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Sea Fishing Licence Application
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Any boat intended for commercial sea fishing needs a licence. This authorisation is needed to fish legally. The vessel must also be entered on the Fishing Boat Register.
The boat in question must be wholly owned by a national of a European Union member state or a state belonging to the European Economic Area. In the case of a corporate body, the organisation must be established under and subject to the law of a member state and have its principal place of business in a member state or a state belonging to the European Economic Area.
The following steps are necessary for licensing and registration of fishing boats:
- the vessel owner must complete a sea fishing boat licence application form
- a licence offer must be issued by the licensing authority after receiving the completed application form
- the vessel owner must comply with all the conditions of the offer
The conditions of the offer include safety requirements and the provision of replacement capacity. Under European law the entry of new capacity into the fleet must be compensated by the previous withdrawal of at least the same amount of capacity. Capacity in the form of gross tonnage and engine power is a privately owned tradable asset and must be provided by licence applicants at a ratio of 1:1 as part of the licensing process.
When the licensing authority issues a non-operative licence, the vessel can be entered on the Fishing Boat Register. In general, sea-fishing boat licences are for one year and are renewed annually subject to the vessel continuing to comply with its licensing conditions, including vessel safety.
A sea-fishing boat of less than 15 metres length overall is exempt from the obligation to be registered. Further detailed guidance has been provided on the licence application and vessel registration process .
To seek a sea fishing licence, apply online at fishingnet.ie . An application form to register a fishing vessel is available from:
Licensing Authority for Sea Fishing Boats
Address:
National Seafood Centre, Clonakilty
, Co. Cork
Phone number:
Fax:
+353 23 88 21786
