Safety and security measures have been stepped up at harbours ahead of the King Scallop season which began on 1 November this year.
Around eighty crews from the Isle of Man, Scotland and Northern Ireland are licensed to fish in Manx waters for the duration of the King Scallop season.
With visiting crew travelling from areas where COVID-19 restrictions are in place and the Island’s ongoing border regulations tightened due to COVID-19 the harbours where King scallops will be landed will need to be policed.
Visiting crews will be prevented from mixing and will be given designated berths in Douglas or Peel – with a one in, one out system. Visiting crews will only be allowed to land to these two harbours and crews will be unable to step foot ashore.
Local seafood processors will work with skippers to coordinate collections and only locally based crews might be allowed to land in Ramsey and Port St Mary harbours this season.
Security staff will monitor Peel and Douglas harbours across the clock and anybody breaking the rules could face a £10,000 fine or up to a few months in prison.
A Total Allowable Catch of 2049 tonnes of king scallops has been set for the season, which runs from 1 November 2020 to 31 May 2021, with a daily catch limit set at 700kg per vessel.
The Barrule Patrol vessel has been cleared to board vessels with strict cleaning procedures in place between inspections.