Fishing vessel licensing: license variations

General guidance and advice for fishermen regarding Scottish fishing vessel licensing.


Weekly variations to Scottish fishing vessel licences are published online. If you would like to receive an email notification when these variations are published, please send a request by email to AccesstoSeaFisheries@gov.scot.

Assignation of fishing licenses and quota

Solicitors, banks and vessel agents periodically request that Marine Scotland acknowledge, sign over and receipt Intimations and assignations in connection with fishing licences and quota allocations. It is established departmental policy not to comply with such requests and this will remain Marine Scotland’s position.

Our long-stated position on quota ownership is that quota is allocated at the discretion of Ministers and, as such, fishermen neither own nor have property rights over it. Indeed it is difficult to see how the situation could be interpreted otherwise given that the coverage and level of quotas and their allocation are dependent on international negotiations and agreements. Ministers will continue to allocate quota at their discretion in order to ensure optimal uptake of the fishing opportunities to the Scottish and UK fleets.

Ministers do not accept that any fishing licence granted at their discretion, or any entitlement to apply for such a licence, may be assigned to another party.

Fishing vessel licensing rules
10m & under and over 10m 01 July 2016-30 June 2017
New 10m & under and over 10m for licence period 2017-2027
2018 landing obligation tables
Aberdeen Fish Producers' Organisation Category A (AA02)
Anglo-North Irish FPO Category A (AA13)
Anglo-Scottish FPO Category A (AA06)
Anglo-Scottish FPO Category A (10m & under) (AU06)
Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation Category A (AA14)
Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation Category C (CC14)
Eastern England Fish Producers' Organisation Category A (AA08)
Eastern England Fish Producers' Organisation Category B (BB08)
Fisheries closures tables: 2012
Fisheries closures tables: 2014
Fisheries closures tables: 2019
Lobster measuring gauge
Interfish Fish Producers' Organisation
External Waters: IOTC Resolution 12/13

Fife Fish Producers' Organisation

Fife Fish Producers' Organisation Category A (10m & Under) (AU05)
Fife Fish Producers' Organisation Category A (AA05)
Fife Fish Producers' Organisation Category C (CC05)

Klondyke Fish Producers' Organisation

Klondyke FPO Category A Pelagic Purser (AP25)
Klondyke FPO Category A Pelagic Trawler (AT25)

Lowestoft Fish Producers' Organisation

Lowestoft FPO Category A (AA17)

Lunar Fish Producers' Organisation

Lunar FPO Category A (AA24)
Lunar FPO Category A Pelagic Purser (AP24)

Sound of Mull

Map of St Apollo wreck location

North East of Scotland Fishermen's Organisation

North East of Scotland FO Category A (10m & Under) NESFO (AU03)
North East of Scotland FO Category A NESFO (AA03)

Northern Ireland Fish Producers' Organisation

Northern Ireland FPO Category A (10m & Under) NIFPO (AU12)
Northern Ireland FPO Category A NIFPO (AA12)
Northern Ireland FPO Category B NIFPO (BB12)

Non-PO

Non-PO Category A 10m & Under (AU20)

Non-sector

Category A Non-sector (AA00)
Category B Non-sector (BB00)
Category C Non-sector (CC00)

Prohibition fishing regulations

Amendments to Norwegian regulations - note verbale May 2014

Northern Producers' Organisation

Northern Producers' Organisation Category A (10m & Under) (AU21)
Northern Producers' Organisation Category A (AA21)
Northern Producers' Organisation Category B (BB21)
Northern Producers' Organisation Category C (CC21)

North Sea Fishermen's Organisation

North Sea Fishermen's Organisation Category A (AA16)

Orkney Fish Producers' Organisation

Orkney FPO Category A (10m & Under) (AU22)
Orkney FPO Category A (AA22)
Orkney FPO Category B (BB22)

Scottish Fishermen's Organisation

Scottish Fishermen's Organisation Category A (10m & Under) (AU01)
Scottish Fishermen's Organisation Category A (AA01)
Scottish Fishermen's Organisation Category B SFO (BB01)
Scottish Fishermen's Organisation Category C (CC01)

Shetland Fish Producers' Organisation

Shetland FPO Category A (10m & Under) SFPO (AU04)
Shetland FPO Category A (AA04)
Shetland FPO Category A Pelagic Purser (AP04)
Shetland FPO Category A Pelagic Trawler (AT04)
Shetland FPO Category C SFPO (CC04)

South Western Fish Producers' Organisation

South Western FPO Category A SWFPO (AA15)
South Western FPO Category C SWFPO (CC15)

West of Scotland Fish Producers' Organisation

West of Scotland FPO Category A (10m & Under) WSFPO (AU19)
West of Scotland FPO Category A WSFPO (AA19)
West of Scotland FPO Category B WSFPO (BB19)
West of Scotland FPO Category C WSFPO (CC19)
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