Sea Fisheries Act 1968

8 General powers of British sea-fishery officers

(1) For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of any order under section 5 above or of section 6 above or any order thereunder a British sea-fishery officer may exercise in relation to any fishing boat within the fishery limits of the British Islands and in relation to any British fishing boat anywhere outside those limits the powers conferred by subsections (2) to (4) below.

(2) He may go on board the boat, with or without persons assigned to assist him in his duties, and for that purpose may require the boat to stop and do anything else which will facilitate the boarding of 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 purpose mentioned in subsection (1) above and, in particular.—

(a) may examine any fish on the boat and the equipment of the boat, including the fishing gear, and require persons on board the boat to do anything which appears to him to be necessary for facilitating the examination; and

(b) may require any person on board the boat to produce any documents relating to the boat or the persons on board which are in his custody or possession and may take copies of any such document.

(4) Where it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that a contravention of any provision of an order under section 5 above or of section 6 above or any order thereunder has at any time taken place within the fishery limits of the British Islands, he may take the boat in relation to which the contravention took place and the crew of the boat to the port which appears to him to be the nearest convenient port and detain the boat and the crew in the port until the completion of proceedings for the contravention.

(5) If it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that a British fishing boat or a fishing boat belonging to a country which is party to a convention to which Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom is a party is being so navigated or stationed as to interfere or be likely to interfere with fishing operations which are being carried on, or about to be carried on, within the fishery limits of the British Islands, he may require the boat to move away or to move in a direction or to a position specified by him.

(6) For the purpose of enforcing the collision regulations made under section 418 of the [1894 c. 60.] Merchant Shipping Act 1894, so far as they apply to fishing boats, a British sea-fishery officer may exercise, in relation to any fishing boat within the fishery limits of the British Islands and in relation to a British fishing boat anywhere outside those limits, the powers conferred by section 723(1) of that Act (enforcement), whether or not he is mentioned in that subsection, and also the powers conferred by the foregoing provisions of this section, and section 723(2) of that Act so far as it relates to the former powers shall apply accordingly.