{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prohibition-of-fishing-with-multiple-trawls-order-2003/article-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prohibition-of-fishing-with-multiple-trawls-order-2003/article-2.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2003/1559",
  "legislation_title": "The Prohibition of Fishing with Multiple Trawls Order 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/prohibition-of-fishing-with-multiple-trawls-order-2003",
  "path": "article/2",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In this Order—\n“the Act” means the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967;\n“the Fladen area” means the waters of the Scottish zone bounded by a line beginning from a point on the north coast of Scotland at 04° 00− west longitude; thence due north to a point on the outer limit of the Scottish zone; thence in a north easterly direction along that outer limit to 62° 30− north latitude; thence due east to a point on the outer limit of the Scottish zone; thence in a south easterly direction along that outer limit to 57° 30− north latitude; thence due west to a point on the east coast of Scotland; and thence in a northerly and westerly direction following that coast to the point of beginning;\n“beam trawler” means a fishing boat which, in so far as it carries or uses nets, carries or uses only nets which are designed to be towed along the sea-bed and which have their mouth extended by a beam, bar or other rigid device;\n“equivalent Order” means any order made under section 5 of the Act creating a prohibition similar to the one in article 3 of this Order and extending or applying to any part of the United Kingdom;\n“ICES” followed by a roman numeral and a description shall be construed as a reference to the statistical sub-area of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea with the same numeral and description identified in the Schedule to this Order;\n“net” means a trawl, Danish Seine or similar towed net, all of which have the same meaning as in Council Regulation (EC) No. 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms , as last amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/812 of the European Parliament and of the Council;\n“Northern Ireland fishing boat” means a vessel which is registered in the register maintained under section 8 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and whose entry in the register specifies a port in Northern Ireland as the port to which the vessel is to be treated as belonging;\n“Northern Ireland zone” means the sea within British fishery limits which is adjacent to Northern Ireland;\n“relevant British fishing boat” does not include a Northern Ireland fishing boat; and\n“single trawl” means a single net towed by a two warp rig in which the net has a single bosom groundrope (the bosom being the central portion of the trawl between the lower wings), where the groundrope is attached to the towing rig at each wing-end only, and does not have any further attachment, including bridles, wires or ropes, connecting it to the towing rig.\n(2) In this Order—\n(a) the term “within relevant British fishery limits” does not include—\n(i) the Northern Ireland zone;\n(ii) the territorial sea adjacent to Wales;\n(iii) the territorial sea adjacent to the Isle of Man;\n(iv) the territorial sea adjacent to the Bailiwick of Jersey; and\n(v) seas within British fishery limits adjacent to Guernsey, as defined by section 8 of the Fishery Limits Act 1976 as extended to Guernsey;\n(b) any reference to any relevant British fishing boat “wherever it may be” does not include such a fishing boat while in the territorial sea adjacent to Wales.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in art. 2(1) substituted (17.9.2018) by The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocations) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/942), regs. 1(2), 51"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Art. 2 in force at 7.7.2003, see art. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "OJ No. L125, 27.4.1998, p. 1."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "1995 c. 21."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "1976 c. 86; see also paragraph 3(c) of the Schedule to the Fishery Limits Act (Guernsey) Order 1989 (S.I. 1989/2407)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1559/article/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T06:22:19.834610+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}