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DAERA has issued conditions in relation to the Irish Sea Haddock fishery for 2021
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has issued conditions in relation to the Irish Sea Haddock fishery for 2021.
Amongst the conditions for the fishery is that fishing vessels seeking to be issued licences must show recent experience of operating a clean haddock fishery and vessels wishing to land must give 12 hours notice if possible to DAERA.
Derogated Haddock Fishery Conditions 2021 The following management measures will apply in 2021 in order to provide assurance that fishing is sustainable and that cod mortality is within sustainable limits.
The measures will apply for 2021 and be reviewed in the light of experience.
Note that at this time the TAC for Irish Sea cod in 2021 has not been agreed in Coastal State negotiations.
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- No more than eight named vessels will be permitted by licence condition to fish for haddock using the Eliminator Trawl up to 30th April 2021. Vessels licenced to target haddock should be restricted to those that can demonstrate recent experience of operating a clean haddock fishery.
- All catches of cod and other quota species must be retained, recorded, and landed (subject to landing obligation exemptions or species prohibitions).
- All vessels wishing to target haddock must be notified to DAERA, and DAERA and AFBI must be given reasonable notice (preferably at least 12 hours) before each departure to allow an observer to be placed on board the vessel, if required. Current COVID restrictions will restrict the operation of an observer scheme but a vessel may not depart without an observer on board if requested to do so.
- Whilst COVID social distancing requirements remain in place the prenotification of departure can be reduced (preferably at least 2 hours).
- The information from observed vessels will provide information on cod catch rates and catch which will be cross referenced to recorded landings from all the vessels involved in the fishery, in order to provide assurance on overall by-catches of cod.
- The industry and AFBI Fishery Science Partnership cod survey will circulate daily reports of any cod concentrations to DAERA, to the POs and to the vessels so that these areas may be avoided. COVID restrictions may impact on this service and timely reporting is required.
- If a vessel catches more than 5% cod in any haul it shall move on by 3 nm and advise DAERA, AFBI and the other vessels of the location of the last haul.
- The vessel must give adequate advance notice (preferably 12 hours) to DAERA of landing. This is to ensure that catches are available for measurements and box counts by scientific observers. Additional time will be needed on landing to allow for this and catches should not be removed from the market until counts are completed.
- In the event of no observation at sea being permitted the vessel must set aside the last haul in the trip for on shore sampling by AFBI. This must be all species caught and all sizes, only prohibited species may be discarded.
- The fishery shall have a maximum cod allocation of 16t. Its operation will be reviewed weekly by a meeting between DAERA, AFBI and industry.