Sea Fisheries Licensing

Authority	Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
Date received	2020-03-09
Outcome	All information sent
Outcome date	2020-04-27
Case ID	1221981

Summary

A request was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture for statistics on Isle of Man sea fishing licences issued to vessels registered in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, broken down by species. The authority responded with specific licence counts for English registered vessels for the period April 2019 to March 2020, though the response text provided is truncated before covering other regions.

Key Facts

The data provided covers the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020.
There were 14 Isle of Man sea fishing licences issued to English registered fishing vessels.
Of the English licences, 2 were for king and queen scallops.
Of the English licences, 2 were for whelks.
No English registered vessels held licences for crab and lobster or a combination of the requested species.

Data Disclosed

14
2
0
1st April 2019
31st March 2020
2020-03-09
2020-04-27

Original Request

1. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of English registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species?? 2. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Scottish registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 3. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Welsh registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 4. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Northern Ireland registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 5. And, for good measure, how many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Isle of Man registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 6. Can Republic of Ireland, France and Belgium registered vessels can fish in the IOM Territorial waters/sea for certain species without the necessity of having first obtained a licence from DEFA to do so and if so which species are they permitted to fish for?

Data Tables (13)

How	many	Isle o	f Man	sea fi	shing l	icence	s are	currently		in i	ssue b	y DEFA	in r
of En	glish	registered fi		shing	vessels	and	how	man	y of s	uch	licenc	es are i
of (a	) scall	op an	d quee	n scallops a		nd (b)	crab	& lo	bster	and	(c) w	helks,	or a
combinatio		n of t	hese s	pecies	and i	n this l	atter	cas	e wha	t is	the co	mbination o

2.	How		many I	sle of	Man s	ea fis	hing lic	ences	are	currently i		n issue by			DEFA		in re	spect
of	Scotti		sh registere		d fishi	ng vessels a		nd how	many o		f such	licences			are in r		espe	ct of
(a)		scallo	p and	quee	n scallops a		nd (b)	crab &	lobster		and (c	) whelks,			or a	co	mbination
of	these		specie	s and	in thi	s latte	r case	what i	s the	combination			of	spe

3.	How	many I	sle of	Man s	ea fis	hing lic	ences	are	currently i		n issue by			DEFA		spect
of	Welsh	registered		fishing	vess	els and	how	many	of s	uch li	cences ar			e in	respect	of (a
scallop a		nd queen s		callops	and (	b) cra	b & lo	bster	and	(c) w	helks,		or	a combinatio		n of
these sp		ecies	and in	this la	tter c	ase wh	at is t	he c	ombination		of	specie

4.	How	many I	sle of	Man s	ea fis	hing lic	ences	are	currently i		n issue by		DEFA	in re
of	North	ern Ireland		registered fi		shing v	essels	and	how	man	y of	such	licence	s are
respect o		f (a)	scallo	p and	queen	scallo	ps and	(b)	crab	& lob	ster	and (	c) whelks, o
combina		tion of	thes	e and i	n this	latter	case w	hat	is th	e combination o

5.			or			measure,	how		many		sle	of	Man	sea	fishing l			icences		are	c	urrently
issue		by	DEFA		in	respect o	f Isle		of	Man	registered			fishing		vessels			and	how		many		of
such		licences			are	in respec	t of	(	a)	scallop		and	queen		scallops			and	(b)	crab		&	lobste
and	(	c)	whelks, o			r a combination o				f these		and	in	this	latter		case		what	is	th
combination				of sp		ecies?

6.			Can		Republic o				f Ireland,				France				and	Belgiu		m r	egistered			vessels		can	fish		in	the			IOM
Territoria						l	waters/		sea	for c			ertain			s	pecie	s	without		the	necessity			of	having		first		obtained
a		licence				from		DE	FA to			do	so		and i		f so	which		species		are	they		permitted			to	fish			for?

Further i
Although y	ou didn’t spec	ifically request	it and recognising			tha	t this respo	nse will be
published,	the Departme	nt considered	it would	hel	p with	understanding
informatio	n if we were to	set out the b	ackground o		n Isle	of M	an sea fish	ing vessel

Please not	e the Departm	ent currently i	ssues Isle of	Man	Sea	Fishing Lice
IOM, UK o	r Channel Islan	d registered a	nd licensed	fishing	vessels to fish
Man territo

Species Sp	ecific Licences	are issued as	part of the	Isle	of	Man
to authoris	e registered a	nd licensed fis	hing vessels	to	fish	within Manx w
specific na	med species.	Those species	are: king sc	allops,		queen scallops	, crab and
lobster, an

Other spec	ies can be fish	ed in Manx w	aters withou	t a	Species		Specific Li	cence (i.e.
having the	species name	d specifically o	n the Isle o	f Man		Sea	Fishing Lice	nce). Thi
is the case	for example f	or fishing Nep	hrops, which	is	not	specifically na		med on th
sea fishing

Eligibility f	or Species Spe	cific Licences	has been	sed	on	the	historic ac
the vessel.	Species Speci	fic Licences w	ere allocated	separatel			y for the 0-	3 nautical
mile (NM)	zone and the 3	-12 NM zone	in relation to	king		and	queen scall
Therefore,	it is important	to note that t	he number	and	combination of Sp
Species Lic	ences allocate	d to an Isle of	Man Sea Fi	shing L		icence can, an

Further, pl	ease note that	the king scall	op and quee	n scallop f		ishing seas	ons do not
run concur	rently, therefo	re not all spec	ies allocated	by	licence	are fished

The Depar	tment’s Future	Fisheries Stra	tegy provide	s further i	nformation
fisheries, a	nd is available	online at http

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

27th April 2020 Our ref: 1221981

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on the 9th March 2020 and which states:

"1. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of English registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species?? 2. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Scottish registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 3. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Welsh registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 4. How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Northern Ireland registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 5. And, for good measure, how many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Isle of Man registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? 6. Can Republic of Ireland, France and Belgium registered vessels can fish in the IOM Territorial waters/sea for certain species without the necessity of having first obtained a licence from DEFA to do so and if so which species are they permitted to fish for?"

Our response to your request is as follows. Please note the figures below are for the period 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020 inclusive.

How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of English registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species?? The number of Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences currently issued by DEFA in respect of English registered fishing vessels is 14. Number of such licences (Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences) in respect of: a) king scallop and queen scallop – total: 2 b) crab & lobster – total: 0 c) whelk – total: 2 d) combination of these species – total: 0
How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Scottish registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? The number of Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences currently issued by DEFA in respect of Scottish registered fishing vessels is 22. How many of such licences (IOM Sea Fishing Licences) are in respect of: a) king scallop and queen scallop – total: 6 b) crab & lobster – total: 0 c) whelk – total: 0 d) combination of these species – total: 0
How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Welsh registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these species and in this latter case what is the combination of species? The number of Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences currently issued by DEFA in respect of Welsh registered fishing vessels is one. How many of such licences (IOM Sea Fishing Licences) are in respect of: a) king scallop and queen scallop – total: 1 b) crab & lobster – total: 0 c) whelk – total: 0 d) combination of these species – total: 0
How many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Northern Ireland registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? The number of Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences currently issued by DEFA in respect of Northern Ireland registered fishing vessels is 88. How many of such licences (IOM Sea Fishing Licences) are in respect of:

a) king scallop and queen scallop – total: 2 b) crab & lobster – total: 2 c) whelk – total: 0 d) combination of these species – total: 10 The combination of species as follows: • 2 x Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences (IOM SFL) for king scallops in 0-3 and 3-12 NM, crab & lobster; • 4 x IOM SFL for king scallops within 3-12 NM and crab & lobster; • 3 x IOM SFL for king scallops within 3-12 NM, queen scallops in 0-3 and 3-12 NM, and crab & lobster; • 1 x IOM SFL for crab & lobster, and whelk. 5. And, for good measure, how many Isle of Man sea fishing licences are currently in issue by DEFA in respect of Isle of Man registered fishing vessels and how many of such licences are in respect of (a) scallop and queen scallops and (b) crab & lobster and (c) whelks, or a combination of these and in this latter case what is the combination of species? The number of Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences currently issued by DEFA in respect of Isle of Man registered fishing vessels is 63. How many licences (Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences) in respect of: a) king scallop and queen scallop – total: 25 b) crab & lobster – total: 18 c) whelk – total: 0 d) combination of these species – total: 16 The combination of species is as follows: • 12 x Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences (IOM SFL) for crab & lobster, and whelk; • 1 x IOM SFL for king scallops 3-12 NM and crab & lobster; • 1 x IOM SFL for king scallops 3-12 NM, crab & lobster, and whelk; • 1 x IOM SFL for king scallops and queen scallops within 0-12 NM, crab & lobster, and whelk; • 1 x IOM SFL for king scallops and queen scallops within 0-12 NM and crab & lobster. 6. Can Republic of Ireland, France and Belgium registered vessels can fish in the IOM Territorial waters/sea for certain species without the necessity of having first obtained a licence from DEFA to do so and if so which species are they permitted to fish for? Republic of Ireland, France and Belgium registered vessels can currently fish in Isle of Man Territorial Waters without the necessity of having to first obtain a licence from DEFA but can only fish for certain species. Their fishing effort is restricted to areas within 6-12 nautical miles of Manx waters. Species for which they may fish are: France and Belgium vessels – Demersal (in this context, all sea-fish other than salmon, migratory trout, mackerel, clupeoid fishes (e.g. herring, sardines etc),

sand eels, Norway pout, smelts, eels, great weevers, crustaceans and molluscs (other than squid)). Republic of Ireland vessels – Demersal, Nephrops and Herring.
Further information Although you didn’t specifically request it and recognising that this response will be published, the Department considered it would help with understanding of the information if we were to set out the background on Isle of Man sea fishing vessel licensing. Please note the Department currently issues Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licences to IOM, UK or Channel Island registered and licensed fishing vessels to fish in Isle of Man territorial waters.
Species Specific Licences are issued as part of the Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licence to authorise registered and licensed fishing vessels to fish within Manx waters for specific named species. Those species are: king scallops, queen scallops, crab and lobster, and whelk.

Other species can be fished in Manx waters without a Species Specific Licence (i.e., having the species named specifically on the Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licence). This is the case for example for fishing Nephrops, which is not specifically named on the sea fishing licence.
Eligibility for Species Specific Licences has been based on the historic activities of the vessel. Species Specific Licences were allocated separately for the 0-3 nautical mile (NM) zone and the 3-12 NM zone in relation to king and queen scallops.
Therefore, it is important to note that the number and combination of Specific Species Licences allocated to an Isle of Man Sea Fishing Licence can, and does, vary.
Further, please note that the king scallop and queen scallop fishing seasons do not run concurrently, therefore not all species allocated by licence are fished year round. The Department’s Future Fisheries Strategy provides further information on sea fisheries, and is available online at https://www.gov.im/media/1349730/future- fisheries.pdf. Polite request While acknowledging your right to ask for information and the Department's intention to always deal with your requests (both under FoI and otherwise) in accordance with the legislation and Government policies, I should inform you that during the current period of uncertainty when many of us are working from home searching for information, liaising with colleagues and finalising responses is very challenging. Unfortunately meeting the statutory and policy requirements may not be possible in every case and we ask that you bear with us please.

Any subsequent query, whether related to this one or not, will be prioritised according to the workload of the Department in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and consequently it is likely to take significantly longer to provide a response. Please be assured however that you will receive a response. Thank you for your patience and understanding and keep well. Please quote the reference number 1221981 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely