The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has decided that Irish pelagic vessels involved in pair fishing must submit individual authorisation applications “with immediate effect”.
Pair trawling or fishing involves two or more vessels fishing together, dragging a single large net with small meshing between them.
Previously, one vessel applied for authorisation for, or termination of, the pairing arrangement on behalf of the group.
However, the SFPA says this week that authorisation holder(s) from all vessels requesting to be included in the pairing must now submit an application and the same for termination of pairing arrangements. It says this change takes place “with immediate effect”.
“When vessels fish in an approved pairing arrangement, catches of one vessel will be regarded as catches of the group and any and all catches of any one of these vessels within this pairing arrangement will be reckoned against the cumulative total of all the allocations of these individual vessels,”it says.
“This cumulative total will be used for the purposes of quota balancing,” it says.
The SFPA says that management policies for pelagic and demersal stocks set out that where a vessel exceeds its catch limit, the excess catch retained on board and landed will be subject to quota balancing.
“Quota balancing means that a balancing adjustment (i.e., a deduction) will be made from the catch limit of a future fishing opportunity,” it says.
“Under no circumstances will pairings be approved retrospectively,” the SFPA says.
It says that further details on the application and approval process for pair fishing are available on the SFPA website or by contacting local port offices.