Coastal fishing permit

There are many things to consider when purchasing a boat for coastal fishing since many things can prevent the boat from obtaining a coastal fishing permit or belonging to the area where the buyer intends to fish. The following is based on the principles that apply to coastal fishing, but note that the rules can change between coastal fishing seasons. Basically, there are a few questions that need to be answered if you are planning to buy a boat for coastal fishing:

1. Is the boat a development fund boat?
2. Is the owner or operator involved in another coastal fishing permit?
3. Is the boat to be sold off to a new owner?
4. Is the boat without a certificate of seaworthiness for fishing?
5. Does the boat have a coastal fishing permit?
6. Are the boat’s catch quota transfers in a negative position ?

Is the boat a development fund boat?

Boats that are development fund boats can not obtain any type of permit for commercial fishing. You can see if a boat is a development fund boat by searching for the boat on the website of the Directorate of Fisheries and by viewing the boats history. A development fund boat will heve been stricken from the registry of commercial fishing vessels and cannot go coastal fishing.

Is the owner or operator involved in another coastal fishing permit?

An individual owner or operator of a coastal fishing boat may not be party to more than one coastal fishing permit. If the owner or operator is a company, then neither the company nor its owners may be parties to another coastal fishing permit. If a change in the ownership or operation of a boat results in the same party being connected to two permits, the Directorate of Fisheries will cancel one of the permits. The Icelandic Transport Authority maintains a list of the owners of vessels at all times.

Is the boat going to be sold off to a new owner?

This is only a problem if the operator intends to go coastal fishing on another boat or is party to another boat’s coastal fishing permit. If the purchase of a boat takes place before the coastal fishing season begins, it is important to bear in mind that if no deed of sale has taken place, the buyer and seller shall both be considered the owners of the boat. This means that if the boat receives a fishing permit, both the buyer and the seller are parties to the fishing permit and cannot obtain a fishing permit for another boat.

Is the boat without a certificate of seaworthiness for fishing?

A boat must have a certificate of seaworthiness for fishing in order to obtain a coastal fishing permit. The Icelandic Transport Authority provides a certificate of seaworthiness and can provide information on whether boats have a certificate of seaworthiness, whether they are engaged in fishing as well as on what is needed to obtain a certificate for the boat.

Does the boat have a coastal fishing permit?

If the boat has a coastal fishing permit, it is important to bear in mind that it will accompany the boat to a new owner and he/she cannot change the permit. This means that he/she cannot operate in another coastal fishing area and the seller cannot apply for a fishing licence to another boat as he/she is not allowed to be party to another coastal fishing permit. You can see if the boat has a coastal fishing permit and in which fishing area on the Directorate of Fisheries website.

Are the boat’s catch quota transfers in a negative position?

If a seller has to transfer all quotas from a boat at the time of sale, this can result in the boat being not allowed to go coastal fishing. Boats that have transferred more catch quotas from them than they received can not go coastal fishing. The quota status of a boat can be seen on the Directorate’s website. Look up quota status and view transfers between vessels in cod-equivalents. It is possible to correct this situation by allocating quota to the boat, in which case it must be kept in mind that boats that have been granted a coastal fishing permit can not revert to a negative position for the duration of the fishing year. This applies even if the boat withdraws from the coastal fishing system.