Sail Powered Commercial Fishing Boat in the UK...

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CaptinHaddock

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Ahoy All!

Interested in commercial fishing in the UK from a sail powered boat.

Anyone met any fisheries that operate this way?

What is the law on this?
Is it true that a <10m sail boat is not required register for a vessel licence as per:
Get a fishing vessel licence: vessels 10 metres or under
Where in statute is this laid down?

In this case - would electric outbioard motors count as engines?
(They do not generate power, just consume it.)

Ideas welcome!

Haddock.
 
My experience of the MMO is that they don't like contentious little issues. Did you get through to a really knowledgeable person or was it the receptionist ? You need to insist on chapter and verse, and ask them what exemptions there are from needing a licence.

Or ask Fisherman of this parish. He's clued up.
 
:)

Thanks for the opinion, Luminescent ...

In my opinion they do not count in this context, any more than an electric winch or tin opener, as they are not capable of producing power in the way an engine or generator does, only consuming it. Further... they do not in themselves create pollution so are as green and sustainable as their charge source. This is important to commercial fishermen and their regulators?

I did manage to contact one of the MMO guys ... he was working from home so could only really give "off the top of his head" answers, and of course did not comment on the motors as I did not mention them!

Yes, I would like to hear from anyone in the fishing industry on this.
Are there any sail powered commercial fishermen in the UK, beyond the oyster trawlers on the river Fal?


.
 
CaptinHaddock said:
Ahoy All!

Interested in commercial fishing in the UK from a sail powered boat.

Anyone met any fisheries that operate this way?

What is the law on this?
Is it true that a <10m sail boat is not required register for a vessel licence as per:
Get a fishing vessel licence: vessels 10 metres or under
Where in statute is this laid down?

In this case - would electric outbioard motors count as engines?
(They do not generate power, just consume it.)

Ideas welcome!

Haddock.
Click to expand...
The Falmouth Oyster boats are only allowed to fish/dredge under sail so there must be expertise about sailing fishing vessels in that area?
 
CaptinHaddock said:
In my opinion they do not count in this context, any more than an electric winch or tin opener, as they are not capable of producing power in the way an engine or generator does, only consuming it. Further... they do not in themselves create pollution so are as green and sustainable as their charge source. This is important to commercial fishermen and their regulators?
Click to expand...

You are mistaken. An engine does not 'produce power', it just converts one type of energy to another.

An internal combustion engine consumes liquid fuel and converts the chemical energy in it to mechanical, then hydraulic, power to propel the boat.

An electric motor consumes electrical power generated from the chemical energy in the battery and converts it into mechanical, then hydraulic, power to propel the boat.

There is no significant difference other than the 'fuel' used.
 
Interesting opinions, thanks.
I, naturally, disagree.
For instance, bicycles are no longer bicycles when fitted with a petrol engine, regardless of output or cc, but are "ebikes" when fitted with an electric motor.
 
LittleSister said:
You are mistaken. An engine does not 'produce power', it just converts one type of energy to another.

An internal combustion engine consumes liquid fuel and converts the chemical energy in it to mechanical, then hydraulic, power to propel the boat.

An electric motor consumes electrical power generated from the chemical energy in the battery and converts it into mechanical, then hydraulic, power to propel the boat.

There is no significant difference other than the 'fuel' used.
Click to expand...

I think the point was more about whether the electric engines produce enough power to actually do anything. So... energy in but no energy out, just a black hole of despair in a force 10 gale heading towards the rocks.
 
I have yet to try an electrically powered boat, so have no basis to comment on their usefulness beyond what I have seen on "Endless Sphere".
endless-sphere.com
There is a lot of REALLY useful data up there on ebikes, eboats, eplanes and batteries of all sorts ... especially lithium.

In terms of the sail powered fishing, it would help a great deal if someone who knows could point out where the exception mentioned in my first post (above) is enshrined in law?
 
The Falmouth oyster boats are a regulated fishery and the boats are licensed. A condition of that licence is that they can only operate under sail. There’s an article in Fishing News from last year about the fishery here Falmouth oyster dredging | Fishing News . Interestingly, the boats do have motors which can be used to move to and from the fishing grounds but not to actually fish, which has to dive done under sail alone.
 
From the link:
Exemptions
You don’t need a licence for your vessel if any of the following apply:
  • it doesn’t have an engine
  • it’ll only be used to fish for common eels, salmon or migratory trout
  • you fish only within 12 nautical miles of Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, but you’ll need a licence from the relevant authority
  • you only use your vessel to fish for pleasure
So, if the boat is under 10 m, and is either rowed or towed in and out of harbour it would appear to be exempt?
 
By way of credentials: I used to work in fisheries in Defra and helped set up the MMO. It is correct to say that you don't need a licence for a under 10m engineless boat. There are a very few of such vessels operating in Lyme Bay (if memory serves). These are rowing boats that lay some drift nets. I've not heard of an engineless sailing vessel but I'd guess that's for safety reasons. If you're interested, I suggest you call the MMO and ask to speak to someone in fishing vessel licensing.
 
Many thanks for the info, Simon. Will look into the Lyme Bay fishing boats. I will recontact MMO and the local IFCA once I have my facts straight.
 
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