STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

S.I. No. 230 of 2006

BASS (CONSERVATION OF STOCKS) REGULATIONS 2006

S.I. No. 230 of 2006

BASS (CONSERVATION OF STOCKS) REGULATIONS, 2006

I, John Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 15 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 (No. 8 of 2006), and the Marine (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order 2006 (No. 167 of 2006), hereby make the following regulations:

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Bass (Conservation of Stocks) Regulations 2006.

2.  These Regulations shall come into operation on 9 May 2006.

3. (1)  In these Regulations -

-�the specified areas-� means ICES Sub-area VI and ICES Sub-area VII.

-�Bass-� means dicentrarchus labrax

(2)  In any proceedings in which a contravention of these Regulations is alleged prima facie evidence of the Communication may be given by the production of a copy of the Official Journal purporting to contain the Communication.

(3)  In this Regulation-

-�the Communication-� means the Communication from the Commission of the European Communities on the description of the ICES sub-areas and divisions used for the purposes of fisheries statistics and regulations in the North East Atlantic¹ ;

-�ICES Sub-area VI-� and -�ICES Sub-area VII-� mean, respectively, the parts of the sea described in the Annex to the Communication and therein referred to as Sub-area VI and Sub-area VII.

4.  Neither an Irish sea-fishing boat nor a person on board an Irish sea-fishing boat shall engage in fishing for bass in the specified areas and the master of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit the boat or any person on board to engage in such fishing in the specified areas.

5.  It is hereby prohibited to fish or to attempt to fish for bass using nets in the specified areas.

6.  (a) An Irish sea-fishing boat shall not have bass on board within the specified areas.

(b)  The master of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit the boat or any person on board to have bass on board within the specified areas.

7.  The master of an Irish sea-fishing boat shall not cause or permit the boat to be used within the specified areas for the transhipment of bass from a sea-fishing boat.

8.  No person shall, within the State, have in possession bass of size less than 40 centimetres measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The effect of these Regulations is to prohibit fishing for, landing, transhipping or having on board bass by an Irish sea-fishing boat and to prohibit the use of nets. These Regulations also prescribes a minimum size of 40 centimetres for bass within the State. These Regulations come into effect from 9 May 2006.

¹ O.J. C347 of 31.12.85