S.I. No. 510/2016 - Sea-Fisheries (Codend Mesh Size) Regulations 2016.
Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in | ||
“Iris Oifigiúil” of 11th October, 2016. | ||
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 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 Sea-Fisheries (Codend Mesh Size) Regulations 2016. | ||
(2) These Regulations come into effect on 1 January 2017. | ||
2. (1) In these Regulations- | ||
‘codend’ means a codend as defined in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3440/84 of 6 December 1984;1 | ||
‘mesh size’ means the mesh size of any codend of a towed gear as defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 517/2008 of 10 June 2008;2 | ||
‘demersal trawl’ means a trawl designed and rigged to operate on or near the seabed. | ||
3. The master of an Irish sea-fishing boat greater than or equal to 12 metres in length overall that deploys more than one demersal trawl or similar towed gear simultaneously shall not use a net with a codend mesh size of less than 80mm. | ||
4. (1) A master of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not construct any codend or attach any device that obstructs or otherwise effectively diminishes the mesh size of the codend or any part of a towed gear. | ||
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a master may use devices as set out in Articles 4 to 15 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3440/84 of 6 December 19843 as amended by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 955/87 of 1 April 1987,4 Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2122/89 of 14 July 19895 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 146/2007 of 15 February 2007, other than devices set out in Article 10 of that Regulation.6 | ||
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GIVEN under my Official Seal, | ||
26 September 2016. | ||
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) | ||
This instrument increases the minimum size of codend meshes from 70 mm to 80 mm, in order to minimise undersize/juvenile catches in demersal fisheries and for stock management and conservation purposes. | ||
