licensing authority for sea-fishing boats - agriculture · of the licensing authority for...

Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats

Annual Report 2012

N a t i o n a l S e a f o o d C e n t r e , C l o n a k i l t y , C o . C o r k , I re land

T e l e p h o n e : +353 23 8859500 F a x : +353 23 8821786

E m a i l : [email protected] w w w . a g r i c u l t u r e . g o v . i e

Annual Report 2012 Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats

Report to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and

the Marine on the performance of the funaions

of the Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats in

the year 2012, pursuant to seaion 3(7) of the

Fisheries (Amendnnent) Act 2003.

Introduction

In accordance with section 3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) A c t 2003 (No. 21 of 2003), the function

of sea-fishing boat licensing was transferred to the Licensing Author i ty for Sea-fishing Boats wi th

effect f rom I July 2003.

A s specified in that Ac t , the Licensing Author i ty is the Registrar General of Fishing Boats, or, under

the superintendence of the Registrar General , the Deputy Registrar General of Fishing Boats.

The Registrar General and the Deputy Registrar Genera l were appointed under the Sea-Fisheries

and Mari t ime Jurisdiction A c t 2006 (No. 8 of 2006). The Registrar General is Mr. Paschal Hayes.

The Deputy Registrar Genera l is Ms. Mairm N i Dhuinn. Both are officials of the Depar tment of

Agr icul ture, Food and the Marine.

The Licensing Author i ty is independent in the exercise of his functions, subject to the requirements

of current national legislation and Ministerial Policy Direct ives.

1


Executive Summary

The Mission Statement of the Licensing Author i ty for Sea-fishing Boats is to "provide an equitable

and user-friendly licensing and registration system for commercial sea-fishing boats". The licensing

and registration regime aims to underpin the development of a modern, safe fishing fleet that is we l l -

equipped to maximise the potential of available catch quotas to the benefit of the vessel owners ,

their local communit ies, and the wider economy.

2012 was a busy year for the Licensing Authori ty, against a background of changing EU rules fo r the

management of the fishing fleets, re form of the C o m m o n Fisheries Policy, and new pol icy

developments at home that impacted on the licensing regime.

• In 2012, the number of applications for a sea-fishing boat licence increased by 8.41% over 201 I

applications.

• A total of 201 vessels were licensed and registered in 2012.

• The licences for 1,785 vessels were renewed in 2012.

• The number of registered sea-fishing boats in the Irish fleet at end 2012 was 2,217, an increase

of 2.31% on 201 I.

• The total on-register capacity of the Irish fleet (including Aquaculture vessels), expressed in gross

tonnes, a measure of volume, and ki lowatts, a measure of engine power, was 64 ,877GT and

19,401 k W s , an increase of 1.42% and 1.43% respectively

• A t the end of 2012, a total of 16,33 I G T and 14,680kWs were off-register, i.e. held in the owner 's

account and available for use as replacement capacity but not assigned to a vessel. Capacity that

is off-register for two years o r more is no longer available for use as replacement capacity

• The four-year cycle of renewal of Fishing Vessel Safety Cert i f icates introduced on a phased basis

in 2007 for vessels of between 15m in length overall and 24m in registered length was nearing

complet ion. By the end of 2012,70 vessels had received full te rm certification f rom the Mar ine

Survey Off ice, 77 vessels had short te rm certification only, and 33 vessels had not received safety

certif ication, of which 16 had been de-registered by their owners and 17 were still registered

but unlicensed.

• Two new Ministerial Policy Directives were issued by the Minister to the Registrar General , both

concerning new arrangements for the herring fisheries.

• The Department of Transport,Tourism and Sport introduced a new Merchant Shipping Bill that

will have practical and legal implications for the licensing and registration of sea fishing boats. The

Licensing Author i ty has had a number of discussions with that Department over an extended

per iod in relation to the proposed new legislation. A Genera l Scheme of a Merchant Shipping

Bill was introduced in the Oireachtas in late September 2012.

• The new EU Con t ro l Regulation (Counci l Regulation 1224/2009 and Commiss ion Implementing

Regulation 404/201 I) included new requirements for the fleet, particularly the moni tor ing,

certif ication and verification of engine power, and the establishment of a regime of penalty points

for fisheries offences. These changes may ultimately require fleet policy changes on the part of

the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, that may impact on sea-fishing boat licensing

policy and on the management of Ireland's fleet register.

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Annua! Report 2012 Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats

Section I - Legislative Overview of Licensing and Registration

I.l National Legislation

The legislation governing sea-fishing boat licensing in force in 2012 is set out in sect ion 4 of the

Fisheries (Amendment) A c t 2003 (the "2003 Ac t " ) , (as inserted by section 97 of the Sea-Fisheries

and Marit ime Jurisdiction A c t 2006).

The legislation governing sea-fishing boat registration in 2012 is set out in sections 74 to 80 and

section 100 of the Sea-Fisheries and Mar i t ime Jurisdict ion A c t 2006, and the Merchant Shipping

(Registry, Lettering and Number ing of Fishing Boats) Regulations 2005 (S.I. N o . 261 of 2005).

The 2003 A c t provides that the Licensing Author i ty shall be independent in the exercise of his o r her

functions subject to -

(a) the law for the dme being in force in relation to sea-fishing boat licensing, including, in

particular, the legal obligadons of the State arising under any law of an institution of the

European Communi t ies o r other international agreement which is binding on the State, and

(b) such policy directives in relation to sea-fishing boat licensing as the Minister may give in

wri t ing f rom time to t ime.

The 2003 A c t provides that decisions of the Licensing Author i ty on licence applications, o r on the

amendment o r revocation of a licence, may be appealed to an independent Appeals Off icer within

one month of the decision, amendment o r revocat ion. A person who is dissatisfied wi th a

determination of the Appeals Off icer may, within 3 months of the date of the determinat ion, apply to

the High C o u r t for Judicial Review of the determinat ion.

The Merchant Shipping (Registry Lettering and Number ing of Fishing Boats) Regulations 2005 (S.I.

N o . 261 of 2005) brought the law into line with EU requirements regarding the measurement of

tonnage and dimensions of fishing boats as well as updating the procedures relating to registration.

The Regulations also introduced a requirement that segmentation indicators for vessels registered

in certain segments of the fleet (Potting Sub-segment and Aquaculture Segment) be marked on the

bow of the vessel along with its Por t C o d e and Registration Number.

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Annual Report 2012

1.2 EU Legislation

Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats

In addition to national law and Ministerial Policy Direct ives, EU law plays a significant role in the

management of Ireland's sea-fishing fleet, as is apparent f rom the provisions of the 2003 A c t referred

to above. EU Counci l Regulation 2371 /2002 on the conservatjon and sustainable exploitation of fisheries

resources under the Common Fisheries Policy requires Member States to put measures in place to adjust

the fishing capacity of their fleets in order to achieve a stable and enduring balance between such

fishing capacity and their fishing opportunit ies. It empowers the European Commiss ion to establish

Reference Levels (effectively fleet capacity limits) for each Member State. These levels are expressed

in terms of gross tonnes (GT) and engine power (kilowatts - kWs) , for the total fishing capacity of

fishing vessels flying its flag. The Regulation requires each Member State to ensure that these

Reference Levels are not exceeded and to manage entries into the fleet and exits f rom its fleet in

such a way that, from I January 2003, the entry of new capacity into the fleet, without public aid, is

compensated by the previous withdrawal, without public aid, of at least the same amount of capacity.

The Regulation also sets out provisions relating to the maintenance of fishing fleet registers by

Member States as wel l as the Commun i t y fleet register, which contains information supplied by

Member States on vessel characteristics and activity.

EU Commiss ion Regulation 1438/2003 of 12 August 2003 laying down implementing rules on the

Communi ty Fleet Policy, as defined in Counc i l Regulation 2371/2002, specifies the Reference Level

for each Member State's fishing fleet.

EU Commiss ion Regulation 1013/2010 codified the various fleet policy implementing rules derived

f rom Counc i l Regulation 2371/2002 in one Regulation.

The situation of the Irish fleet in 2012 is set out in this report .

1.3 Ministerial Policy Directives

A n overall sea-fishing boat licensing policy is set out in Policy Direct ive 2/2003, issued to the Licensing

Author i ty by the Minister on 17 November 2003 in accordance with section 3(2)(b) of the 2003 Ac t .

This policy was laid down in light of (then) new EU fleet management rules and fol lowed a review of

the Irish fishing fleet and related capacity.

Two new Policy Direct ives were received by the Licensing Au thor i t y in 2012. These two Policy

Directives (Policy Directives I and 2 of 2012) were intended to give effect to the fleet policy measures

announced by the Minister for Agr icul ture, Food and the Marine on 8 June 2012, in association with

a new policy for the distribution of herring quota.

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Policy Directive I of 2012

This Policy Direct ive provides for the ring-fencing by the Licensing Author i ty of vessels (and their

gross tonnage) deemed by the Department to meet the herring track record criteria specified in the

Minister's policy announcement. The ring-fencing will not constitute a new fleet sub-segment and so

will not alter the previous transferability of the capacity of the vessels concerned. However, eligibility

for herring quota will attach to the gross tonnage of the ring-fenced vessels and certain new rules

are specified in this Policy Directive to ensure any transfers of such gross tonnage do not lead to an

increase in the number of vessels eligible for a share of herring quota in either the Cel t ic Sea o r the

N o r t h W e s t herring fisheries.

The Policy Directive also provides that any Polyvalent o r R S W pelagic vessel of 20 metres o r more

in length overall, that is not a ring-fenced vessel, wil l not be entitled to fish for herring, it revokes

certain previous Policy Direcdves o r specified sections of those Directives that pertain to the previous

policy requiring vessels to have active pelagic capacity to access these fisheries.

Policy Directive 2 of 2012

This Policy Direct ive is intended to amend Policy Direct ive I of 2012. It replaces section 5 of Policy

Direct ive I of 2012 with a new section and is intended to remove the herring preclusion for certain

vessels of 20 metres o r more in length overall in respect of the Irish Sea and Atlanto-Scandian herring

fisheries. Such vessels will continue to be precluded f rom fishing for herring in the Cel t ic Sea and

N o r t h Wes t herring fisheries, unless they are licensed in the relevant ring-fenced port ion of their

fleet segment.

The Policy Direct ive also adds a new section 7 to Policy Directive I of 2012 clarifying that references

to herring quota are to be interpreted as meaning herring quota for the relevant fishery, i.e. either

Cel t ic Sea Herr ing quota or N o r t h Wes t Herr ing quota, as the case may be.

As with all policy adjustments o r new national o r EU legislative requirements, the Licensing Author i ty

carried out a review of the fleet register to identify vessels affected by the two new Policy Directives.

License condit ions were adjusted and new licences were issued where appropriate.

The texts of all Policy Directives issued to the Licensing Author i ty can be viewed on the website of

the Depar tment of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (www.agriculture.gov.ie).

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Section 2 - Description of Irish Fishing Fleet in 2012

2.1 Fleet Segmentation

The Irish fishing fleet is currently divided into five segments, in accordance with Policy Di recdve 2 of

2003 as amended by Policy Directive I of 2006 and Policy Direcdve I of 20 I I .

The transfer of capacity between the segments (or sub-segments) is not permitted, and equivalent

" replacement" capacity must be taken out of the segment (or sub-segment) into which a vessel is

being introduced. This is known as the "entry/exi t regime" and is a requirement since I January 2003

under EU Counc i l Regulation 2371/2002.

A general description of the fleet segments, and their composi t ion at the end of 2012, is as fol lows:

• Refrigerated Seawater (RSW) Pelagic Segmerit: This segment contained 23 vessels engaged

predominantly in fishing for pelagic species (mainly herring, mackerel, horse mackerel, blue

whiting and boarfish). Vessels in the R S W segment range in size f rom 27m to 71 m in length

overal l , from 256GT to l ,988GT in volume and 5 2 2 k W to 3 ,840kW in engine power.

• BeamTrawler Segment: This segment contained 10 vessels, dedicated to beam trawling. Vessels

in this segment may fish only by means of beam trawls, and target demersal species, including

plaice, sole, turbot etc. They range in size f rom 20.24m to 24.73m in length overall, f rom 6 8 G T

to 161 G T in volume and 221 k W to 474 k W in engine power

• Polyvalent Segment: This segment comprised 1,933 vessels, the greater part of the sea-fishing

fleet. Polyvalent vessels are mult i -purpose and include small inshore vessels (netters and

potters), and medium and large offshore vessels, targeting whitefish, pelagic fish and bivalve

molluscs. Vessels in this segment range f rom 3.06m to 38m in length overall, f rom 0 .18GT to

5 18GT in volume and O k W to I, I 19kW in engine power. The segment has four sub-segments:

o vessels under 18m in length overall

o vessels equal to o r over 18m in length overall

o the "scal lop" sub-segment - vessels equal to o r over lOm in length overall wi th qualifying

track record in the scallop fishery, as defined in Ministerial Policy Directive I of 2006

o the Potting sub-segment - vessels licensed and registered under the "Pot t ing Scheme' " .

' Tl ie Scheme for the Licensing ofTraditional Pot Fishing Boats in the Irish inshore Fleet was introduced in 2003 in order

to regularise the position of a substantial number of under 12-metre vessels engaged in pot fishing. Vessels in the sub-

segment must fish by means of pots only and may not target quota species.The capacity of the vessels was awarded free

of charge; however, it is not eligible as replacement capacity in any other segment/sub-segment of the fleet and cannot be

traded, transferred or otherwise used. The licence may however be transferred to an immediate family member.

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• Specific Segment. This segment contained 147 vessels, which are permitted to fish for bivalve

molluscs and aquaculture species. There are two sub-segments:

o Scallop sub-segment

o Specific general

Vessels in this segment range f rom 5.35m to 35.59m in length overall, f rom 0.66GT to I 8 7 G T

in volume and 3 .7kW to 560kV^ in engine power.

• Aquaculture Segment: This segment, which contained 104 vessels wi th a total capacity of

4 ,746GT and 13,181 k W at end 2012, is not subject to the entry/exit regime, and its capacity

is not part of Ireland's fleet reference level originally set out in EU Commiss ion Regulation

1438/2003 (see below). Vessels l icensed in this segment must be used exclusively in the

management, development and servicing of aquaculture sites and can collect spat f rom wi ld

mussel stocks as part of a service to aquaculture installations, subject to certain restr ict ions

determined in the context of Ar t i c le I of EU Commiss ion Regulation 1438/2003.

Vessels in the aquaculture segment range from 4.38m to 49.07m in length overall,from 0.15GT

to 561 G T in volume and 5 .97kW to 7 4 8 k W in engine power

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2.2 Reference Levels and Fleet Ceiling

The Reference Levels for the Irish fishing fleet at I January 2003 as set out in EU C o m m i s s i o n

Regulation 1438/2003 are 88,700 G T and 244,834 k W .

The Fleet Cei l ing is the capacity situation of the fleet at I January 2003, after application of allowable

adjustments (but not exceeding the Reference Levels). It is calculated by adding any increases in

tonnage granted under the "safety tonnage" provisions and subtracting any exits f rom the fleet

financed by public aid, i.e. through the Decommissioning Schemes,from the Reference Levels. Unde r

EU rules an increase in the capacity of a sea-fishing boat may be allowed where the capacity increase

results exclusively from safety and other specified improvements and does not increase the fishing

effort of the vessel concerned. Such an increase in tonnage is known as "safety tonnage".

The Fleet Cei l ing is the baseline for the operat ion of the entry-exit regime. The Fleet Cei l ing for

Ireland at 31 December 2012 was 77,377 G T a n d 210,083 k W . A n increase of 43 G T was granted

in 2012 under the "safety tonnage" provisions in Ar t i c le i 1(5) of EU Counci l Regulation 2371/2002

and Ar t ic le 8 of EU Commiss ion Regulation 1438/2003.

The capacity situation of the Irish fishing fleet at I January 2012 and 31 December 2012 was as

fol lows:

Segment No. of Vessels G T s k W s

Jan-12 Dec-12 Jan-12 Dec-12 Jan-12 Dec-12

Polyvalent 1,895 1,933 33,12! 33,798 121,619 123,28! 1

Pelagic 23 23 22,603 22,614 43,89! 43,900

Beam Trawl 9 10 879 1,022 2,445 2,715

Specific 144 147 2,68! 2,697 13,001 13,324

Total 2,071 2,1 13 59,284 60,131 180,956 183,220

Aquaculture 96 104 4,688 4,746 12,673 13,181

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Off-Register Capacity (i.e. Gross Tonnes and i<ilowatts)

Capacity, in the form of gross tonnes and kilowatts, is a privately owned asset that is tradable on the

tonnage market. The Licensing Author i ty has no role in that market. Capacity that is not currently

assigned to a vessel (off-register capacity) is held in the owner's account and can be used as

replacement capacity in order to licence and register a vessel, or, with certain exceptions, can be

disposed of by sale or other means as the owner sees fit.

A t the end of 2012 a total of 16,331 gross tonnes and 14,680 kilowatts was "off-register". O f the

total of 16,331 GT, 13,485 was R S W Pelagic and the balance of 2,846 was mainly polyvalent, wi th a

very small quantity of specific and beamer.

In relation to k W s . t h e total of 14,680 included 3,871 R S W Pelagic and the balance of 10,809 was

mainly polyvalent with again very small amounts of specific and beamer.

"2-year rule"

Capacity that is off-register is subject to the so-cal led "2-year rule". Ministerial Policy Direct ive

2/2003 of November 2003 specified, inter alia, that capacity taken off the Fishing Boat Register must

be re- introduced onto the Register within 2 years of removal, otherwise the entit lement will be lost

to its owner.

A n except ion is capacity awarded under the Scheme for the Licensing ofTraditional Pot Fishing Boats

in the Irish Inshore Fleet. That capacity is lost if a potting vessel is de-registered and a replacement

vessel is not proposed by the owner o r by an immediate relative of the owner.

Removal of a Fishing Vessel from the Register of Fishing Boats

Section 75 of the Sea Fisheries Mari t ime Jurisdiction A c t 2006 states that "the Registrar General may

in the interest of proper management of the capacity of Irish sea-fishing boats, enter a sea-fishing

boat in the Register o r remove it f rom the Register". Wh i l e the majority of fishing vessels removed

from the Register of Fishing Boats are as a result of voluntary applications made by vessel owners,

the Registrar General has the power under the Merchant Shipping (Registry, Lettering and Number ing

of Fishing Boats) regulations 2005 (S.I. N o . 261 of 2005) to compulsori ly remove a vessel f rom the

Register in certain circumstances (e.g. owner ceases commercia l fishing, vessel sunk, change of

ownership etc.) wi thout application by the vessel owner. The Registrar General may, by notice in

writ ing, give an opportuni ty to the vessel owner to make a submission within 30 days of the notice

as to the circumstances pertaining to the boat and take such submissions into account.

N o vessels were compulsori ly de-registered in 2012.

9


Trends in capacity of the Irish fleet since 2003.

The fol lowing tables show the evolution of the Irish fleet in ternns of both gross tonnage and engine

power over the period 2003 to end December 2012. These graphs were produced by the European

Commiss ion f rom data supplied by the Licensing Author i t y for the quarterly EU fleet snapshot

(cf 3.3 below), and are reproduced here with their permission.

Fleet Register O n the Net > Fleet Management > E N T R Y - EX IT R E G I M E

Tonnage & Power Statistics for Ireland

Ireland: Tonnage of the fleet compared to its tonnage ceiling.

Evolution between 1-1-2003 and 31-12-2012.

103,520

90,580 -\

77,640

64,700 -j

51,760

O 38,820

25,880 -I

12,940

-12.940

januarv lanusiry 2003 2004

januarv January 2005 2006

lanuarv 2007

1 1 1 1

January January January lanuary 2008 2009 2010 2011 Date

decembet

2012

I 12940 • Capacity ceiling OT •Capacity in OT > and • Value* al 1st day of ttie montti

Ireland: Power of the fleet compared to its power ceiling.

Evolution between I -1 -2003 and 31-12-2012

: ; 2 , o o n

224,000 H

196,000

168,000

1140,000 H

112,000

f:.! ,i)fli;i i

56,000

28,000

0 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

January January January January lanuary January January January lanuary 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Date

decembei

2012

2 2800D "*lr^Capacity ceiling KW -•-Capacity in KA' • and • Values at 1st diyaf tlie nnanth

10


Section 3 - Activities of the Licensing Authority in 2012

3.1 Licence Applications

A total of 245 applications for sea-fishing boat licences were received during the year; 8 of these

were subsequently wi thdrawn.The percentage breakdown of licence applications by segment is as

fol lows -

2012 Licence Applications

• Aquacluture

• Beam Trawl

^ Pelagic

• Specific

• Polyvalent

Potting Transfers

Beam Trawl

A new licence application is required in every case where:

• a new or replacement vessel is coming into the fleet

• ownership of a vessel changes

• the owner wishes to change licence type

• capacity is being moved f rom one vessel to another

• a vessel's capacity is being replaced, in whole o r in part, with off-register capacity.

In each case a letter of licence offer is issued that sets out the condit ions under which a licence may

be granted in that particular case; when all the condit ions have been fulfilled, a non-operative licence

is issued to allow the vessel to be registered, and when that process has been completed, a full sea-

fishing boat licence and a registration certificate are issued.

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2 0 ! vessels were licensed and registered during 2012, after the applicants fulfilled the necessary

requirements for licensing and registration.

The Licensing Authori ty 's customer service plan requires that a letter of licence offer is issued within

3 weeks of receipt of a completed application. This target was met in every case in 2012.

A letter of l icence offer is valid for one year f rom the date of issue, to al low the applicant time to

fulfil the requirements. Licence applicants may be afforded an extension of 6 months if the

circumstances warrant it.

216 letters of licence offer were issued in 2012.

169 non-operative licences were issued during the year.

201 licences and registration certificates were issued.

3.2 Licence Renewals

In general, sea fishing boat licences are renewed by the Licensing Author i ty on an annual basis. In

preparation for the renewal, every vessel record is examined to ensure that the vessel will have a

current safety certificate on the renewal date. Al though it is the responsibility of the vessel owner

to ensure that the vessel's safety certif ication is up to date, the Licensing Author i ty will alert any

owners whose certif ication will be out of date and whose licence can't be renewed on the due date.

Because it is a requirement to carry the licence on board the vessel, each licence is laminated before

being issued. This is done manually, in-house.

Sea-fishing boat licences for 1,212 vessels under 15m in length overall were renewed in June 2012.

Licences for 32 fishing vessels over 24m in registered length were also renewed in June 2012.

Licences for 144 fishing vessels between ISm in length overall and 24m in registered length were

renewed during 2012. The licences were issued in line wi th the vessels' Fishing Vessel Safety

Cert i f icates. A s some vessels received two or more inter im/short- term Cert i f icates during the year,

the licences for some vessels were renewed more than once during 2012.

Licences for 374 vessels licensed under the Scheme for Licensing ofTradit ional Pot Fishing Boats in

the Irish Inshore Fleet were renewed in Apr i l 2012.

Licences for 23 vessels in the R S W pelagic segment were renewed in December 2012.

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Renewal of licences for all of the categories outlined above are only carried out in relation to fishing

vessels that have the relevant safety certificates in place at the date of renewal. Safety cert i f ication

(i.e. Declarat ion of Compl iance with the C o d e of Practice for fishing vessels under ISm in overal l

length, Fishing Vessel Safety Cert i f icates for fishing vessels between 15m in length overall and 24m in

registered length and Certif icates of Compl iance for vessels over 24m in registered length) is managed

by the Marine Survey Off ice of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

3.3 EU Fleet Register Reporting

The current EU Fleet Register report ing system entered into force from I September 2004. This

requires each Member State to send the European Commiss ion ( D G Mare) an electronic "snapshot"

of its fishing fleet, containing the data specified in Commiss ion Regulation 26/2004 for each vessel in

its database, on a quarterly basis. The Licensing Author i ty sent the required snapshots in March, June,

September and December 2012.

The EU Commiss ion carries out a reconcil iat ion on the data to ensure that, inter alia, a vessel is

currently registered to only one Member State's fleet.

3.4 Website

A s required under section 3(8) of the Fisheries (Amendment) A c t 2003, the Licensing Au thor i t y

cont inued to have regularly-updated information on l icence applications and licensing decisions

published on the website of the Department of Agr icul ture, Food and the Marine throughout 2012

(www.agriculture.gov.ie).

3.5 Appeals Under the Fisheries (Amendment) A c t 2003, sea-fishing boat licence applicants are entitled to appeal

against a decision of the Licensing Author i ty in relation to their application. Ms. Emile Daly BL served

as an independent Appeals Of f icer during 2012 [appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and

the Marine under section 6 of the Ac t ] .

Dur ing 2012, 3 appeals against decisions of the Licensing Author i t y were lodged with the Appeals

Officer, all of which related to the expiry of replacement capacity. Decisions on 2 appeals were made

during the year and 8 appeals were withdrawn. A t the end of 2012 there were 5 appeals pending.

The names of the appellants and the determinations of the Appeals Of f icer are published on the

website of the Department of Agr icul ture, Food and the Marine.

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Section 4 - Staffing and Organisational Arrangements

During 2012, staffing and other administrative supports for the Licensing Author i ty were provided

by the Sea Fisheries Administrat ion Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Apar t f rom the Registrar General and Deputy Registrar Genera l , the staff of the Licensing Author i ty

in 2012 comprised:

2 Higher Executive Officers (until Oc tobe r 2012 when I Higher Executive Off icer was transferred

to other duties)

2 Executive Off icers

1 Staff Off icer

2 Cler ical Off icers (increased to 3 f rom December 2012).

O n e Executive Of f icer served with the European Commiss ion ( D G Mare) for 5 months during 2012,

as part of a Nat ional Experts in Professional Training programme.

The Licensing Author i ty was also assisted in carrying out its functions by ongoing liaison with the

Seafood Policy and Development Division of the Depar tment of Agriculture, Food and the Marine,

the Sea Fisheries Protect ion Authori ty, the Marine Survey Off ice of the Department of Transport,

Tourism and Spor t and the local Registrars of Shipping of the Revenue Commiss ioners.

/ would like to thank the Deputy Registrar General Mairln Ni Dhuinn and the staff of the Licensing Authority,

as well as the other bodies cited above, for their assistance in carrying out my functions during 2012.

Paschal Hayes

Registrar Genera l of Fishing Boats

June 2013

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