Citation and commencement

1.  These Byelaws may be cited as the Fisheries (Amendment) Byelaws (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 1st June 2003.

Amendment of the Fisheries Byelaws (Northern Ireland) 1997

2.  The Fisheries Byelaws (Northern Ireland) 1997(3) shall be amended as provided in Byelaws 3 and 4.

Interpretation

3.  In Byelaw 2(1) for the definition of “concessionary season fishing rod licence” there shall be substituted the following definition –

““concessionary season fishing rod licence” means a licence issued by the Board to a disabled angler, or to a person who has attained the age of 60 years, for one rod and line or hand line to fish for, take and kill salmon, freshwater fish and eels;”.

Restriction on the killing of salmon

4.  For Byelaw 88 there shall be substituted the following Byelaw –

“88.  In that part of Lough Melvin which is situate in County Fermanagh, where any person whilst angling during the period from 1st June to 30th September in any year, both dates inclusive, takes a salmon in excess of three on any day, then he shall, without avoidable injury, cause such salmon to be returned immediately to the water from which it was taken.”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Byelaws.)

These Byelaws amend the Fisheries Byelaws (Northern Ireland) 1997 by –

(a)reducing the age at which a man can receive a concessionary season fishing rod licence from 65 years to 60 years (Byelaw 3); and

(b)increasing the daily bag limit that applies during the period 1st June to 30th September in that part of Lough Melvin which is situate in County Fermanagh from two salmon to three salmon (Byelaw 4).