Statutory guidance

Variation issued: Friday 28 March 2025

Updated 28 March 2025

1. The variation effective from 00:01hrs Friday 28 March 2025 is as follows:  

1. Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) Devices 

• Affecting conditions in licence categories A (11), A (Islands) (12), A (Pelagic) (17), B (31), C, (41) and 10m & under categories A (91), A (91) (PO), and A (Limited) (94)

The licence condition added but not effective until 00:00 hrs 12 May 2025 appears at:

• 27 in Cat A, A (Islands), B (31) and C (41) over 10m conditions
• 34 in Cat A (Pelagic) over 10m conditions
• 16 in Cat A, Cat A (PO), and Cat A (Limited) in 10m & under conditions

1.1 Licence condition appears in Over 10m conditions as follows:

X. For all English registered vessels with an overall length of less than 12m, from 00:00 am 12 May 2025 onwards, the vessel to which this licence relates shall at all times whilst undertaking a trip at sea-

1. Have either a Nemo or SC2 I-VMS MMO type-approved I-VMS device installed onboard and operational;
2. Have the I-VMS device switched on and transmitting data to the I-VMS device supplier hub for onward transmission to the UK VMS Hub (meaning the UK’s secure interface platform which is maintained by MMO and the fisheries policy authorities to collect, store and manage fishing boat monitoring data for use by the MMO and the fisheries policy authorities); and
3. Ensure that the device has not been manually overridden, has not been tampered with or damaged and is not obstructed or interfered with so as to compromise or prevent the effective transmission of data to the UK VMS Hub.

Letters have been posted to licence holders with guidance on next steps to prepare for this change. Information is also available on the I-VMS guidance page Inshore Vessel Monitoring (I-VMS) for under-12 metre fishing vessels registered in England

1.2 Licence condition appears in 10m & Under conditions as follows:

X. For all English registered vessels, from 00:00 am 12 May 2025 onwards the vessel to which this licence relates shall at all times whilst undertaking a trip at sea-

1. Have either a Nemo or SC2 I-VMS MMO type-approved I-VMS device installed onboard and operational;
2. Have the I-VMS device switched on and transmitting data to the device supplier hub for onward transmission to the UK VMS Hub (meaning the UK’s secure interface platform which is maintained by MMO and the fisheries policy authorities to collect, store and manage fishing boat monitoring data for use by the MMO and the fisheries policy authorities); and
3. Ensure that the device has not been manually overridden, has not been tampered with or damaged and is not obstructed or interfered with so as to compromise or prevent the effective transmission of data to the UK VMS Hub.

Letters have been posted to licence holders with guidance on next steps to prepare for this change. Information is also available on the I-VMS guidance page Inshore Vessel Monitoring (I-VMS) for under-12 metre fishing vessels registered in England

2. Over 10m Non-Sector Quota Increase

• Affecting licence category A (11)

SPECIES	SEA AREA (AS STATED IN ANNEXE)	QUOTA SET FROM (TONNES)	QUOTA SET TO (TONNES)
Cod	2a, 3a, 4	3 (monthly)	6 (monthly)

We will continue to vary licence category 94 until all fishing vessel licences affected by the removal of the licence cap have been reissued.

The most up to date licences can be accessed on the understand your fishing vessel licence webpage.             

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.