Wales has become the first nation in the UK to require all of its licensed commercial fishing boats to be fitted with a vessel monitoring system (VMS).
Boats 12 metres or more in length were already required to have such a system in place, but an order came into force on 15 February stipulating that all boats under this size must also have a VMS device. Smaller boats make up around 97% of the registered fishing fleet in Wales and this change is estimated to affect around 350 vessels.
“We want to help ensure a sustainable and prosperous fishing industry in Wales and this step will be fundamental to the effective management of fisheries and the wider marine environment,” said Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths.
This latest order adds to changes in 2020 which compelled all boats under 10 metres to record their catches. “This combined with VMS will give us a fuller picture of fishing in Wales and where it is taking place,” continued Ms Griffiths.
“It will also provide the industry with evidence of their catch origin and fishing grounds which could be used to resolve any disputes with other marine users.”
The VMS will transmit the geographical position, date, time, speed and course of a boat, at least once every ten minutes while fishing operations are being undertaken, helping improve fisheries and marine environment management.
When this new change was mooted in 2019, systems were offered free to affected vessels and more than 98% of boats in this category are already fitted with a device. The remaining 2% will now have to pay for the device and installation themselves.
