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In exercise of the powers conferred by section 30(2) of the Fisheries Act 1981[1] and now vested in them[2], the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State concerned with sea fishing in Northern Ireland make the following Order. Citation and commencement 1. This Order—
(b) comes into force on 15th August 2006.
Extent and application
(b) in relation to English fishing boats and Welsh fishing boats wherever they are except when they are in the sea adjacent to Wales out as far as the seaward boundary of the territorial sea [3]; and (c) in relation to other fishing boats within British fishery limits except where they are in—
(ii) the Northern Ireland zone; or (iii) the sea adjacent to Wales out as far as the seaward boundary of the territorial sea.
(3) In this article—
(b) "English fishing boat" means a fishing boat—
(ii) which is owned wholly by persons qualified to own British ships for the purposes of Part II of that Act;
(c) "Northern Ireland zone" has the same meaning as in section 98 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998[6];
Interpretation
(2) In this Order, a reference to a document includes a reference to—
(b) any photograph; (c) any data, howsoever reproduced, communicated via a satellite-based vessel monitoring system established under Article 3.7 of Council Regulation 2847/93; (d) any disk, tape, sound track or other device on which sounds or other data, other than visual images, are recorded so as to be capable of being reproduced with or without the aid of some other equipment; and (e) any film, microfilm, negative, tape, disk or other device on which one or more visual images are recorded so as to be capable of being reproduced with or without the aid of some other equipment.
(3) Expressions—
(b) but which appear in this Order, other than in article 19, and in Council Regulation 51/2006,
have the same meaning in this Order as they have in that Council Regulation.
(ii) a reference to an Annex followed by a Roman numeral,
is a reference to the Article or Annex, as the case may be, in Council Regulation 51/2006 so numbered; and
(5) For the purposes of point 1.2.1 of Annex III, the designated ports are—
(ii) Fleetwood, (iii) Grimsby, (iv) North Shields, (v) Plymouth, (vi) Scarborough, and (vii) Whitehaven;
(b) for the landing of herring caught in ICES Subareas IVc and VIId, Lowestoft; and
(ii) Fleetwood, (iii) Plymouth, and (iv) Whitehaven.
Landing of unsorted catches
(b) having regard to the overall size and characteristics of the catch, the British sea-fishery officer—
(ii) notifies the master of his decision in writing.
(3) The master, the owner and any charterer of a fishing boat are each guilty of an offence if a catch that includes unsorted fish is landed from the fishing boat at a harbour before the master has received the decision of a British sea-fishery officer at the harbour in question under paragraph (2)(b)(ii).
(b) at any time amend such conditions.
(3) As regards a pelagic weighing system approved under paragraph (1)—
(b) the operator; and (c) the owner of the premises in which the pelagic weighing system is located,
are each guilty of an offence if there is a contravention of, or failure to comply with, a condition of the approval.
(b) by so doing, causes the pelagic weighing system to provide an inaccurate weight reading.
Weighing procedures for herring, mackerel and horse mackerel
(b) processing; (c) holding in storage; (d) transporting from the port of landing; or (e) reselling,
is carried out in relation to the fish.
(b) point 1.7.1(b), approval to transport the fish must be given by a British sea-fishery officer.
(4) A person is guilty of an offence if he fails to comply with paragraph (2).
(ii) has been passed as fit for use for trade in accordance with regulation 15 of the Weighing Equipment (Beltweighers) Regulations 2001[12];
(b) "the weighing logbook" means the logbook referred to in point 1.10.2(a) of Annex III.
Vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the North-East Atlantic
(b) point 13.1.d of that Annex.
(2) The master, owner and any charterer of a vessel, other than an IUU fishing boat, referred to in point 13.1.b of Annex III are each guilty of an offence if, in relation to that vessel, there is a contravention of that point.
(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine.
(2) A person found guilty of an offence under article 8 is liable—
(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine.
(3) A court by or before which a person is convicted of an offence under this Order, or an equivalent provision, may also order either—
(ii) fishing gear used in the course of, or in activities leading to, the commission of the offence; or
(b) a fine not exceeding the value of the fish caught at any time during which the offence was committed.
Recovery of fines
(ii) its gear and catch, and (iii) any property of the person convicted, for the purpose of levying the amount of the fine; and
(b) order that boat and its gear and catch to be detained until—
(ii) the fine is paid, or (iii) the amount of the fine is levied in pursuance of any such warrant, whichever occurs first.
(2) Sections 77(1) and 78 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980[13] apply to a warrant of distress issued under this article as they apply to a warrant of distress issued under Part III of that Act.
(b) may require any person on board the boat to produce any document relating to the boat, to any fishing operations or other operations ancillary thereto or to the persons on board which is in that person's custody or possession; (c) for the purpose of ascertaining whether an offence under this Order or an equivalent provision has been committed, may search the boat for any such document and may require any person on board the boat to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the search; (d) may inspect and take copies of any such document produced to him or found on board and, where any such document is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and (e) where the boat is one in relation to which he has reason to suspect that an offence under this Order or an equivalent provision has been committed, may seize and detain any such document produced to him or found on board for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the offence.
(4) Where it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that an offence under article 4, 7 or 8, or an equivalent provision, has at any time been committed in relation to a fishing boat, he may—
(b) detain or require the master to detain the boat in the port.
(5) Where such an officer detains or requires the detention of a boat, he must 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.
(b) take with him such other persons as appear to him to be necessary and any equipment or materials; (c) examine any fish on the premises and require persons on the premises to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the examination; (d) carry out at the premises such other inspections or tests as may reasonably be necessary; (e) require any person not to remove or cause to be removed any fish from the premises for such a period as may be reasonably necessary for the purposes of establishing whether an offence under this Order an equivalent provision has at any time been committed; (f) require any person on the premises to produce any documents which are in his custody or possession relating to the catching, landing, transportation, transshipment, sale or disposal of any fish or to the entry to, or exit from, any port or harbour by any fishing boat; (g) for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person on the premises has committed an offence under this Order or an equivalent provision, search the premises for any such document and require any person on the premises to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the search; (h) inspect and take copies of any such document produced to him or found on the premises; (i) require any appropriate or responsible person to render any such document on a computer system into a visible and legible form, including requiring it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and (j) if he has a reason to suspect that an offence under any of those articles or an equivalent provision has been committed, seize and detain any such document produced to him or found on the premises for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the suspected offence.
(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) 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.
(b) the inspection of such documents or other items is likely to disclose evidence of the commission of an offence under this Order or an equivalent provision; and (c) either—
(ii) an application for entry, or the giving of notice, would defeat the object of the entry, (iii) the premises are unoccupied, or (iv) the occupier is temporarily absent and it might defeat the object of the entry to await his return.
Powers of British sea-fishery officers to seize fish and fishing gear
(b) any fishing gear which he has reasonable grounds to suspect has been used in the course of the commission of any such suspected offence.
Protection of officers
(b) there were reasonable grounds for so acting; and (c) he acted with reasonable skill and care.
(2) In this article, "officer" means—
(b) a person assisting him by virtue of —
(ii) a warrant issued under article 14.
Obstruction of officers
(b) without reasonable excuse, he prevents, or attempts to prevent, any other person from complying with any such requirement; (c) he assaults a British sea-fishery officer while exercising any of the powers conferred by article 12, 13 or 15; or (d) he intentionally obstructs any such officer in the exercise of any of those powers.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1) is liable—
(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine.
Offences by corporate bodies
(b) to be attributable to any neglect on his part,
the officer as well as the body corporate is guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(b) to be attributable to any neglect on his part,
the partner as well as the partnership is guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(b) to be attributable to any neglect on the part of such an officer or member,
that officer or member as well as the association is guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(b) "partner" includes a person purporting to act as a partner.
Admissibility of documents in evidence
(b) declaration submitted under Article 8.1, 9, 12, 17.2 or 28f; (c) effort report communicated under Article 19b or 19c; (d) sales note or document submitted under Article 9; (e) document drawn up under Article 13; or (f) document containing required information received by a fisheries monitoring centre established under Article 3.7,
of Council Regulation 2847/93 shall, in any proceedings in respect of an offence under this Order or an equivalent provision, be evidence of the matters stated in the logbook, declaration, effort report, sales note or document, as the case may be.
(b) the most recent geographical position of the fishing boat expressed in degrees and minutes of longitude and latitude; and (c) the date and time of the fixing of that position.
(3) Expressions—
(b) but which appear in this article and in Council Regulation 2847/93,
have the same meaning in this article as they have in that Council Regulation.
(This note is not part of the Order) This Order makes provision for the enforcement of certain restrictions and obligations relating to sea fishing by Community vessels and third country vessels which are contained in Council Regulation (EC) No. 51/2006 (OJ No. L16, 20.1.2006, p.1) ("Council Regulation 51/2006"). The Order revokes the Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Quota and Third Country Fishing Measures) (England) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1237); see article 20. Subject to certain conditions, Council Regulation 51/2006 fixes total allowable catches and the quotas of Member States for 2006. It also authorises for 2006 fishing by vessels of Norway and the Faroe Islands for specified descriptions of fish in specified areas within the fishery limits of Member States and imposes requirements concerning fishing quotas and authorised zones, methods of fishing, the weighing of fish, the holding of licences and observance of licence conditions, the keeping of log books, the making of reports and similar matters. Article 2 of the Order contains provisions relating to the extent and application of the Order. Article 3 contains interpretation provisions and, in paragraph (5), lists the designated ports for the purposes of point 1.2.1 of Annex III to the Council Regulation 51/2006. Article 4 of the Order makes provision for the purposes of Article 9 of Council Regulation 51/2006 relating to the landing of unsorted catches. Provision is made in article 5 for the approval of pelagic weighing systems by the Secretary of State and it is an offence to fail to comply with such an approval or to interfere with a pelagic weighing system which has been so approved. Articles 6 and 7 make provision for the purposes of Annex III to Council Regulation 51/2006 relating to weighing herring, mackerel and horse mackerel and to illegal fishing in the north-east Atlantic. Article 8 makes it an offence to contravene a number of provisions of Council Regulation 51/2006 which are referred to in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 to the Order. Article 9 specifies the competent authorities for the purposes of Council Regulation 51/2006. The penalties for offences under articles 4 to 8 of the Order are contained in article 10 and in the Schedules. Provisions for the recovery of fines are contained in article 11. Articles 12 to 17 set out the powers of British sea-fishery officers and contain provisions concerned with related matters. Provisions relating to corporate offences and admissibility of evidence are contained in articles 18 and 19. A Regulatory Impact Assessment in relation of this Order has been prepared and placed in the library of each House of Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Sea Fisheries Conservation Division, Area 6A, 3, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HH. Notes: [1] 1981 c. 29. See section 30(3) for the definitions of "enforceable Community restriction" and "enforceable Community obligation" and for the definition of "the Ministers", as modified by section 30(5), inserted by Schedule 2, paragraph 68(5) of the Scotland Act 1998 (Consequential Modifications) (No.2) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1820).back [2] Article 3(1) of and Schedule 1 to the Scotland Act 1998 (Concurrent Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1592) provides for the functions exercisable under section 30(2) of the Fisheries Act 1981 ("the 1981 Act") to be exercised by the Ministers, concurrently with Scottish Ministers, in relation to British fishing boats, but not Scottish fishing boats, within the Scottish zone; and in relation to Scottish fishing boats within British fishery limits but outside the Scottish zone. By virtue of article 2(a) of, and Schedule 1 to, the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672) the functions exercisable under section 30(2) of the 1981 Act were transferred to the National Assembly in so far as exercisable in relation to Wales (defined in section 155(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998 (c.38) as including "the sea adjacent to Wales out as far as the seaward boundary of the territorial sea"). In respect of waters beyond Wales the functions exercisable under section 30(2) of the 1981 Act remain exercisable by the Ministers. By virtue of article 3(2) of, and paragraph (3) of Schedule 2 to, the Sea Fisheries (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/790), the function conferred by section 30(2) within the Northern Ireland zone and outside that zone in relation to Northern Ireland fishing boats is transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (of Northern Ireland). By virtue of article 2(1) of the Transfer of Functions (Agriculture and Fisheries) Order 2000 (S.I. 2000/1812) any remaining functions of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales under section 30(2) of the 1981 Act were transferred to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. By virtue of article 2(5) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Dissolution) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/794), the functions of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and one or more named Secretaries of State (however described) acting jointly were transferred to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the one or more Secretaries of State acting jointly.back [3] See the definition of "Wales" in section 155(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38).back [4] 1976 c.76. See also S.I 1997/1750 and S.I. 1999/1741.back [8] 1968 c.77; section 7 is amended by S.I. 1999/1820, article 4 and paragraphs 41 and 48 of Schedule 2, by the Fisheries Act 1981, sections 26(1) and 46(2) and Part II of Schedule 5 and by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 (c.36) , section 40 and Schedule 5.back [9] OJ No. L261, 20.10.93, p.1, as amended by amendments up to and including those made by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003 (OJ No L289, 7.11.2003, p.1).back [10] OJ No. L16, 20.1.2006, p.1.back [11] Section 30(2A) was inserted by S.I. 1999/1820.back [12] S.I. 2001/1208, to which there are amendments not relevant to this Order.back [13] 1980 c.43; section 78 was amended by the Courts Act 2000 (c.39), section 109(1) and Schedule 8 paragraph 219.back [14] S.I. 1981/1675 (NI 26).back
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