# The Scallop (Amendment of Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes) (Wales) Regulations 2026 W.S.I. 2026/120 · made 1 October 2026 These Regulations amend sea fisheries legislation concerning the minimum conservation reference sizes for king scallop and queen scallop that apply within the Welsh zone. Made under: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1224/2009 and Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973, (EU) 2019/472 and (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 894/97, (EC) No 850/98, (EC) No 2549/2000, (EC) No 254/2002, (EC) No 812/2004 and (EC) No 2187/2005 (Article 15, Contents) PDFs: Printed copy https://openlegislation.uk/scallop-amendment-of-minimum-conservation-reference-sizes-wales-regulations-2026/pdf/wsi_20260120_mi.pdf ## Introductory text SEA FISHERIES, WALES Made 1 October 2026 Coming into force 1 November 2026 The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 15 (2) and 29 (8) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, which now vest in the Welsh Ministers acting in the capacity of a fisheries administration, make the following Regulations. In accordance with Article 15 (2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, the Welsh Ministers have obtained scientific evidence to support the measures made by these Regulations. In accordance with Article 15 (2C) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, the Welsh Ministers consulted such bodies or persons as appear to be representative of the interests likely to be substantially affected by these Regulations and such other bodies or persons as the Welsh Ministers consider appropriate. ## 1 Title and coming into force (1) The title of these Regulations is the Scallop (Amendment of Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes) (Wales) Regulations 2026. (2) These Regulations come into force on 1 November 2026. ## 2 Amendment of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (1) Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures is amended as follows. (2) In Annex 6 (north western waters), in Part A (minimum conservation reference sizes), in the table— (a) in the entry relating to “Queen scallop (Chlamys spp.)”, in the second column, after “40 mm” insert “(in the Welsh zone, a minimum conservation reference size of 55mm applies)”; (b) in the entry relating to “Scallop (Pecten maximus)”, in the second column, after “100 mm” insert “(in the Welsh zone, a minimum conservation reference size of 110mm applies)”. ## 3 Amendment of the Byelaws of the former North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee In the Byelaws of the former North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee, in byelaw 19 (specified fish sizes), in paragraph 3, in the table, in the entry relating to “Queen Scallop (Aequipecten opercularis)”, in the second column (size), for “40*” substitute “55*”. ## Signature Llyr Gruffydd Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, one of the Welsh Ministers 1 October 2026 ## Explanatory note (This note is not part of the Regulations) These Regulations amend sea fisheries legislation concerning the minimum conservation reference sizes for king scallop and queen scallop that apply within the Welsh zone. Regulation 2 makes minor amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (EUR 2019/1241). It amends the minimum conservation reference size for king scallop (Pecten maximus) to apply a consistent minimum conservation reference size of 110mm throughout the Welsh zone. It also increases the minimum conservation reference size for queen scallop (Chlamys spp. (formerly Aequipecten opercularis)) in the Welsh zone from 40mm to 55mm. Regulation 3 makes a consequential amendment to byelaw 19 of the Byelaws of the former North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee to bring the specified minimum size for queen scallop under those byelaws into line with Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 (as that instrument is amended by these Regulations). The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from the Welsh Government, Fisheries Division, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ and is published on www.gov.wales. --- Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2026/120 (the official version) Page: https://openlegislation.uk/scallop-amendment-of-minimum-conservation-reference-sizes-wales-regulations-2026 Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.