Overview

Fishing anywhere by a British fishing boat is prohibited unless authorised by a licence. If you fish without a licence or do not comply with your licence conditions, you may be prosecuted. All owners are jointly liable for any offences committed by the vessel.

To protect fish stocks, MMO does not issue new licences and there are a limited number in circulation. The only way you can get a licence is by transferring an existing one to your vessel. You need a licence entitlement to do this.

Exemptions

You don’t need a licence for your vessel if any of the following apply:

• it doesn’t have an engine
• it will only be used to fish for common eels, salmon or migratory trout – you do need a rod licence
• you fish only within the 12 nautical mile limits around Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man – you may need a licence from the suitable authority
• you only use your vessel to fish for pleasure

Things to consider

Before applying for a fishing vessel licence, it is your responsibility to ensure you understand your obligations as a licence holder. We have outlined some key considerations below. You should also check with other agencies such as (but not limited to) the Marine Coastguard Authority (MCA) and your regional Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (IFCA).

Where you will be fishing

Your fishing vessel licence authorises you to fish within UK waters. If you want access to non-UK waters, you should contact the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA)

Licence conditions

Your fishing vessel licence is in several parts.

• Part 1: Vessel details
• Part 2: Conditions
• Part 3: Schedule
• Part 4: Annex

You must read each part carefully to make sure you understand the terms attached to it and that they are correct for your fishing activity. It’s important to note that we do sometimes issue variations to licence conditions and it is your responsibility to check these – read more on our understand your fishing vessel licence page

Monitoring systems

Depending on the size of your vessel, you may also need to ensure monitoring systems are in place on your vessel.

Vessel monitoring system devices (over-12 meter vessels)

Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) devices for under-12 metre fishing vessels registered in England

Catch recording

All catches need to be recorded on our central system and you’ll also need to create a catch certificate if you are exporting. Read the guidance:

Record your catch

Create a UK catch certificate

Register your vessel

You must register your vessel on the UK Ship Registry to get a domestic fishing vessel licence, unless your vessel is registered in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

For more information contact the:

• UK Ship Register
• Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)

Get a licence entitlement

You can get an entitlement by obtaining:

• the entitlement from a vessel that has sunk, been scrapped or is no longer being used for fishing
• a licence currently on a vessel

You need to make sure the entitlement(s) is:

• the correct licence category for your fishing requirements. See licences and permits
• suitable for a vessel over 10 metres
• suitable for any shellfish, scallop, and beam trawl area 4 or 7 requirements (if applicable). See licences and permits
• the correct tonnage of your vessel and
• the correct engine power (kilowattage) of your vessel

You can license a vessel using one licence entitlement. This is referred to as a single licence transfer. You can combine two or more entitlements to license your vessel. This is referred to as an aggregation. You can also split an entitlement. This is referred to as a disaggregation.

Aggregation and disaggregation rules

Only licence entitlement of the same category may be aggregated. If licence entitlements from different categories are aggregated, then your licence will be downgraded to the lowest category shared by the licence entitlements used.

If you want to disaggregate a licence entitlement that has a shellfish, scallop, or beam trawl permit, the permit can only be allocated to one of the disaggregated parts. You can choose which part will receive the permit on the AFL19 application. If a donor entitlement has multiple permits, they can all be allocated to one disaggregated part or split over the number of disaggregated parts being created.  All other parts relating to that permit will be allocated a track record.

For example, the donor entitlement has a shellfish permit, a scallop permit, and a beam trawl area 4 track record:

• you have applied to split an entitlement into two new disaggregated parts
• you have requested the shellfish permit to be allocated to the first new disaggregated part
• you have requested the scallop permit to be allocated to the second new disaggregated part

As the shellfish permit has been allocated to the first new disaggregated part, a shellfish track record will be allocated to the second new disaggregated part.

As the scallop permit has been allocated to the second new disaggregated part, a scallop track record will be allocated to the first new disaggregated part.

As the donor entitlement already has a beam trawl area 4 track record, both new disaggregated parts will also carry a beam trawl area 4 track record.

Disaggregated parts with a permit or track record can be aggregated with licence entitlements which have a permit. The resulting licence will have a permit.

Aggregations of two or more disaggregated parts with only track records will result in a licence without a permit.

Aggregations of a disaggregated part with a permit or track record and a licence entitlement with no permit will result in a licence without a permit.  

Establishing a licence entitlement

When the current holder removes the licence from a vessel and wants to retain the entitlement this process is referred to as establishing an entitlement.

If you are the current holder and want to establish an entitlement, you will need to complete application  Establishment or transfer of an entitlement and transfer of a licence that is administered by Marine Management Organisation (AFL7).

Once MMO receives the application, if everything is in order, they will aim to send your ‘Notification of Entitlement’ within 5 working days.

You should note that a Notification of Entitlement is NOT a valid domestic fishing vessel licence.

Transferring a licence or licence entitlement

If you are the current holder and want to transfer a licence entitlement, you will need to complete application Establishment or transfer of an entitlement and transfer of a licence that is administered by Marine Management Organisation (AFL7) to surrender the licence entitlement.

If you want to transfer a licence entitlement into your name, you do not need to complete this application. You must give the current holder the following details so they can tell us they’re giving the rights to their licence or licence entitlement to you:

• name
• address
• email address
• mobile phone number
• your company registration number if you are a UK company

Once MMO receives the application from the current holder, they will notify you by email and you will be able to check the licence or licence entitlement details. If everything is in order, they will aim to send your ‘Notification of Entitlement’ within 5 working days.

You should note that a Notification of Entitlement is NOT a valid domestic fishing vessel licence.

Disaggregating a licence entitlement

If you are the current holder and want to disaggregate your licence entitlement into 2 or more parts, you will need to complete Application to Disaggregate a Fishing Vessel Licence Entitlement (AFL19).

If you are the current holder and want to transfer a disaggregated entitlement you will need to complete Establishment or transfer of an entitlement and transfer of a licence that is administered by Marine Management Organisation (AFL7).

If you want a disaggregated entitlement to be transferred into your name and not split further, you do not need to complete the AFL7 application. You must give the current holder the following details so they can tell us that they are surrendering the rights to their disaggregated entitlement to you.

• name
• address
• email address
• mobile phone number
• your company registration number if you are a UK company

Once MMO receives the application from the current holder, they will notify you by email and you will be able to check the disaggregated entitlement details. If everything is in order, they will aim to send your ‘Notification of Entitlement’ within 5 working days.

You should note that a Notification of Entitlement is NOT a valid domestic fishing vessel licence.

Apply for your licence

To apply for a fishing licence for a British registered fishing vessel, you will need to complete Application for a fishing licence for a registered fishing vessel administered by MMO.

You may need to demonstrate an economic link between the vessel and the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man to make landings at certain ports within designated times. For more information, please contact your local MMO office.

Your vessel licence covers the UK EEZ. If you want access to non-UK waters, you should contact the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA).

Moves in and out of England

Entry into the English Non-sector  

With the introduction of the Fisheries Concordat in 2012 each of the four national UK Fisheries Administrations were given their own quota allocation for non-sector vessels. As quota is allocated according to the Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) units attached to the licences of vessels in the non-sector, the MMO needs to ensure that any new vessel entering the English non-sector brings in at least as many FQAs equivalent to the quota intended to fish.

If you intend joining the English non-sector you must complete a Fish Plan Notification form Commercial domestic fishing vessel licence application forms to help ascertain if FQAs will be required based on the UK and England quota management rules.

FQA moratorium 

There is a current embargo on the trading of FQA units to and from Scotland and the rest of the UK. Therefore, FQA units will need to be removed from a licence entitlement before the entitlement can move to or from Marine Scotland.

The ban on the movement of FQA units from Scotland to the rest of the UK has been in place since January 2014. The embargo on units transferring from the rest of the UK to Scotland has been in place since December 2016

Category changes when coming from Scotland

On 01 July 2017 Marine Scotland, now Marine Directorate, created a single licence category for the over ten metre fleet in Scotland. However, category A, B or C licence entitlements transferring from Scotland will be received as a Category A, B or C as they were prior to 1 July 2017.

Scottish licences created through disaggregation or aggregation in Scotland after 30 June 2017 will be tracked back to the lowest common level of authorisation and received accordingly on transfer to England. For example, a licence aggregation between an ex-Category B and an ex-Category A licence in Scotland will be received in England as a Category B licence.

Request to change UK fisheries administration

Any vessel wishing to change administration within the UK should submit an application to change UK fisheries administration to its current administration for consideration.

The request to change a country of administration should take into account that fishing vessels will be administered from the territory that they predominantly fish out of, as set out in the Concordat criteria.

Sole Recovery Zone, Cod Area 7d and bass authorisations.

SRZ and Cod Area 7d

In order to carry and use regulated gears in the Sole Recovery Zone (SRZ) and area 7d, referred to as the Cod Area 7d, a vessel must have eligibility through a known track record or via the transfer of a single licence (or the aggregation of two or more licence entitlements) where the originating vessel(s) has such a record of fishing activity with selective gears in these areas.

To check if a vessel or entitlement holds SRZ and/or CRZ eligibility please contact effort@marinemanagement.org.uk and visit the following web pages for more information of the schemes’ rules:

•  Manage your fishing effort: Cod in ICES area 7d - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and
• Sole Recovery Zone rules - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Where a donor licence carries with it eligibility to fish in the CRZ and/or the SRZ, provided the donor vessel will no longer be using that eligibility, such eligibility to fish in the CRZ and/or SRZ will transfer to all the vessels being licensed by the component elements.

Bass

If you want to catch and retain bass by gears other than demersal trawls and seines, you must have a written authorisation from MMO to do so. Authorisations are being issued to vessels with a track record of landing bass during the reference period of 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2016.

Once you have been issued an authorisation you will be permitted to catch and retain bass with the gear types listed on your authorisation, subject to the specific limitations for each gear.

A bass authorisation does not transfer ownership with a licence entitlement. The authority remains with the vessel. If you are replacing a vessel that has a bass authorisation, a transfer of authorisation will be considered but is subject to strict rules. It is the responsibility of any vessel owner to seek relevant approvals from MMO prior to making a commitment to purchase a new fishing vessel, where they are wanting to transfer any existing authorisation.

You can find more details in the bass fishing guidance. If you have a question about a bass authorisation, including a transfer, email bass@marinemanagement.org.uk.

Contact information

For further information on domestic fishing vessel licensing rules please contact the Fisheries Management Team.

MMO Helpline: 0300 123 1032

Find out about call charges

Email: fishingvessellicensing@marinemanagement.org.uk