The Live Wrasse Fishing (Limited Permit) Byelaw 2018 restricts commercial fishing for live wrasse by introducing a permit system and placing other restrictions on the fishery. The aim is to appropriately manage fishing for live wrasse such that it can be maintained as a small scale, commercially viable fishery. If you wish to fish commercially for live wrasse you will need to apply for a Live Wrasse Fishery Permit. There are only five permits allowed at any one time in a calendar year. The application window for permits to fish in the following year opens on 2 November.
Permits are issued on a first come first served basis, with priority being given to current permit holders. If you wish to register an interest to fish for live wrasse please complete and submit an application form. Click here to download a quick guide to the application process
Click here to download an application form
Click here to download the full application process. You do not need to apply for a permit if you are: · landing wrasse dead for consumption or use as bait; or · if you are fishing recreationally from a vessel with no fishing licence, where the fish are not intended for sale. Permit holders must comply with the following conditions of the byelaw
( Click here to view the byelaw for the full list of conditions and general provision that also apply) : - Permit holders must not retain live cuckoo wrasse, which must be returned to the sea as soon as practicable
- No fishing for live ballan wrasse between 1 Jan – 31 Mar (incl)
- No live goldsinny, rock cook or corkwing wrasse between 1 May – 30 Jun (incl)
- Permit holders may not fish for and retain live wrasse in a prohibited area. Click here to view a map of the prohibited areas
- Minimum sizes for live wrasse are:
- Ballan wrasse = 16cm
- Goldsinny wrasse = 12cm
- Rock cook wrasse = 12cm
- Corkwing wrasse = 12cm
- Pots or traps used for taking live wrasse must:
- Not exceed a length of 75cm
- Not exceed a Width of 45cm
- Not exceed a Depth of 35cm (All dimensions include any rigid exterior)
- Have a rigid or hard eye entrance that does not exceed a diameter, height and width of 9cm
- Have at least two unobstructed escape gaps measuring at least 7cm in height and at least 1cm in width
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