Variation issued: Wednesday 01 January 2025
Updated 23 December 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fishing-vessel-licence-variations/variation-issued-wednesday-01-january-2025
1. The variation effective from 00:01hrs Wednesday 01 January 2025 is as follows:
1.1 10m & Under Non-Sector Limited Licences – permanent removal of the licence cap
- Affecting under 10m Cat A Limited licences (94/99)
The cap limiting 9499 licence holders to catching no more than 350kg of quota species per year will be permanently removed as of 00:01hrs 01 January 2025.
1.2 Western Waters Scallop Effort days set for Q1
- Affecting Licence Schedules for Category A (11), Category A Islands (12), Category A Pelagic (17), Category B (31) and Category C (41)
Western Water scallop days at sea now set to 70 days for Q1 (00:01 hrs 01 January – 23:59 31 March 2025)
1.3 Western Waters Crab Effort days set
- Affecting Licence Schedules for Category A (11), Category A Islands (12), Category A Pelagic (17), Category B (31) and Category C (41)
Western Water Crab days at sea now set to 160 days (00:01 hrs 01 January – 23:59 31 December 2025)
1.4 O10m Non-Sector Quota Decrease
- Affecting licence categories A (11/99), A (Islands) (12/99), B (31/99), and C (41/99)
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon sole | 7d | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Plaice | 7e | 3.5 | 3 |
| Pollack | 7 | 0.2 (strictly bycatch only) | 0.075 (strictly bycatch only) |
| Skates and rays | 6 & 7 (excluding 7d) | 15 | 10 |
| Sole | 7e | 2 | 1 |
1.5 10m & Under Non-Sector Quota Decrease
- Affecting licence category A (91/99) & A (Limited) (94/99)
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herring | 4c, 7d | 200 | 50 |
| Mackerel | 3a & 4, 4, 2a, 3bcd | 10 | 1.5 |
| Plaice | 7f, 7g | 2 | 0.5 |
| Pollack | 7 | 0.2 (strictly bycatch only) | 0.075 (strictly bycatch only) |
| Skates and rays | 6 & 7 (excluding 7d) | 15 | 10 |
| Sole | 7e | 2 | 1.25 |
| Sole | 7f, 7g | 2 | 1.25 |
1.6 O10m Non-Sector Increase
- Affecting O10m licence categories A (11/99), A (Islands) (12/99), B (31/99), and C (41/99)
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angler | 2a, 4 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Brill | 7de | 1.2 | 2 |
| Sole | 7a | 0.4 | 1 |
1.7 10m & Under Non-Sector Increase
- Affecting licence category A (91/99) & A (Limited) (94/99)
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglerfish | 2a, 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Brill | 7d-e | 1.2 | 2 |
| Horse mackerel | 2a, 4a, 5b, 6, 7a-c, 7e-k, 8a,b,d,e | 0.5 | 2 |
| Lemon sole - Area 7d | 7d | 0.05 | 0.2 |
| Whiting | 7bce-k | 1 (Strictly bycatch only) | 1.5 (Strictly bycatch only) |
1.8 O10m & 10m and Under Non-Sector Quota Decrease – Stock now bycatch only
- Affecting O10m licence categories A (11/99), A (Islands) (12/99), B (31/99), and C (41/99), and 10m & Under licence category A (91/99) and A (Limited) (94/99)
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cod | 7d | 1 | 1 (strictly bycatch only) |
| Horse mackerel | 4b, 4c, 7d | 10 | 1 (strictly bycatch only) |
1.9 O10m and 10m & Under Non-Sector and Sector Quota Decrease
- Affecting all O10m and 10m & Under licence annexes
| SPECIES | SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE) | QUOTA FROM (TONNES) (MONTHLY) | QUOTA SET TO (TONNES) (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small-Eyed Ray | 7f, 7g (to be included in the total catch for Areas 6 & 7 excluding 7d) | 1.2 | 0.5 |
1.10 Changes to Bass limits
- Affecting licence schedules for Over 10m categories A (11), A (Islands) (12), A (Pelagic) (17), B (31), and C (41), and 10m & Under categories A (91) and A (Limited) (94)
- The commercial trawl/seine bycatch limits remain at 3.8 tonnes per vessel per year, but the bass per trip limit increases from 5% to 10%
- The hooks and lines catch limits increase from 6.2 to 6.8 tonnes per vessel per year;
- The fixed gillnet bycatch limits increase from 1.6 to 1.8 tonnes per vessel per year.
It is your responsibility to check variations before going to sea as they can be changed at any time.
If you have any queries, please contact the Fisheries Management Team.