Fishing vessel applications: scientific research derogation

Please complete the derogation request form and submit it to the Access to Sea Fisheries team. We aim to make a decision on most applications within 3 weeks, however each application is different and some applications will take longer if we are required to consult other divisions or regulatory bodies.

Examples of activities that require a derogation include:

• using undersized nets or modified trawls
• catching and retaining on board undersized fish species
• catching and landing fish stocks for which a vessel has no quota allocation

Please contact the Marine Management Organisation if you wish to conduct scientific research within English waters.

Marine licensing requirements

Work outlined in the derogation application may require a marine licence. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they have all relevant licences in place before they start any survey. Information on the application process, together with a list of licensable activities, is available here.

FVLS: scientific research derogation

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