Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Fishery Limits Act 1976. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. (See end of Document for details) View outstanding changes Fishery Limits Act 1976 1976 CHAPTER 86 An Act to extend British fishery limits and make further provision in connection with the regulation of sea fishing. [22nd December 1976] Modifications etc. (not altering text) C1 Certain functions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food now exercisable (W.) by Secretary of State, or Minister and Secretary of State for Wales jointly: S.I. 1978/272, art. 2(1)(4), Sch. 1 Act: power to transfer functions conferred (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/672, art. 2, Sch. 1 C2 Act: transfer of functions (31.3.2010) by The Welsh Zone (Boundaries and Transfer of Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/760), arts. 1(3), 4(1)(d) (with art. 5(2)(3)) Extension of British fishery limits 1 British fishery limits. [F1(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, British fishery limits extend to the seaward limits of any area for the time being designated by Order in Council under section 41(3) of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (exclusive economic zone).] (2) Her Majesty may by Order in Council, for the purpose of implementing any international agreement or the arbitral award of an international body, or otherwise, declare that British fishery limits extend to such other line as may be specified in the Order. F2(3) . F2(4) . (5) Subject to section 10(2)(b) below, references to British fishery limits in any enactment for the time being in force relating to sea fishing or whaling are to the limits set by or under this section. 2 Fishery Limits Act 1976 (c. 86) Document Generated: 2021-03-29 Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Fishery Limits Act 1976. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. (See end of Document for details) View outstanding changes Textual Amendments F1 S. 1(1) substituted (12.11.2009 for specified purposes, 31.3.2014 in so far as not already in force ) by Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (c. 23), s. 324(1)(c)(d), Sch. 4 para. 2(2); S.I. 2013/3055, art. 2 F2 S. 1(3)(4) repealed (31.3.2014) by Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (c. 23), s. 324(3), Sch. 4 para. 2(3), Sch. 22 Pt. 1; S.I. 2013/3055, art. 2; S.I. 2013/3055, art. 2 Modifications etc. (not altering text) C3 S. 1: power to repeal, substitute or amend conferred (31.3.2014) by Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (c. 23), s. 324(3), Sch. 4 para. 2(4)(5); S.I. 2013/3055, art. 2 2 Access to British fisheries. (1) The Ministers may by order designate any country outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man and, in relation to it, areas within [F3relevant] British fishery limits in which, and descriptions of sea fish for which, fishing boats registered in that country may fish. (2) A foreign fishing boat not registered in a country for the time being designated under subsection (1) shall not enter [F3relevant] British fishery limits except for a purpose recognised by international law or by any convention for the time being in force between Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the government of the country to which the boat belongs; and any such boat which enters those limits for such a purpose— (a) shall return outside the limits as soon as the purpose has been fulfilled; and (b) shall not fish or attempt to fish while within the limits. (3) A foreign fishing boat registered in a country designated under subsection (1) shall not fish or attempt to fish within [F3relevant]British fishery limits except in an area and for descriptions of fish for the time being designated under this section in relation to that country. (4) At any time when a foreign fishing boat is in an area within [F3relevant] British fishery limits and either— (a) it is prohibited by this section from fishing in that area at all; or (b) it is permitted under this section to fish only for certain descriptions of fish, then, its fishing gear, or so much of the gear as is not required for permitted fishing, shall be stowed in accordance with an order made by the Ministers. (5) If this section is contravened in the case of any fishing boat— (a) the master of the boat is liable [F4on summary conviction, or on conviction on indictment, to a fine]; (b) the court may on convicting him of an offence under this section order the forfeiture of any fish or fishing gear found in the boat or taken or used by any person from the boat; and (c) where the contravention takes place in Scotland, any fish or fishing gear forfeited under paragraph (b) above may be destroyed or disposed of as the court may direct. (6) The foregoing provisions of this section do not prohibit or restrict fishing by fishing boats registered in a country outside the United Kingdom in any area with respect to which special provision is made by any arrangement between Her Majesty’s Fishery Limits Act 1976 (c. 86) 3 Document Generated: 2021-03-29 Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Fishery Limits Act 1976. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. (See end of Document for details) View outstanding changes Government in the United Kingdom and the government of that country for fishing by such boats for the purpose of scientific research. (7) Orders made under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament. (8) Without prejudice to section 38(1) of the M1Interpretation Act 1889 (references to provisions repealed and replaced). a reference to this section is substituted for every reference to section 6 of the M2 Sea Fisheries Act 1968 in the following enactments, that is to say, in— (a) sections [F54], 6, 7, 8 and 10 of the M3 Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment Act 1885; (b) . F6 (c) section 17 (2) of the M4 Sea Fish Industry Act 1962 ; and [F7(9) This section applies to Scotland with the modifications that– (a) for “relevant British fishery limits", in each place where it appears, there is substituted “the Scottish zone"; (b) for “those limits" or “limits", in each place where those words occur, there is substituted “that zone" or “zone" respectively; and (c) in subsection (7) for “either House of Parliament" there is substituted “the Scottish Parliament".] (d) sections 8(1) . F8, 12(1) and (2), 13(2) and (4) and 14 of the Sea Fisheries Act 1968. Textual Amendments F3 Words in s. 2(1)-(4) inserted (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1820, art. 4, Sch. 2 Pt. 1 para. 57(2)(a); S.I. 1998/3178, art. 3 F4 Words in s. 2(5)(a) substituted (12.3.2015) by The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Fines on Summary Conviction) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/664), reg. 1(1), Sch. 4 para. 9 (with reg. 5(1)) F5 Figure repealed (S.) by Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 (c.26, SIF 52:1), s. 10(2), Sch. 2 F6 S. 2(8)(b) repealed by Merchant Shipping Act 1988 (c. 12, SIF 111), ss. 57(4), 58(4), Sch. 7, Sch. 8 para. 1 F7 S. 2(9) inserted (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1820, art. 4, Sch. 2 Pt. 1 para. 57(2)(b); S.I. 1998/3178, art. 3 F8 Words repealed by Fisheries Act 1981 (c. 29, SIF 52:1), s. 46, Sch. 5 Pt. II Modifications etc. (not altering text) C4 S. 2: certain functions made exercisable in or as regards N.I. for the purposes of 1998 c. 47, ss. 6, 86 and transferred (28.3.2002) by S.I. 2002/790, art. 3(3), Sch. 3 para. 4(1) C5 S. 2: transfer of functions (5.12.2012) by The Transfer of Functions (Sea Fisheries) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/2747), arts. 1(2), 3(1)(c) (with art. 5) C6 S. 2(7) excluded (28.3.2002) by S.I. 2002/790, art. 3(3), Sch. 3 para. 4(2) C7 The text of s. 2(8) is in the form in which it was originally enacted: it was not reproduced in Statutes in Force and, except as specified, does not reflect any amendments or repeals which may have been made prior to 1.2.1991 Marginal Citations M1 1889 c. 63. M2 1968 c. 77. M3 1885 c. 70. 4 Fishery Limits Act 1976 (c. 86) Document Generated: 2021-03-29 Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Fishery Limits Act 1976. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. (See end of Document for details) View outstanding changes M4 1962 c. 31. Regulation of sea fishing, etc. 3 Licensing of fishing boats.