The Sea Fish (Specified Sea Areas) (Regulation of Nets and Other Fishing Gear) (Variation) Order 1992

Variation of the Sea Fish (Specified Sea Areas) (Regulation of Nets and Other Fishing Gear) Order 1991

5.  For article 4 thereof (regulation of carriage and use of nets) there shall be substituted the following article—

“Regulation of carriage and use of nets

4.— (1) Subject to article 3(1) to (3) and paragraphs (2) and (3) below, any net with a minimum mesh size of 80 millimetres or more but less than 90 millimetres carried in, or used by, any British fishing boat registered in the United Kingdom in ICES VI south of a line drawn westwards from the east coast of the Sound of Jura at 56° north latitude (Rockall and West of Scotland) or ICES VIIa (Irish Sea) shall have incorporated in it as part of the net a square mesh panel which—

(a) has a minimum mesh size of 80 millimetres;

(b) is at least 2 metres in length in the case of a boat with a registered engine power not exceeding 112 kilowatts, and is at least 3 metres in length in the case of any other boat;

(c) is placed—

(i) in the codend or in any extension piece with, in either case, the panel extending widthways across the topmost part of the net at right angles to the towing axis for at least 90% of the top half of the net; or

(ii) immediately in front of any extension piece or, in the absence of any extension piece, immediately in front of the codend with, in either case, the panel extending widthways across the topmost part of the net at right angles to the towing axis for at least the same distance as the distance across 90% of the top half of the net at the front end of the codend;

(d) is attached along each lengthwise edge to the net in such a way that the stretched length of the section of the net to which the panel is attached is the same as the stretched length of the panel along that lengthwise edge;

(e) is constructed so that at any point along the length of the panel the number of meshes widthways across the panel is no greater than half the number of meshes widthways across the section of the net to which the front end of the panel is attached; and

(f) is placed either forward of any flapper or with the front end of the panel to the rear of any flapper by at least 3 flapper lengths.

(2) Subject to article 3(1) and (2), any net with a minimum mesh size of 70 millimetres or more but less than 90 millimetres carried in, or used by, any British fishing boat registered in the United Kingdom in ICES IIa south of 64° north latitude and east of 4° west longitude (Norwegian Sea), ICES IV (North Sea) or ICES VI (Rockall and West of Scotland) for the purpose of fishing for nephrops shall have incorporated in it as part of the net a square mesh panel which—

(a) has a minimum mesh size of 80 millimetres; and

(b) complies with the criteria set out in paragraph (1)(b) to (f) above.

(3) Subject to article 3(1) and (2), any net with a minimum mesh size of between 70 millimetres and 85 millimetres inclusive carried in, or used by, any British fishing boat registered in the United Kingdom in ICES VII (Irish Sea, West of Ireland and Porcupine Bank, South Coast of Ireland, Bristol Channel and English Channel) for the purpose of fishing for nephrops shall have incorporated in it as part of the net a square mesh panel which—

(a) has a minimum mesh size of 75 millimetres; and

(b) complies with the criteria set out in paragraph (1)(b) to (f) above.”.