STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS.

S.I. No. 213 of 2000.

COMMON SOLE (RESTRICTION ON FISHING IN THE IRISH SEA) ORDER, 2000.

S.I. No. 213 of 2000

COMMON SOLE (RESTRICTION ON FISHING IN THE IRISH SEA) ORDER, 2000.

I, FRANK FAHEY, Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 223A (inserted by section 9 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1978 ( No. 18 of 1978 ), and amended by section 4 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1983 ( No. 27 of 1983 )) of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959 (No. 14 of 1959) , and the Fisheries (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1977 ( S.I. No. 30 of 1977 ) (as adapted by the Marine (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1997 ( S.I. No. 301 of 1997 )), hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Common Sole (Restriction on Fishing in the Irish Sea) Order, 2000.

2. This Order shall come into operation on the 2nd day of July, 2000.

3. (1) In this Order--

“the specified area” means the parts of the sea described in the Annex to the Communication and therein referred to as ICES Division VIIa;

“common sole” means Solea vulgaris otherwise known as black sole or Dover sole;

(2) In this Article--

“the Communication” means the Communication (85/C347/05) from the Commission of the European Communities on the description of the ICES Sub-areas and Divisions used for the purpose of fishing statistics and regulations in the North East Atlantic⁽¹⁾ ;

(3) “quotas” means the State's share of the total allowable catch (TAC) fixed by the Council of the European Communities relating to certain species of fish in respect of the year 2000, or, as the case may be, each subsequent year thereafter.

4. In any proceedings in which a contravention of this Order 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.

5. From the 2nd day of July, 2000 an Irish sea-fishing boat fishing in the specified area by means of beam trawls or a person on board such boat may only land or tranship common sole from such boat in the specified area or elsewhere if the common sole so landed or transhipped does not exceed 1 per cent by weight of the total catch of all species landed or transhipped on any occasion.

6. From the 2nd day of July, 2000 an Irish sea-fishing boat fishing in the specified area by means other than beam trawls or a person on board such boat may only land or tranship common sole from such boat, whether within the specified area or elsewhere, if the common sole so landed or transhipped does not exceed 5 per cent by weight of the total catch of all species of fish subject to quotas landed or transhipped on any occasion.

8. In a prosecution for an offence under Article 5 or 6 of this Order the following shall be prima facie evidence that the sea-fishing boat concerned was, at the time of the alleged offence, used for the transhipment or landing of common sole in contravention of the said Article 5 or 6;

(a) evidence that such sea-fishing boat had on board any books, papers or other documents from which it appears to the Court that on the day on which the offence is alleged to have been committed common sole were landed or transhipped contrary to the said Article 5 or 6;

(b) any admission by any person who is for the time being the master or other person in charge, or another member of the crew, of such sea-fishing boat that at such time she was so used,

(c) any other matter from which it so appears that such sea-fishing boat was so used or which in the opinion of the Court suggests, or tends to suggest, that such sea-fishing boat was so used.

9. The Common Sole (Restriction of Fishing in the Irish Sea) (No. 3) Order, 1999 ( S.I. No. 411 of 1999 ) is hereby revoked.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

This Order provides a new management régime for the Irish Sea common sole fishery with effect from the 2nd of July, 2000.

From 2nd July, 2000 landings or transhipments of common sole caught in the Irish sea (ICES Division VIIa) by Irish sea fishing boats fishing by means of beam trawls may comprise no more than 1 per cent by weight of the total catch of all species (quota and non-quota) on board at the time of landing or transhipment.

Landings or transhipments of common sole caught in the Irish Sea by Irish sea-fishing boats fishing by means other than beam trawls may comprise no more than 5 per cent by weight of the total catch of quota species on board at the time of landing or transhipment.

⁽¹⁾ O.J.C. 347/14 of 31/12/85.