Understand your fishing vessel licence
How to understand each part of your fishing vessel licence – vessel details, conditions, schedule, annex and their current copies.
All licences refer to fishing opportunities within the UK EEZ
Understanding your vessel licence
Your fishing vessel licence is in several parts. 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.
Contact your local Marine Management Organisation (MMO) office with any questions and notify them immediately if any of the details are incorrect.
An incorrect licence is invalid and you could be liable to penalties.
It is your responsibility to check your licence documents before going to sea as licences can be changed at any time. MMO publishes variations online and notifies those who have provided their contact information.
You can provide MMO with up to 2 emails, mobile phone numbers, or both, as a way of getting direct alerts about changes. You can receive notifications yourself, but it may make sense to nominate someone based onshore who can contact you on your vessel quickly.
Variations are considered to have been received when they are published online. You are required, as part of your licence conditions, to check each week for any changes.
Part 1: Vessel details
This part includes:
- category of licence
- official licence number
- characteristics of your vessel
- registered owners
- specific authorities for scallop dredging, beam trawl fishing, fish for shellfish with pots, fixed nets or both
- membership of a fish producer organisation
Part 2: Conditions
This specifies how your vessel will fish. You may be directed to make landings at certain ports and times.
Part 3: Schedule
This sets out the authority under which you are allowed to fish.
Part 4: Annex
This lists species that you are not permitted to fish and any catch limits for stocks that you are able to fish and land.
Fishing vessel licences: 10 metre and under vessels - non-sector
These are vessels 10-metres-and-under that don’t belong to a producer organisation.
Licences for the non-sector and Isle of Man have the same conditions and schedules, and their own specific annexes.
All Limited licences for the non-sector have the same conditions, schedule and annexe.
Fishing vessel licences: 10 metre and under vessels - sector
All vessels that are members of a producer organisation have the same conditions and schedule.
They each have their own specific annexes.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Category A
All Category A vessels have the same conditions and schedule.
There are specific annexes for vessels in the non-sector, Isle of Man, and each producer organisation.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Category A (Islands)
All Category A (Islands) vessels are in the non-sector and have the same conditions, schedule and annex.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Category A (Pelagic)
All Category A vessels have the same conditions and schedule.
There are specific annexes for vessels in each producer organisation. There are no Category A (Pelagic) non-sector vessels.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Category B
All Category B vessels have the same conditions and schedule.
There are specific annexes for vessels in the non-sector, Isle of Man, and each producer organisation.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Category C
All Category C vessels have the same conditions and schedule.
There are specific annexes for vessels in the non-sector, Isle of Man, and each producer organisation.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Deep sea species
All deep sea species vessels have the same conditions and schedule.
There are specific annexes for vessels in the non-sector and each producer organisation.
Fishing vessel licences: over 10 metre vessels - Handline mackerel
There are no producer organisation vessels with handline mackerel conditions and schedules. There is no annex.
Fishing vessel licences: Thames and Blackwater
There are no producer organisation vessels with these conditions and schedules. There is no annex.
Single licence category for the over ten metre fleet segment in Scotland.
Marine Scotland have created a single licence category for the over ten metre fleet segment in Scotland.
Different licence categories will remain in existence in England after 30 June 2017. Category B or C licence entitlements transferring from Scotland will be received as a Category 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 denominator 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.
Latent capacity licence monitoring
In 2015 Defra carried out an exercise to address latent capacity in the under 10m English fishing fleet. This process a resulted in a number of fishermen having their finfish licence capped at 350kgs and/or having their shellfish permit temporarily suspended.
Further information
More information on:
Updates to this page
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Update 20 July 2025
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Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Saturday 12 July 2025.
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Update 01 July 2025
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Update 13/06
Update history
2025-08-21 08:25
Update – variation effective 00:01 hrs Saturday 23 August
2025-07-28 10:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Wednesday 30 July 2025.
2025-07-18 10:03
Update 20 July 2025
2025-07-10 10:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Saturday 12 July 2025.
2025-06-26 10:14
Update 01 July 2025
2025-06-13 13:46
Update 13/06
2025-06-03 12:47
Variation effective 00:01 hrs Thursday 05 June 2025 – update
2025-05-28 13:57
Update 01 June 2025
2025-05-13 10:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Thursday 15 May 2025.
2025-04-28 11:11
Update 01 May 2025
2025-04-14 10:30
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 16 April 2025.
2025-03-28 10:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Tuesday 01 April 2025.
2025-03-14 10:29
Update Sunday 16th March 2025
2025-02-27 09:14
Update 27/02
2025-02-25 11:38
Small amends
2025-02-19 11:11
Update Sunday 23 February 2025
2025-01-23 17:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Sunday 26 January 2025.
2025-01-16 13:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Sunday 19 January 2025.
2024-12-23 15:51
Category C: schedule (41) – small amend
2024-12-23 09:55
Licence Variation: Effective 00:01 hrs Wednesday 01 January 2025
2024-12-11 12:30
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Monday 16 December 2024.
2024-11-29 15:41
Update 01 December 2024
2024-11-15 08:50
Update 17/11
2024-10-16 15:20
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Friday 18 October 2024.
2024-10-11 12:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Sunday 13 October 2024.
2024-10-09 14:45
Category A (Pelagic): conditions (17) – file replacement.
2024-10-09 13:59
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Saturday 12 October 2024.
2024-09-27 13:09
Variation update 01 October 2024
2024-09-13 09:57
Licence Variation: Effective 00:01 hrs Sunday 15 September 2024
2024-08-29 16:01
Update 01 September 2024
2024-08-23 09:39
Update Sunday 25 August 2024
2024-08-22 10:26
Blackwater update
2024-07-29 09:19
Variation effective 00:01 hrs Thursday 01 August
2024-07-17 12:00
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Friday 19 July 2024.
2024-07-16 15:26
Update to Migratory Trout, 16 July 2024.
2024-07-15 13:32
Variation update Wednesday 17 July 2024
2024-06-28 15:45
Update 01 July 2024
2024-06-13 09:35
Variation update 15 June 2024
2024-05-30 09:30
Update 01 June 2024
2024-05-24 12:19
Capped licence: annexe (9499) – update
2024-05-21 12:52
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 23 May 2024.
2024-05-10 09:57
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Wednesday 15 May 2024.
2024-05-08 12:21
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 12 May 2024.
2024-04-25 09:43
Update May 01 2024
2024-04-11 15:16
Update 13 April 2024
2024-03-27 14:02
Variation update 01 April 2024
2024-03-22 08:56
Variation update 26 March 2024
2024-03-18 12:40
Update 20 March 2024
2024-03-07 12:48
Variation update – Saturday 09 March 2024
2024-02-16 09:52
Update 18 February2024
2024-02-09 09:24
Variation update 11 February 2024
2024-02-01 13:18
Variation update: 05 February 2024
2024-01-30 13:06
Update for Thursday 01 February 2024
2024-01-25 14:00
Update 27-01-24
2024-01-11 12:16
Variation update
2024-01-04 09:18
Variation update – 06 January 2024
2023-12-27 13:31
Variation update for 2024
2023-11-30 13:09
Attachments updated.
2023-11-28 14:44
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 01 December 2023
2023-11-16 17:05
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 19 November 2023
2023-11-01 16:34
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 5 November.
2023-10-31 14:07
Attachments updated
2023-10-27 14:43
Update: Variation effective 00:01 hrs Wednesday 01 November
2023-10-23 16:47
Attachments updated
2023-10-19 11:32
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 21 October 2023
2023-10-13 08:59
Variation update – 15
2023-10-13 08:07
Variation update – Saturday 14 October
2023-10-10 10:39
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 12 October 2023
2023-09-29 15:56
111 update
2023-09-29 13:40
Variation update: October 01 2023
2023-09-11 12:05
Thames and Black Water Herring Conditions and Schedule updated
2023-09-05 13:25
Variation update 07 Sept 2023
2023-08-30 11:01
Variation 01 September 2023
2023-08-02 13:46
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Saturday 05 August
2023-07-28 16:14
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated Tuesday 1 August 2032
2023-07-06 14:59
update 08/07
2023-06-29 14:38
Licence Variations: Effective 00:01 hrs Saturday 01 July & 00:01 hrs Sunday 02 July 2023 – update
2023-06-22 15:24
Variation update
2023-06-16 12:05
Variation update 18th June 2023
2023-06-09 10:38
Licence schedules and annexes updated to reflect variation effective 11 June 2023.
2023-05-30 14:27
1 June update
2023-05-25 15:44
Licences updated to reflect variation issued 28 May 2023
2023-05-18 10:00
Licence annexes updated for variation effective 21 May 2023.
2023-05-05 14:33
Variation update 05/05
2023-04-27 11:04
Variation update 01 May
2023-04-05 09:17
Variation update 08/04
2023-03-30 13:04
Update for 1st April 2023
2023-03-22 13:59
Variation update – Saturday 25th March 2023
2023-03-16 11:31
Variation update for Saturday 18th March
2023-03-06 15:54
Variation update Wednesday 08 March 2023
2023-03-03 10:32
Update 04 March 2023
2023-02-27 16:31
Variation update 01 March 2023
2023-02-08 16:02
Variation update 09 Feb 2023
2023-02-02 15:47
Update
2023-01-27 13:14
Variations updated
2023-01-19 15:05
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 21 January 2023
2023-01-12 13:11
Variation update for Saturday 14th 2023
2022-12-29 14:17
Sector: conditions (91) update
2022-12-29 13:46
Updated 2023
2022-12-29 10:59
2023 update
2022-12-16 15:05
Variation update for Monday 19th December
2022-12-13 16:06
Understand your fishing vessel licence – update
2022-11-29 15:29
Changed 29/11
2022-11-24 15:47
27 November update
2022-11-17 11:48
Western Fish Producer’s Organisation (4129) – update
2022-11-17 10:20
Category A: Annexe (1199) & Category A (Islands): annexe (1299) update
2022-11-03 13:54
Update – 3 November
2022-10-27 11:44
Annexe update 9199 & 9499
2022-10-20 09:31
Variation update – 23 October
2022-10-11 14:40
Wales and West Coast Fish Producers’ Organisation (1119) – Update
2022-09-28 15:30
Licences updated to reflect variation effective Saturday 1 October 2022.
2022-09-22 13:51
Uncapped licence: annexe (9199) & Capped licence: annexe (9499) updated
2022-09-21 15:17
Update 23 September
2022-09-14 16:53
Updates 21 September
2022-09-14 13:53
Thames and Blackwater: schedule (23) – 14 September update
2022-08-30 16:13
01 September 2022 update
2022-08-25 15:46
28 August 2022 update
2022-08-11 15:47
August 14 update
2022-07-28 15:59
Update 1 August
2022-07-14 14:59
Changes for 16 July 2022
2022-07-08 09:30
Variation 10 July 2022
2022-06-28 16:12
Licence update
2022-06-16 10:28
Annexe update 18 June
2022-05-30 17:13
Licence annexes updated in line with variation dated 1 June 2022
2022-05-19 17:46
Annexes updated in line with variation dated 21 May 2022
2022-05-05 09:41
Updates to annexes
2022-04-27 12:12
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 28 April 22
2022-04-21 17:27
Annexes updated in line with variation dated 24 April 2022
2022-04-08 17:35
Annexes updated in line with variation dated Sunday 10th April 2022
2022-03-30 17:27
Licenses amended in line with variation dated 01 April 2022
2022-03-22 17:03
annexes updated in line with variation dated 24 March
2022-03-18 14:48
Changes to annexes in line with variation dated 20 March 22
2022-03-09 16:29
Annex updated in line with variation dated 9 March 2022
2022-02-25 12:38
01 March update