The Sea Fishing (Days in Port) Regulations 1991

Title and commencement

1.  These Regulations maybe cited as the Sea Fishing (Days in Port) Regulations 1991 and shall come into force on 1st February 1991.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“British sea-fishery officer” means any person who by virtue of section 7 of the Sea Fisheries Act 1968(1) is a British sea-fishery officer;

“licence” means a fishing licence issued under section 4 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967(2) and “licensed” shall be construed accordingly.

(2) Any reference in these Regulations to a numbered regulation or Schedule is a reference to the regulation or Schedule so numbered in these Regulations.

Scope

3.  These Regulations apply to—

(a) any fishing vessel which is registered in the United Kingdom where the vessel has an overall length that exceeds 10 metres and its landings of cod and haddock from the sea areas described in Schedule 1 during the period 1st January 1989 to 30th June 1990 exceeded 100 tonnes and 40% by weight of its total landings, and

(b) any vessel replacing a vessel in the category referred to in paragraph (a) above.

Management of days in port

4.—(1) A vessel to which these Regulations apply shall remain in port for a period of 8 consecutive days in each calendar month (referred to in this regulation as “the relevant period”), commencing with 1st February 1991 and ending with 31st December 1991.

(2) No such period shall count for the purposes of paragraph (1) above unless it has been notified in accordance with paragraph (3) below, and, where paragraph (4) below applies, evidence is produced in accordance with that paragraph of compliance with paragraph (1) above.

(3) At least 12 hours prior notice in writing of the commencement of each relevant period and the name of the port in which the vessel is to remain shall be given by the master, owner or charterer of that vessel—

(a) in the case of a vessel which is to remain in a port where there is a British sea-fishery officer, to such an officer, or

(b) in the case of a vessel licensed by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, to that Department, or

(c) in the case of a vessel not so licensed, to a British sea-fishery officer of the port from which the vessel’s licence was issued.

(4) Where the port in which the vessel is to remain is not in the United Kingdom the master, owner or charterer shall within 14 days of the expiry of the relevant period furnish in accordance with paragraph (3) above a statement signed and dated by the relevant authorities of that port containing the particulars specified in Schedule 2.

(5) Once a relevant period has been notified in accordance with paragraph (3) above and has commenced the vessel concerned shall remain in port until that period has expired or until notice has been given in accordance with that paragraph that that period is not to count for the purposes of this regulation.

(6) The relevant period shall start at the beginning of the first hour of the first day and shall end with the expiry of the last hour of the last day of the period.

Offences

5.—(1) If the master, the owner or any charterer of a vessel to which these Regulations apply—

(a) without reasonable excuse contravenes any provision of regulation 4(1) or 4(5); or

(b) in purporting to give information required by virtue of regulation 4(3), (4) or (5) makes a statement which he knows to be false in a material particular or recklessly makes a statement which is false in a material particular,

he shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) Any person who—

(a) assaults a British sea-fishery officer who is exercising any of the powers conferred on him by regulation 8 or intentionally obstructs any such officer in the exercise of any of those powers; or

(b) fails without reasonable excuse to comply with any requirement imposed by a British sea-fishery officer under the powers conferred on British sea-fishery officers by regulation 8 or without reasonable excuse prevents any other person from complying with such a requirement,

shall be guilty of an offence.

Penalties

6.—(1) A person guilty of an offence under regulation 5(1) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or on conviction on indictment to a fine.

(2) A person guilty of an offence under regulation 5(2)(a) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under regulation 5(2)(b) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

Recovery of fines

7.—(1) Where a fine is imposed by a magistrates' court in England and Wales or Northern Ireland on the master, owner or charterer of a fishing vessel who is convicted by the court of an offence under regulation 5, the court may—

(a) issue a warrant of distress against the vessel and its gear and catch and any property of the person convicted for the purpose of levying the amount of the fine; and

(b) order the vessel to be detained for a period not exceeding three months from the date of the conviction or until the fine is paid or the amount of the fine is levied in pursuance of any such warrant, whichever occurs first.

(2) Where a fine is imposed by a sheriff in Scotland on the master, owner or charterer of a fishing vessel who is convicted by the sheriff of an offence under regulation 5, the sheriff may—

(a) issue a warrant for the arrestment and sale of the vessel and its gear and catch and any property of the person convicted; and

(b) order the vessel to be detained for a period not exceeding three months from the date of the conviction or until the fine is paid, whichever occurs first.

(3) Sections 77(1) and 78 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980(3) (postponement of issue of, and defects in, warrants of distress) shall apply to a warrant of distress issued under this regulation in England and Wales as they apply to a warrant of distress issued under Part III of that Act.

(4) Article 114(2) of the Magistrates' Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(4) (postponement of issue of certain warrants) shall apply to a warrant of distress issued under this regulation in Northern Ireland as it applies to a warrant referred to in that article.

Powers of British sea-fishery officers

8.—(1) For the purpose of enforcing regulation 5, a British sea-fishery officer—

(a) may go on board any fishing vessel to which these Regulations apply;

(b) may require any such vessel to stop and do anything else to enable him to board it;

(c) may require the attendance of the master of the vessel or any other person on board;

(d) may require any person on board to assist him in the performance of his functions; and

(e) may take with him, to assist him in performing his functions, any other person and any equipment or materials;

(f) may make any examination or inquiry which appears to him to be necessary and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, he may in particular—

(i) examine any fish on the vessel and the equipment of the vessel, including the fishing gear;

(ii) require the production of any document relating to the vessel or to its fishing operations or other operations ancillary to its fishing operations;

(iii) search the vessel for any such document, and require any person on board the vessel to do anything which appears to the officer to be necessary for facilitating the search; and

(iv) take copies of any such document.

(2) If a British sea-fishery officer has reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence under regulation 5 is being or has been committed in respect of a vessel to which these Regulations apply he may seize and detain any document produced to him or found on board the vessel, and if he has reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence has been committed within British fishery limits the officer—

(a) may require the master to take, or may himself take, the vessel and its crew to the port which appears to the officer to be the nearest convenient port; and

(b) may detain the vessel in the port.

(3) Nothing in paragraph (2) above shall permit any document required by law to be carried on board any vessel to be seized or detained except while the vessel is detained in a port.

(4) If a British sea-fishery officer detains a vessel, he shall serve on the master a notice stating that it is to be detained until the notice is withdrawn by the service on him of a further notice in writing signed by a British sea-fishery officer.

(5) For the purpose of enforcing regulation 5, a British sea-fishery officer—

(a) may enter at any reasonable time any premises (other than a dwelling) used for carrying on any business in connection with the operation of fishing vessels or activities connected therewith or ancillary thereto or with the treatment, storage or sale of sea fish;

(b) may examine any fish on the premises;

(c) may require any person on the premises to produce any documents which are in his custody or possession relating to the catching, landing, transshipment, sale or disposal of sea fish;

(d) may take copies of any such document;

and if he has reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence under regulation 5 has been committed, the officer—

(e) may search the premises for any such document and require any person on the premises to do anything which appears to the officer to be necessary for facilitating the search; and

(f) may seize and detain any such document produced to him or found on the premises.

Protection of officers

9.  An officer shall not be liable in any civil or criminal proceedings for anything done in the purported exercise of the powers conferred on him by regulation 8 if the court is satisfied that the act was done in good faith, that there were reasonable grounds for doing it and that it was done with reasonable skill and care.

Offences by bodies corporate

10.  Where an offence under regulation 5 committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or approval of any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the body corporate, he, as well as the body corporate, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Proceedings

11.  Proceedings for an offence under these Regulations maybe taken, and the offence may for all incidental purposes be treated as having been committed, in any place in the United Kingdom.

in witness whereof the Official Seal of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is hereunto affixed on 30th January 1991.

L.S.

John Selwyn Gummer

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Strathclyde

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

30th January 1991