16 Powers of British sea-fishery officers in relation to fishing boats
1 For the purpose of enforcing Articles 3 to 13 or any equivalent provisions, or to operate or facilitate the operation of any monitoring deriving from point 22 of Annex V, any British sea-fishery officer may exercise the powers conferred by this Article in relation to –
(a) any Northern Ireland fishing boat wherever it may be; or
(b) any other fishing boat which is within the Northern Ireland zone.
2 He may go on board the boat, with or without persons assigned to assist him in his duties, and may require the boat to stop and do anything else which will facilitate either the boarding of, or the disembarkation from, 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 paragraph (1) and, in particular –
(a) may search for fish or fishing gear on the boat and 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;
(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 his custody or possession;
(c) for the purpose of ascertaining whether an offence under any of those Articles or any 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;
(e) without prejudice to sub-paragraphs (c) and (d), may require the master and any person for the time being in charge of the boat to render all such documents on a computer system into a visible and legible form, including requiring any such document to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away; and
(f) where the boat is one in relation to which he has reason to suspect that an offence under any of those Articles or any 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;
but nothing in sub-paragraph (f) above shall permit any document required by law to be carried on board the boat to be seized and detained except while the boat is detained in a port.
4 Where it appears to a British sea-fishery officer that an offence under Article 3, 4, 5, 8, 12 or 13, or under any equivalent provision, has at any time been committed in respect of a fishing boat, he may –
(a) require the master of the boat to take, or himself take, the boat and crew to the port which appears to him to be the nearest convenient port; and
(b) detain, or require the master to detain, the boat in port;
and where such an officer detains or requires the detention of the boat he shall 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.