Fisheries Regulations 2018

(1) A person shall not deploy a fish aggregating device in the fisheries waters except with the written permission of an authorised officer and in accordance with any condition specified by the officer. (2) ( a) An application for a permit mentioned in subregulation (1) shall be in Form G(l) of the Third Schedule. (b)An application for a permit under this regulation shall be accompanied by the payment of the fee as negotiated by the authorised officer and the applicant. (3) An application for a permit under this regulation shall be processed by the officer within fourteen days of its receipt. ( 4) The permit shall be an annual permit expiring on the 31 st day of December in the year of issue unless otherwise specified and shall be issued in Form G (2) in the Third Schedule. (5) The Chief Fisheries Officer shall establish and maintain a register of all fish aggregating devices permitted in the fisheries waters. (6) A permit issued under this regulation shall contain a fish aggregating device registration number assigned by the Chief Fisheries Officer for the purpose of maintaining the register under subregulation (5). (7) The permit shall confer an exclusive right to fish in the vicinity of the device for the period stated in the permit. (8) The permit shall not relieve the master of a vessel from obligations arising under any other law concerning safety of navigation and shipping. (9) The master of a vessel deploying a permitted fish aggregating device into the fisheries waters shall notify the Chief Fisheries Officer within twenty four hours of deploying the device of the nature of the device and the intended location where the device will be deployed.

(1) The Chief Fisheries Officer may by notice published in the Gazette and a local newspaper of wide circulation, declare any fish aggregating device a designated fish aggregating device for the purpose of this regulation. (2) A person shall not fish within a radius of one half of a nautical mile from any designated fish aggregating device except with the written permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer and in accordance with such conditions the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify.

(1) Any fish aggregating device deployed into the fisheries waters shall - (a) bear a radar reflector and such lights as shall be clearly visible from five nautical miles; (b) be clearly marked with the name of the owner of the device and of the vessel from which the device was deployed; (c) have such other equipment or markings as an authorised officer may require.

(2) A fish aggregating device found unmarked in the fisheries waters may be disposed of in an appropriate manner by an authorised officer.

A fish aggregating device deployed in the fisheries waters without the written permission of an authorised officer shall be disposed of in a manner as the Chief Fisheries Officer may direct.

(1) The Minister or Chief Fisheries Officer may appoint observers to accompany fishing vessels on fishing trips for the purpose of monitoring and inspection during the fishing trip. (2) An owner, charterer or master of a fishing vessel who is notified by an authorised officer of the appointment of an observer to accompany the fishing vessel on an observation trip shall give to the authorised officer at least one week notice of his intended departure from and expected landing at a port.

An owner, charterer or master of a vessel on which an observer appointed under regulation 75 embarks shall- (a) provide accommodation and food that are equivalent to those provided to the crew to the observer; (b) allow the observer access to and use of the vessel's observer device and personnel upon request for the transmission and receipt of messages related to the observer's duties; (c) allow the observer access to and use of the vessel's navigation equipment and personnel upon request to determine the vessel's position; ( d) allow the observer free and unobstructed access to the vessel's bridge, working decks, holding bins, weight scales, holds and any other space used to hold, process, weigh or store fish; (e) allow the observer to inspect and copy the vessel's daily logbook, communication logs and any records associated with the catch and distribution of fish for that trip.

Fish may not be trans-shipped from or unto a foreign fishing vessel while in the fisheries waters except with the permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer and in accordance with such conditions as the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify.

The Chief Fisheries Officer may suspend or revoke a fishing vessel's licence where there is a breach of the provisions of regulation 51, 52 or 53.

The Chief Fisheries Officer may suspend or revoke a fishing vessel's licence where there is a breach of the provisions of regulation 51, 52 or 53.

The Chief Fisheries Officer may suspend or revoke a fishing vessel's licence where there is a breach of the provisions of regulation 51, 52 or 53.

( 1) Every owner of a fishing vessel licensed or permitted to fish in the fisheries waters or for related activities shall ensure that the vessel is fitted with a vessel monitoring device approved by the Chief Fisheries Officer within the implementation period specified in the Fifth Schedule. (2) The Minister may, in his sole discretion, extend the time stipulated for the installation of a vessel monitoring device for not more than two months. (3) After installation, the owner shall submit the relevant information on the vessel monitoring device to the Chief Fisheries Officer in Form A in the Sixth Schedule along with a certified administrative copy of the operationalisation of the equipment from the supplier of the device.

A charterer, owner or master of a vessel licensed or permitted to fish in the fisheries waters shall ensure that at all times the vessel monitoring device installed on the vessel is not tampered with or manipulated to distort the position of the vessel or any other information that may be relayed by the device.

The vessel monitoring device shall be programmed to automatically transmit, continuously and throughout the period of the licence or permit to fish, to the Fisheries Monitoring Centre data relating to - (a) the identification of the vessel; (b) the most recent geographical position of the vessel with a margin of error not exceeding 500 meters; (c) the date and time of the fixing of the position of the vessel; (d) the speed and course of the vessel.