A standard sea fishing boat licence granted under section 222B, as amended, of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959, entitles the holder to fish for bivalve molluscs, including razor clams, unless it contains a term or condition expressly precluding such fishing. There are also certain sea fishing boat licences which entitle the holder to fish only for bivalve molluscs.
My Department announced last year that no further applications would be accepted, until further notice, for sea fishing boat licences authorising the holder to fish only for bivalve molluscs. This decision was taken to ensure an appropriate balance between the level of fishing activity and the available fishing opportunities, in the interests of the conservation and rational exploitation of the fish stocks concerned. Any licences granted before this announcement are not affected.
Sea fishing boat licences are granted to a named person in respect of a particular boat and are not transferable. If a fishing boat changes hands, the new owner would have to apply for a licence in accordance with the normal rules and criteria of licensing policy.
The health status of the shellfish production areas referred to by the Deputy is monitored on an ongoing basis by my Department, in accordance with the European Communities (Live Bivalve Molluscs) (Health Conditions for Production and Placing on the Market) Regulations, 1996 [SI No. 147 of 1996].
