Consultation on iVMS requirements for under-12 m fishing vessels

Overview

This consultation seeks to gain public and sectoral views on the proposal to align with English iVMS requirement for under 12 metre vessels operating in Manx waters (irrespective of nationality). The Department proposes to make this a legislative requirement by means of a statutory instrument, with potential temporary exemptions for vessels under 6 m overall length.

This consultation seeks to understand any potential business impacts of introducing iVMS to under 12m vessels, as well as any applications of the spatial data that may be seen as a benefit to the fisheries sector and marine conservation. The Department previously consulted on proposals to introduce iVMS in 2019, which received broad support providing that the costs were partially met by the Department in respect of Isle of Man registered vessels.

Under 12 m vessels with authorisations to fish for king scallop and queen scallop are already subject to Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requirements. Spatial data, when captured at an appropriate resolution, is considered to be essential for effective fisheries management and marine conservation. Spatial data is subject to GDPR and Data Protection laws, as well as being subject to careful considerations around issues of commercial sensitivity.

This consultation will run for a period of six weeks from Tuesday 1 March 2022 to Monday 11 April 2022.

Why your views matter

The purpose of this public consultation is to seek views on the proposed introduction of legislation to make it a statutory requirement to install Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (iVMS) for all licensed vessels under 12 metres in length operating in Manx waters. The reason for this is that we recognise there is more we can do to improve data gathering to create sustainable fisheries for the future through more effective enforcement and informed management.

The consultation will be of particular interest to owners and operators of fishing vessels under 12 metres in length operating in Manx waters. In practice this means that, in addition to Manx registered vessels, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, and English registered vessels fishing in Manx waters will be subject to the under 12 m iVMS requirements, as well as vessels registered in the other Crown Dependencies, and the European Union.

What happens next

A summary of responses will be posted on the Department’s website within 3 months of the close of the consultation period and will also be available from the Tynwald library and the Department’s head office.