2.10 Pot Fishing

2.8.5 Operation of RIBs as Dive Boats

requirements and recommendations relating to safety on board small fishing vessels and is available to view or download on www.gov.ie.

Sail and Motor Boats – Coastal Operation

▪When underway in a RIB,

occupants should wear a PFD/ lifejacket in addition to a wet suit.

Attention is also drawn to Marine Notice No. 17 of 2019 regarding the safety of small vessels engaged in potting operations.

▪Ensure the boat is suitable for the

number of persons and equipment carried – do not overload.

▪Ensure all buoyancy tubes are at

Recreational boaters may also engage in non-commercial potting for lobster or crabs. Such activities are limited to a small number of pots and the catch is intended for the owner’s table and not for commercial resale.

the correct pressure.

▪Ensure bottles and ALL equipment

are secured correctly and are checked regularly to prevent damage, loss or injuries.

▪Coxswain to wear engine kill cord

The Non-Commercial Pot Fishing (Lobster and Crab) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 31 of 2016), provide a range of management measures for noncommercial pot fishing for crab and lobster. The measures apply since 1 February 2016 to non-licenced recreational boats fishing within the internal waters or territorial seas of the State. The measures include:

when underway.

2.9 National Association

Diving Ireland is the National Governing Body for diving and recreational underwater sports in Ireland (see Appendix 10 for contact details).

2.10 Pot Fishing

Commercial potting for lobster or crab requires a licence issued by the Licensing Authority for Sea Fishing Boats, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, National Seafood Centre, Clonakilty, Co. Cork. Commercial potting vessels may typically shoot up to 80 pots in a single string. Those engaged in commercial potting should comply with the Code of Practice for the Design, Constuction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels of less than 15 metres length overall in its updated version, which sets out

▪a closed season during the months

of October, November, December, January, February, March and April;

▪limiting the catch to no more than

one lobster and five crab per boat in a 24-hour period;

▪requiring all lobsters containing a

V notch and all mutilated lobsters taken by a boat to be returned alive to the sea without delay;

▪a limit of no more than six pots per

boat in the sea at any one time, and

Boats engaged in non-commercial potting should have a suitable means of re-boarding in the event of a crew member falling overboard.

▪a prohibition on storing in the sea

a crab or lobster that has a nicked or banded claw.

Operators of boats engaged in noncommercial potting should be aware of a number of associated dangers including:

Attention is also drawn to Marine Notice No. 31 of 2023, Advice re. Use of appropriate Marker Buoys/ Ropes when engaged in Pot Fishing for lobster, crab or other fish or shellfish, and the annexed Good Practice Guide to Pot Marker Buoys. Persons who carry out pot fishing (whether commercially or noncommercially) are reminded of their obligations to other users of the sea. The use of too long a line of rope can result in a situation where even vessels that have taken a wide berth around marker buoys could have their propellers fouled by the rope. Do not use unsuitable ‘floats’ such as empty drink cans, plastic bottles and dark-coloured floats, which offer poor visibility and can be mistaken for floating debris.

▪adverse effects on a vessel’s

handling or stability characteristics due to incorrect stowage of potting equipment or retro-fitting or poor installation of non-design items such as hydraulic pot haulers;

▪risk of becoming trapped in

potting lines when shooting;

▪snagging of propellers due to

potting lines;

▪increased risk of falling overboard

when hauling/shooting pots;

▪dangers of capsizing a boat when

attempting to recover a pot snagged on the ocean floor.

Non-commercial potting activities should never be undertaken by a single boatman. Always wear a suitable Personal Flotation Device and Personal Locator Beacon. Somebody ashore should be aware of where the boat is intending to operate and when it is expected to return. Owners/Skippers should carry out a risk assessment of the intended operations and take appropriate actions to reduce/ mitigate the inherent risks that arise when nobody else in on board to help or raise the alarm.

2.11 Sea Angling Boats

Coastal sea angling varies from an individual fishing close inshore for mackerel to major international fishing competitions involving larger boats fishing up to 20 miles offshore for species such as blue shark, in often difficult or uncomfortable conditions.

While commercial angling boats are required to hold a passenger boat licence issued by the Department of Transport and as such are regulated, there are a number of items that any