
1 
This Order may be cited as the Tope (Prohibition of Fishing) Order 2008 and comes into force on 6th April 2008.
2 

(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, this Order applies within British fishery limits.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) Articles 3 and 4 do not apply in the Northern Ireland zone, the Scottish zone, Wales or the territorial sea adjacent to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
(4) In paragraph (3)—
(a) “the Northern Ireland zone” has the meaning given by section 98 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998;
(b) “the Scottish zone” has the meaning given by section 126(1) of the Scotland Act 1998; and
(c) “Wales” has the meaning given by section 158(1) of the Government of Wales Act 2006.
3 

(1) Fishing for tope (other than by rod and line) is prohibited.
(2) If tope are taken on board, they may be retained provided that the total liveweight does not exceed 45 kilogrammes per day.
(3) In paragraph (2), “liveweight” means the weight of the gutted carcasses of tope multiplied by a factor of 1.125.
4 
The trans-shipment of tope is prohibited.
5 
No person may land in England—
(a) tope caught by rod and line, or
(b) beheaded tope.
6 

(1) For the purposes of enforcing this Order, an officer may exercise the following powers—
(a) in relation to a relevant British fishing boat that is registered in the United Kingdom or is British-owned, wherever it may be; and
(b) in relation to any other fishing boat, in any waters adjacent to the United Kingdom and within relevant British fishery limits.
(2) An officer may go on board a fishing boat, with or without persons assigned to assist in the exercise of the officer’s duties, and for that purpose may require the boat to stop and do anything else which will facilitate the boarding of the boat.
(3) An officer may require the attendance of the master and other persons on board the boat and may make any examination or inquiry appearing to the officer to be necessary for the purpose of enforcing this Order and, in particular—
(a) may examine any fish on the boat and the equipment of the boat, including the fishing gear, and require persons on board the boat to do anything appearing to the officer to be necessary for facilitating the examination;
(b) may require any person on board the boat to produce any document relating to the boat, to its fishing operations or other operations ancillary thereto or to the persons on board, which is in that person’s custody or possession and may take copies of any such document;
(c) for the purpose of ascertaining whether the master, owner or charterer of the boat has committed an offence under section 5 or 6 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 as read with this Order, may search the boat for any such document and may require any person on board the boat to do anything appearing to the officer to be necessary for facilitating the search; and
(d) where the boat is one in relation to which the officer has reason to suspect that such an offence has been committed, may seize and detain any such document produced to the officer or found on board for the purpose of enabling the document to be used as evidence in proceedings for the offence.
(4) Nothing in paragraph (3)(d) enables the officer to seize and detain any document required by law to be carried on board the boat except while the boat is detained in a port.
(5) Where it appears to an officer that a contravention of any provision of this Order has at any time taken place, the officer may—
(a) take, or require the master to take, the boat and its crew to the port appearing to the officer to be the nearest convenient port; and
(b) detain, or require the master to detain, the boat in the port.
(6) An officer who detains or requires the detention of a boat must serve on the master a notice in writing stating that the boat will be or is required to be detained until the notice is withdrawn by the service on the master of a further notice in writing signed by an officer.
(7) In this article, “officer” means a British sea-fishery officer.
Jonathan Shaw
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Paul Goggins
Minister of State
Northern Ireland Office
