Inshore fishing - wild wrasse: application for a letter of derogation
Guidance on submitting an application for a letter of derogation to fish for wild wrasse.
General licence conditions applying to the Letter of Derogation from 2025
(Annex A of the derogation certificate)
1. Notwithstanding condition 5.25 of the licence and subject to the conditions below, the licence holder is permitted to fish within the Scottish zone (the sea adjacent to Scotland up to the 200 nautical mile limit and as defined in section 126(1) of the Scotland Act 1998) for the species of wrasse noted in condition 3 of this Annex between 3 June and 30 November 2025.
2. The derogation is issued based on statements made by the vessel owner(s) in the application form to participate in the fishery and, if applicable, subsequent correspondence. The making of false statements is an offence (Fisheries Act 2020, Schedule 3, paragraph 3). The derogation will only be valid whilst the details provided in the application form remain unchanged. Any changes or modifications must be notified to the administrating Marine Directorate Fishery Office immediately.
3. The minimum and maximum landing sizes for wrasse are as follows:
- Goldsinny (Ctenolabrus rupestris) 12cm –17cm
- Rock Cook (Centrolabrus exoletus) 12cm – 17cm
- Corkwing (Symphodus melops) 12cm – 17cm
- Ballan (Labrus bergylta) 14cm – 24cm
- Cuckoo (Labrus mixtus) 12cm – 24cm
4. Only wrasse traps specifically designed to target and catch live wrasse and ensure their welfare may be used to fish for wrasse.
5. A vessel may deploy a maximum of 250 wrasse traps within any 24hr period, starting from 0001 - 2359.
6. Each trap used to fish for wrasse must have a fixed-eye aperture to exclude otters (‘an otter exclusion device’). The otter exclusion device can be of circular, oval or ellipse shape, and must be rigid in structure.
7. All circular otter exclusion devices shall have an internal diameter of not more than 90 millimetres.
8. All oval or ellipse shaped otter exclusion devices shall have a combined total axis (maximum length + maximum width = combined total axis) of not more than 155 millimetres.
9. Each trap must feature escape hatches for small fish to leave the trap.
10. All reasonable precautions must be taken to ensure that traps used to fish for wrasse are lifted in a manner that ensures the best possible welfare of the wrasse and a maximum rate of six metres per minute must not be exceeded when lifting traps.
11. It is prohibited to deploy traps used for fishing wrasse when the water into which they would otherwise be deployed is at a temperature exceeding 17°C
12. Fishers targeting any of the species of wrasse noted in condition 3 will be required to accept observers if requested by the Marine Directorate, subject to operational practicalities.
13. The licence holder must hold a valid, current, contract to supply wrasse to a person who carries on a business of fish farming and who is authorised as an aquaculture production business under The Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and, where requested by Marine Directorate to do so, can supply a copy of such contract in order to evidence the same.
14. In addition to the statutory requirements to provide accurate landings details on Form FISH1, Log Books and landings declarations, the licence holder must accurately complete the form in Annex B and submit it to their local Marine Directorate Fishery Office, within 48 hours of the conclusion of the fishing week (a fishing week runs from 0001 hours Sunday to 2359 hours Saturday). An example of the Annex B return forms can be found in the supporting documents.
15. Catches of any species used for bait in wrasse pots must be declared on FISH1 forms and logbooks.
16. If required by the Scottish Ministers, the licence holder shall install and operate (at all times) a fully functional vessel tracking (i-VMS) device or Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) system on the vessel to which this derogation relates. The data recorded by an i-VMS device or REM system installed on board the vessel to which this derogation relates must be made accessible to the Scottish Ministers.
17. If required by the Scottish Ministers, the licence holder shall participate in interviews and data gathering exercises with the Marine Directorate.
18. Prohibition: Areas where fishing for wrasse is not allowed (2025 season). The vessel to which this licence relates is expressly prohibited from fishing for wrasse (all species) using traps or pots in the following sites of the Marine Protected Area network:
- Dornoch Firth and Morrich More SAC
- East Mingulay SAC
- Isle of May SAC
- Loch Laxford SAC
- Loch nam Madadh SAC
- Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Reefs SAC
- Mousa SAC
- North Rona SAC
- Papa Stour SAC
- Sanday SAC
- Solway Firth SAC
- Sound of Barra SAC
- Sullom Voe SAC
- Treshnish Isles SAC
- St Kilda SAC
- Sunart SAC
- Fetlar to Haroldswick MPA
- South Arran MPA
- Wyre and Rousay Sounds MPA
- Wester Ross MPA
18(i). The vessel to which this licence relates is expressly prohibited from fishing for wrasse (all species) using traps or pots in the following sites of the Marine Protected Area network:
18(ii). The vessel to which this licence relates is expressly prohibited from fishing for wrasse (all species) using traps or pots in the following sites of the Marine Protected Area network or in adjacent shallow waters less than 10 metres in depth:
19. If transiting any of the sites listed in paragraph 18, all fishing gear which may be used for catching wrasse (all species) must be lashed and stowed.
20. Derogations are subject to detailed and, in some cases, individual conditions.
21. The Letter of Derogation granted in terms of condition 5.25 must be retained aboard the vessel at all times to be made available for inspection on request by a British Sea Fishery Officer (British Sea Fishery Officer” has the meaning given by section 7 of the Sea Fisheries Act 1968 (c.77)).
22. The grant of a derogation does not confer any entitlement to any future authorisation for harvesting wrasse.
23. The derogation is non-transferable between owners.
24. The derogation is non-transferable between vessels.
25. Fishing activity under this derogation may be limited or suspended in any area, at any time. If the activity if is so limited or suspended all fishing gear should be removed from the relevant area (as specified by the Marine Directorate) as soon as practical, and as agreed by the Marine Directorate.
26. The activity authorised through this derogation does not extend to any individual (including master, owner, applicant, crew or the charterer (if any)) that has been convicted of any fisheries offence, or received a Fixed Penalty Notice for an offence(s) falling within the most serious categories (level 4 and above), within the last 36 months.
Contact
Email: Inshore@gov.scot