Fisheries protection
Commission Regulation 517/2008 of 10th June 2008 lays down rules for the determination of mesh size and twine thickness when using the Omega net measuring gauge and specified twine thickness gauges respectively.
Article 24 of this regulation creates a transitional period until 1st September 2009 during which time Member States may continue to use the existing procedures as laid down in Regulation (EC) 129/2003
Until further notice the Marine and Fisheries Agency and other fishery enforcement bodies in England and Wales will continue to use the procedures for measuring mesh size in conformity with the existing Regulation (EC) 129/2003. The European Commission has been so informed.
The Marine and Fisheries Agency co-ordinates an enforcement programme for monitoring, control and surveillance of all sea fishing activity within British Fishery Limits off the coast of England and Wales and UK vessels operating outside those waters. When breaches of the regulations are identified the Agency investigates and takes appropriate enforcement action including prosecution.
This enforcement work is crucial to ensuring high compliance with fisheries regulations so that fish stocks are exploited in a sustainable way to assist the long term economic survival of the fishing industry and to protect a valuable natural food resource.
The enforcement programme includes the inspection of fishing vessels at sea and in port, inspections of fishing industry premises, fish markets and other locations around the coast and further inland by BSFOs.
Inspections at sea are carried out by the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron (RN FPS) operating under an agreement with the Agency. There is also a programme of aerial surveillance conducted under contract by Directflight Ltd.
To support the monitoring, control and surveillance operations the Agency operates a satellite based Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) from a Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC) in its London Headquarters. The VMS is used to track the positions of fishing vessels exceeding 15 metres in length.
The sort of fisheries measures that are enforced include the following:
- access rules for foreign fishing vessels in British Fishery Limits;
- Total Allowable Catches and quotas for fish stocks;
- technical conservation measures for juvenile and spawning fish, such as minimum fish sizes, mesh sizes for nets and closed areas;
- special stock recovery measures for 'at risk' fish stocks;
- control measures for monitoring and inspecting fishing vessels and their catches, such as fishing logbooks and landing declarations;
- effort limitation measures limiting the days vessels may fish.