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STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND


2006 No. 300

AGRICULTURE

The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Monitoring, Inspection and Surveillance) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006

  Made 4th July 2006 
  Coming into operation 1st August 2006 


CONTENTS


PART 1

Preliminary
1. Citation and commencement
2. Interpretation

PART 2

Days at Sea
3. Establishment of management periods for Northern Ireland boats
4. Deeming provisions in respect of certain management periods notified in the first half 2006
5. Offences in relation to management periods
6. Allocation of days for fishing in the Cod Recovery Zone and Sole Recovery Zone
7. Allocation of days – pair trawling
8. Adjustment of the allocation of days
9. Fishing in the first half 2006, notification requirement and adjustment of allocation of days
10. Offences in relation to allocation of days and other restrictions on presence in the Cod Recovery Zone and Sole Recovery Zone
11. Transfer of days
12. Offence in relation to transfers of days
13. Offences in relation to fishing gears
14. Maintenance of logbooks requirements and related offence

PART 3

Monitoring, Inspection and Surveillance in respect of fishing in the Sole Recovery Zone
15. Transhipment or landing relating to third countries
16. Mixing of species
17. Weighing sole
18. Transport of sole
19. Recording information on catches of sole

PART 4

Enforcement
20. Interpretation of Part 4
21. Penalties and defence
22. Recovery of fines
23. Powers of British sea-fishery officers in relation to fishing boats
24. Powers of British sea-fishery officers on land
25. Warrants to enter premises
26. Powers of British sea-fishery officers to seize fish and fishing gear
27. Protection of officers
28. Obstruction of officers
29. Offences by corporate bodies
30. Admissibility of documents in evidence

PART 5

Supplementary
31. Consequential amendments

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in exercise of the powers conferred by section 30(2) of the Fisheries Act 1981[
1] and now vested in it[2], makes the following Order



PART 1

Preliminary

Citation and commencement
     1. This Order may be cited as the Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) (Monitoring, Inspection and Surveillance) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006 and shall come into operation on 1 August 2006.

Interpretation
    
2. —(1) In this Order—

    (2) In this Order—

    (3) Expressions in this Order which are not defined in this Order and which appear in the Cod Annex or the Sole Annex have the same meaning in this Order as they have in those Annexes.

    (4) Any information notified for the purpose of any provision of this Order shall be treated as notified for the purposes of any equivalent provision.

    (5) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[8] except section 20(2) and (3) shall apply to this Order as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.



PART 2

Days at Sea

Establishment of management periods for Northern Ireland boats
     3. —(1) To establish a management period a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat shall provide notification of the following to the Department—

and the management period is established on that notification in respect of that period and that gear, except where point 6.2 of the Cod Annex, or point 5.2 of the Sole Annex applies, in which case the management period is established only on receipt of confirmation in writing from the Department

    (2) The obligation to provide notification in paragraph (1) constitutes an obligation to serve the required information on the Department by post.

Deeming provisions in respect of certain management periods notified in the first half 2006
    
4. —(1) Where a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat has, during the first half 2006, notified to the Department in writing a management period within the meaning of point 9 of the Cod Annex or point 8 of the Sole Annex, which includes any period before this Order comes into force and continues beyond that date—

    (2) Any management period deemed established under paragraph (1) shall be treated as beginning on the date that this Order comes into force and ending on the date notified, and the allocation of days shall be calculated and adjusted accordingly.

Offences in relation to management periods
    
5. —(1) A person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat is guilty of an offence if, at any time during the 2006 regulated period, the boat is absent from port in the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Zone or a combination of both zones, carrying regulated gear unless a management period—

exists in respect of that boat and that regulated gear at that time.

    (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to—

    (3) Where, in respect of the restrictions or obligations referred to in paragraph (2), there is an obligation to supply information, the Department is the person to whom the information is to be supplied.

Allocation of days for fishing in the Cod Recovery Zone and Sole Recovery Zone
    
6. —(1) In this Article

    (2) The allocation of days for a Northern Ireland fishing boat shall be calculated in accordance with this Article subject to adjustment in accordance with Articles 9, 10 or 12.

    (3) If the boat is absent from port but is present in only one of the Cod Recovery Zone areas during a management period, the allocation of days is as follows—

    (4) If the boat is present in more than one of the areas in the Cod Recovery Zone but not in the Sole Recovery Zone during the management period, the allocation of days is the highest of the allocations for each area calculated in accordance with paragraph (3).

    (5) If the boat is present in both the Cod Recovery Zone and the Sole Recovery Zone or in the Sole Recovery Zone only during the management period, the allocation of days is eighteen multiplied by the number of calendar months in the management period.

Allocation of days – pair trawling
    
7. Where on any day during a management period any regulated gear is at any time affixed to a fishing boat which is absent from port and present in the Cod Recovery Zone (whether or not it is carried by that fishing boat) at the same time as being affixed to another fishing boat, that day shall be counted as a day in which each boat is present in the zone for the purposes of this Order.

Adjustment of the allocation of days
    
8. —(1) The Department may adjust the allocation of days that applies in respect of a Northern Ireland fishing boat by adding further days —

    (2) Where, in respect of previous management periods established in respect of a Northern Ireland fishing boat, the number of days in any allocation of days calculated in accordance with Article 7 would have resulted in fractions of days had paragraph (1)(d) of that Article not required the rounding down of fractions, the Department may add any whole days amounting from the sum of any such fractions.

    (3) Where a Northern Ireland fishing boat is absent from port carrying notified gear in the Cod Recovery Zone or Sole Recovery Zone or a combination of both zones in excess of its allocation of days, the Department shall deduct from any subsequent allocation of days, the number of days during which the boat was so absent from port in excess of the relevant allocation.

    (4) Where a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat contravenes Article 6(1), the Department shall deduct from any subsequent allocation of days the number of days during which the boat was absent from port carrying regulated gear without having established a management period in respect of that period and that gear.

    (5) Any adjustment made under this Article takes effect when it is served by post on a person in charge of the fishing boat by the Department.

Fishing in the first half 2006, notification requirement and adjustment of allocation of days
    
9. —(1) This Article applies where, in the first half 2006, a Northern Ireland fishing boat was—

for more than the number of days that would have been allocated in respect of the boat had this Order been in force in respect of that period and had a person in charge notified a four month management period in respect of the first third 2006.

    (2) A person in charge of the boat shall notify to the Department, within 28 days of the date that this Order comes into force, the number of days during which the boat was absent from port and present in the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Sole or combination of both zones carrying regulated gear during the first half 2006.

    (3) The Department shall adjust the allocation of days that applies in respect of the boat to reflect those additional days present in the zones during the first half 2006.

    (4) The person in charge of the boat is guilty of an offence if there is a failure to comply with paragraph (2).

    (5) The obligation to notify information in paragraph (2) constitutes an obligation to serve the required information on the Department by post.

Offences in relation to allocation of days and other restrictions on presence in the Cod Recovery Zone and Sole Recovery Zone
    
10. —(1) In this Article "day" means a continuous period of twenty four hours beginning from the moment a fishing boat enters either the Cod Recovery Zone or the Sole Recovery Zone.

    (2) Any subsequent re-entry into the Cod Recovery Zone or Sole Recovery Zone during that period shall not trigger a new day.

    (3) Where the fishing boat is present in either the Cod Recovery Zone or the Sole Recovery Zone at the end of a day, the next day shall begin at the moment the previous day expires and so on for any contiguous twenty-four hour periods.

    (4) Any time spent within the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Zone or a combination of both zones during a day is to be counted as a whole day for the purpose of calculating the number of days spent absent from port and present in the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Zone or a combination of both zones.

    (5) A person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat is guilty of an offence if the boat is absent from port carrying regulated gear in the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Zone or a combination of both zones for more days than—

    (6) Notwithstanding an allocation of days under Article 7(3) or an equivalent provision, a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat is guilty of an offence if there are multiple notified gear groups and, a gear group is deployed from the boat during more days than the number of days that would apply in respect of that gear group alone for that management period, calculated respectively either in accordance with Article 7(3)(a) or an equivalent provision.

    (7) Notwithstanding the allocation of days under Article 7(4) or an equivalent provision, a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat that is present in more than one of the areas in the Cod Recovery Zone during a management period established in accordance with this Order or an equivalent provision, is guilty of an offence if—

    (8) Notwithstanding the allocation of days under Article 7(5) or an equivalent provision, a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat that is present in both the Cod Recovery Zone and the Sole Recovery Zone during a management period established in accordance with this Order or an equivalent provision, is guilty of an offence if—

Transfer of days
    
11. —(1) In this Article—

    (2) Unused days within an allocation of days established in accordance with this Order may be transferred from an allocation relating to one British fishing boat ("the donor") to an allocation relating to another British fishing boat ("the recipient"),where the donor and recipient is a Northern Ireland fishing boat, in the circumstances permitted by, and subject to the conditions in point 14 of the Cod Annex and point 12 of the Sole Annex.

    (3) A transfer under paragraph (2) is only effective if a written notification of transfer containing the following particulars, signed by the donor's owner, is sent to the Department before the end of the management period in relation to which the transfer is to take effect—

    (4) On written application from a person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat, the Department may transfer unused days that apply in respect of that boat to a foreign fishing boat subject to the conditions in point 15 of the Cod Annex or point 13 of the Sole Annex and any such transfer takes effect when notice of it is served by post on the person in charge of the fishing boat by the Department.

Offence in relation to transfers of days
     12. A person is guilty of an offence if he makes a false declaration in a notification made in respect of a transfer pursuant to Article 12.

Offences in relation to fishing gears
    
13. —(1) A person in charge of a fishing boat in respect of which point 17 or 18 of the Cod Annex applies, is guilty of an offence if he fails to comply with the obligations imposed by either of those points.

    (2) Where, in respect of the obligations referred to in paragraph (1), there is an obligation to supply information, the Department is the person to whom the information is to be supplied..

Maintenance of logbooks requirements and related offence
    
14. —(1) A person in charge of a fishing boat is guilty of an offence if he fails to comply with the requirements in this Article.

    (2) Where a fishing boat is absent from port carrying regulated gear in the Cod Recovery Zone, Sole Recovery Zone or both zones on any day where the logbook requirements in Article 6 of Regulation 2847/93 read with Regulation 2807/83 do not apply, a logbook entry stating the gear carried shall be made as though that Article did apply.

    (3) The logbook entry referred to in paragraph (2)—

    (4) In this Article, "day" has the meaning given in Article 11.



PART 3

Monitoring, Inspection and Surveillance in respect of fishing in the Sole Recovery Zone

Transhipment or landing relating to third countries
    
15. —(1) A person in charge of a Northern Ireland fishing boat in respect of which point 21 of the Sole Annex applies, is guilty of an offence if he fails to provide the information required by that point during the 2006 regulated period.

    (2) In respect of the obligation to provide information in paragraph (1), in relation to a Northern Ireland fishing boat, the Department is the person to whom the information is to be supplied.

Mixing of species
    
16. A person in charge of a fishing boat in respect of which point 23 of the Sole Annex applies, is guilty of an offence if he fails to comply with the obligations imposed by that point.

Weighing sole
    
17. A person in charge of a fishing boat in respect of which point 24 of the Sole Annex applies, is guilty of an offence if he fails to comply with the obligations imposed by that point.

Transport of sole
    
18. A person is guilty of an offence if, being the owner or hirer of a vehicle, he uses it to transport sole in contravention of point 25 of the Sole Annex.

Recording information on catches of sole
    
19. A person in charge of a fishing boat is guilty of an offence if the 8% margin of tolerance referred to in point 22 of the Sole Annex applies and is exceeded during the 2006 regulated period.



PART 4

Enforcement

Interpretation of Part 4
    
20. In this Part—

Penalties and defence
     21. —(1) A person found guilty of a relevant offence, is liable—

    (2) The court by or before which a person is convicted of any relevant offence may also order—

    (3) In any proceedings for an offence under Article 11, it shall be a defence for a person to show that the number of days absent from port carrying regulated gear in excess of its allocation of days is no greater than the number of days purportedly but not validly transferred to that person's fishing boat's allocation of days under Article 12 and that he did not know and had no reasonable cause to suspect that the donor was not entitled to transfer the days.

Recovery of fines
    
22. —(1) Where a magistrates' court imposes a fine on a person convicted under this Order or any equivalent provision, the court may—

    (2) Articles 114(2) and 154 of the Magistrates Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981[11](postponement 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 as the apply to a warrant referred to in those Articles of that Order.

    (3) Where in relation to a fine in respect of any offence under this Order or any equivalent provision, an order under section 90 of the Magistrates' Courts Act1 1980[12] or section 222 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995[13](both of which deal with transfer of fines from one jurisdiction to another) specifies a petty sessions district in Northern Ireland, this Article shall apply as if the fine were imposed by a court within that petty sessions district.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers in relation to fishing boats
     23. —(1) For the purpose of enforcing this Order, or any equivalent provision, or to operate or facilitate the operation of any monitoring deriving from point 26 of the Sole Annex, any British sea-fishery officer may exercise the powers conferred by 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) and, in particular—

    (4) Where it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that any offence under any of Articles 6, 11, 14, 15, 17 and 20 of this Order or any equivalent provision, has at any time been committed in respect of a fishing boat, he may—

and where such an officer detains or requires the detention of the boat he shall serve on the master a notice in writing stating that the boat is (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
    
24. —(1) For the purpose of this Order or any equivalent provision, or to operate or facilitate the operation of any monitoring deriving from point 26 of the Sole Annex any British sea-fishery officer may in Northern Ireland—

    (2) The provisions of paragraph (1) shall also apply in relation to any land used in connection with any of the activities described in paragraph (1)(a), or in respect of any vehicle which a British sea-fishery officer has reasonable cause to believe is being used to transport fish or 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.

Warrants to enter premises
    
25. —(1) If a justice of the peace on sworn complaint in writing is satisfied that the circumstances in paragraph (2) apply, he may issue a warrant authorising a British sea-fishery officer to enter any premises, if necessary using reasonable force, and to take with him such persons as appear to be necessary.

    (2) The circumstances are that—

Powers of British sea-fishery officers to seize fish and fishing gear
    
26. A British sea-fishery officer may seize-

Protection of officers
    
27. —(1) An officer is not liable in any civil or criminal proceedings for anything done or omitted to be done in the purported exercise of the powers conferred by Article 24, 25 or 27 if the court is satisfied that—

    (2) In this Article and in Article 30, "officer" means—

Obstruction of officers
    
28. —(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—

    (2) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) is liable—

Offences by corporate bodies
    
29. —(1) If a relevant offence committed by a body corporate is shown—

the officer as well as the body corporate is guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

    (2) If the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, paragraph (1) applies in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his functions of management as if he were a director of the body.

    (3) In this Article "officer" in relation to a body corporate, means a director, member of the committee of management, chief executive, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body, or a person purporting to act in any such capacity.

Admissibility of documents in evidence
    
30. —(1) Any—

of Council Regulation 2847/93 shall, in any proceedings in respect of an offence under this Order or any equivalent provision, be evidence of the matters stated in the logbook, declaration, effort report, sales note or document, as the case may be.

    (2) For the purpose of paragraph (1), "required information" means the following information as communicated via a satellite-based boat monitoring system established under Article 3 (1) of Regulation 2847/93—



PART 5

Supplementary

Consequential amendments
    
31. —(1) The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005[14] is amended as follows.

    (2) Omit Articles 3 to 6 and 12 to 22.

    (3) In Article 23(2) for "Article 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 of this Order" substitute "any of Articles 7 to 11 of this Order".

    (4) In Article 23(3) for "Article 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 of this Order" substitute "any of Articles 7 to 11 of this Order".

    (5) Omit Article 23(5).

    (6) In Article 25(1) omit "and Part 3".

    (7) In Article 25(4) for "Article 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21 or 22" substitute "A Article 8 or 11 of this Order".

    (8) In Article 26(1) omit "and Part 3".

    (9) In Article 27(2) for "Article 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21" substitute "any of Articles 7 to 11 of this Order".



Sealed with Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on




4 July 2006

L.S.


Liam McKibben
A senior officer of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development


EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)


This Order provides in Northern Ireland and in relation to Northern Ireland fishing boats for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of Annex IIA and IIC ("the Annexes") to Council Regulation (EC) No 51/2006 (OJ No L16, 20.1.06, p1) fixing for 2006 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 catch limitations are required ("the Regulation").

The Order contains provisions which create a management system for days at sea based on monthly entitlements and linked to management periods. Article 4 deals with the establishment of management periods. Article 6 contains offences in relation to management periods. Article 7 provides for the calculation of allocation of days for fishing in the Cod Recovery and Sole Recovery Zones which are defined in Article 3 as covering the geographical areas covered by the Annexes. Article 8 provides for the calculation of the allocation of days when a fishing boat is involved in pair trawling. Articles 9 and 10 provide for the adjustment of allocations of days by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Article 11 contains offences in relation to allocations of days and other restrictions on presence in the Cod Recovery and Sole Recovery Zones. Article 12 provides for transfers of days and Article 13 contains an offence of giving false information in a notification made for the purpose of a transfer.

Article 14 creates offences in relation to restrictions in both Annexes on the carriage and operation of fishing gears and the combined use of regulated and unregulated gears. Article 15 contains provisions on, and an offence relating to, the maintenance of log-books.

Articles 16 to 20 provide for offences in relation to further controls in Annex II on fishing in the Sole Recovery Zone.

Part 4 of the Order makes provision for enforcement. Article 22 deals with penalties and article 23 provides for the recovery of fines imposed, or treated as imposed, by a magistrates' court.

Articles 24, 25 and 27 confer various powers on British sea-fishery officers including the power to enter premises, to go on board fishing boats and to stop and search vehicles transporting fish.

Article 32 makes consequential amendments to the Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.I 2005/350).


Notes:

[1] 1981 c.29back

[2] Sea Fisheries Order (NI) 2002 (SI2002/790 Article 3(2) and Schedule 2back

[3] OJ No L 51 20.1.06.back

[4] Section 30(2A) was inserted by Scotland Act 1998 (Consequential Modifications)(No.2) Order 1999, S.I. 1999/1820.back

[5] OJ No L 276, 10.10.83, p.1, as amended by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 473/89 of 24 February 1989, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2945/95 of 20 December 1995, Commission Regulation (EC) No 395/98 of 19 February 1998, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/98 of 13 July 1998, Commission Regulation (EC) No 2737/1999 of 21 December 1999 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1965/2001 of 8 October 2001.back

[6] OJ No L 261, 20.10.93, p1, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2870/95, Council Decision 95/528/EC of 5 December 1995, Council Regulation (EC) No 2489/96 of 20 December 1996, Council Regulation (EC) No 686/97 of 14 April 1997, Council Regulation (EC) No 2205/97 of 30 October 1997, Council Regulation (EC) No 2635/97 of 18 December 1997, Council Regulation (EC) No 2846/98 of 17 December 1998 and Council Regulation (EC) No 806/2003 of 14 April 2003.back

[7] 1995 c.21.back

[8] 1954 c.33(NI)back

[9] S.I 1993/3138.back

[10] 1968 c.77.back

[11] S.I. 1981/1675 (NI 26)back

[12] 1980 c.43back

[13] 1995 c.46back

[14] S. I. 2005/393.back



ISBN 0 337 96577 3


 © Crown copyright 2006

Prepared 10 July 2006


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