From 24 June 2015, two new EU rules restrict commercial fishing for bass:
1) monthly vessel catch limits (“VCL”); and
2) a ban on EU vessels fishing for bass in the waters around Ireland.
The VCL are different for each métier, ranging from 1.0 tonnes a month to 3.0 tonnes a month (see here).
Only time will tell if these limits will be effective: are they low enough? Will they be respected and enforced?
The Irish ban is a very welcome step, rectifying the anomaly where a previous Irish unilateral ban could only apply to Irish vessels, leaving other EU vessels free to continue catching bass around Ireland.
(Posted by David Curtis)