shell, taken by an Irish sea-fishing boat in the specified zone.

4. (1) The master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit a razor clam to which these Regulations apply to be retained on board the sea-fishing boat.

(2) The master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit any person on board to retain a razor clam to which these Regulations apply on board the sea-fishing boat.

5. The master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit the boat to be used for the landing or transhipment of a razor clam to which these Regulations apply.

6. The master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall cause a razor clam to which these Regulations apply, taken by the Irish sea-fishing boat, to be carefully handled and returned alive to the sea without delay.

7. A person shall not buy, handle, tranship, transport, land, process, store or sell a razor clam taken by an Irish sea fishing boat to which these Regulations apply.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

11 May 2018.

MICHAEL CREED,

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The effect of these Regulations is to increase the Minimum Conservation Reference Size for razor clam taken by Irish sea-fishing boats in the north Irish Sea to 125 mm.