Fisheries Act 2020

36 Power to make provision about fisheries, aquaculture etc

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision—

(a) for the purpose of implementing an international obligation of the United Kingdom relating to fisheries, fishing or aquaculture,

(b) for a conservation purpose (see subsection (2)), or

(c) for a fish industry purpose (see subsection (3)).

(2) “A conservation purpose” means any of the following—

(a) the purpose of conserving, improving or developing marine stocks;

(b) the purpose of protecting the marine and aquatic environment from the effects of fishing or aquaculture, or of related activities;

(c) the purpose of protecting or improving the health of any fish or other aquatic animal.

(3) “A fish industry purpose” means any of the following—

(a) the purpose of promoting or developing commercial fish or aquaculture activities;

(b) the purpose of improving the traceability of fishery products;

(c) the purpose of disseminating information about fishery products.

(4) Except so far as they are regional fisheries management regulations, regulations under subsection (1) may only include provision about—

(a) the quantity of sea fish that may be caught;

(b) the amount of time that fishing boats may spend at sea;

(c) the landing of sea fish;

(d) bycatch;

(e) catching, landing or selling sea fish that are below a certain size;

(f) setting and enforcing targets relating to marine stocks;

(g) the design of sea fishing equipment;

(h) the use of sea fishing equipment;

(i) the retrieval of lost or discarded sea fishing equipment;

(j) methods of sea fishing;

(k) the processing of sea fish;

(l) the use to which the Secretary of State may put information obtained in the exercise of the Secretary of State’s functions relating to fisheries or aquaculture;

(m) the functions, objectives or regulation of producer organisations or inter-branch organisations;

(n) the marketing of fishery products (including labelling);

(o) keeping, disclosing or publishing accounts, records or other documents or information by persons involved in—

(i) commercial fish or aquaculture activities, or

(ii) monitoring, or enforcing, compliance with the regulation of commercial fish or aquaculture activities;

(p) the use in aquaculture, or transport, of aquatic organisms that are members of an alien species or a locally absent species;

(q) monitoring, or enforcing, compliance with the regulation of any of the matters mentioned in the preceding paragraphs of this subsection.

(5) In subsection (4) “regional fisheries management regulations” means regulations that give effect (or change the way in which effect is given) to a requirement imposed on, or a recommendation made to, the United Kingdom (whether directly or indirectly)—

(a) by, or pursuant to, a regional fisheries management agreement, or

(b) by a regional fisheries management organisation.

(6) Without prejudice to the generality of section 51(1)(b), regulations under this section may make different provision in relation to—

(a) different descriptions of sea fish or other animal,

(b) different descriptions of fishing boat, or

(c) different areas of the sea or inland waters.