Upon the commencement of the Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 on Tuesday 3 May, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine will establish and maintain a register of masters, ie the Irish Fishing Master Register (IFMR).
This is to bring Irish legislation in line with EU Council Regulation 1224/2009, which established a community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and establishing a level playing field across the EU on fisheries control.
Under the act, it will be an offence for anyone to lawfully take charge of a sea fishing boat unless registered on the IFMR. This applies whether you are the owner of the sea fishing boat or not.
Once this act has been commenced, it will also be an offence for a registered sea fishing boat licence holder to knowingly employ someone as a master who is not registered as such on the IFMR.
The act defines a ‘master’ as the master, skipper or other person for the time being in charge of the boat.
All masters must be registered on the IFMR upon the commencement of the act on 3 May 2022. The application form and further details for mariners are available on Gov.ie HERE.