Statutory guidance

Variation issued: Thursday 05 June 2025

Updated 3 June 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fishing-vessel-licence-variations/variation-issued-thursday-05-june-2025

The variation effective from 00:01hrs Thursday 05 June 2025 is as follows:  

1. Amendments made to Scottish Control Measures Conditions

  • Affecting licence categories A (11), A (Islands) (12), A (Pelagic) (17), B (31), C (41), A (91), and A (Limited) (94)

Appears at 29 & 30 in Over 10m schedules Appears at 22 in 10m & Under schedules

Condition wording as follows:

1.1 CONTROLS WITH RESPECT TO FISHING IN SPECIFIED PARTS OF THE SEA

X. From 00:00 hrs on 31 May 2025, the vessel to which this licence relates[footnote 1] may not deploy creels, pots or traps for the purposes of catching or retaining quantities of brown crab and / or lobster from within any part of Scottish inshore waters (0-6 nautical miles[footnote 2]), with the exception of the inshore waters surrounding St Kilda (Hirta and Boreray), Flannan Isles, Rockall, Sula Sgeir, North Rona, Sule Stack, and Sule Skerry.

1.2 RETURN OF CATCHES TO THE SEA IN SCOTTISH WATERS

X. From 00:00 hrs on 31 May 2025, the vessel to which this licence relates[footnote 3] may not , retain onboard, land, offer for sale, or consign lobster (Homarus Gammarus) or brown crab (Cancer pagurus) carrying any spawn attached to the tail or other exterior part; or in a condition as to show that, at the time of capture, it was carrying eggs so attached.

We will continue to vary licence category 94 until all fishing vessel licences affected by the removal of the licence cap have been reissued.

The most up to date licences can be accessed on the understand your fishing vessel licence webpage.             

It is your responsibility to check variations before going to sea as they can be changed at any time.          

If you have any queries, please contact the Fisheries Management Team.   

  1. Fishing vessels of greater than 14 metres overall length and fishing vessels of greater than 12 metres overall length which have notified catches of over 200 tonnes of brown crab and/or lobster to the competent authority during any 12 month period(s) from 2020 onwards. ↩

  2. As defined in the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984). ↩

  3. All licenced fishing vessels of all categories. ↩

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