Closed area · DAERA
Trawling prohibited
Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing & Fishing Methods) Regulations (NI) 1993 [SR 1993 No. 155] as amended · in force since 1993-03-31
A CAUGHT review has read the instrument behind this closure, rather than relying on the summary published with the boundary. Where the two differ, the instrument governs; this reading was made on 2026-11-07.
Regulation 3(4): "In Carlingford Lough the use of any trawl net or any seine net, for the capture of sea fish, within Northern Ireland inshore waters, is prohibited." Regulation 2: "Carlingford Lough" means the sea area to the landward side of an imaginary straight line drawn from Dunany Point, County Louth, to Cranfield Point, County Down; "Northern Ireland inshore waters" means such part of the fishery limits of the British Islands as is mentioned in Schedule 2, paragraph 14 of the Fishery Limits Act 1976. Regulation 2: "trawl net" means a fishing gear assembly incorporating a conical shaped net, ropes and hardware to hold open the mouth of the net, constructed to capture sea fish whilst being towed by a fishing boat; "seine net" means a fishing gear assembly incorporating a conical shaped net and ropes, constructed to capture sea fish by a method of encirclement. Regulation 4 as amended by the Fisheries Act 2020 (which omitted the exception for "any person who is not a British citizen"): the prohibitions do not apply to a person operating under a fish culture licence (s. 11) or a permit (s. 14) of the Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1966.
Rule read from the instrument: S.R. 1993/155 regulation 3(4) bans trawl and seine nets in Carlingford Lough, but only within Northern Ireland inshore waters. The mapped area covers both shores of the lough, and the boundary between Northern Ireland and Irish waters there is not agreed, so a position in this area is not shown to be within the ban. Dredges are not within this regulation.
In Carlingford Lough the use of any trawl net or any seine net for the capture of sea fish within Northern Ireland inshore waters, is prohibited.
Summary as published in the source dataset, shown for comparison. A dataset paraphrase can be narrower or wider than the instrument it summarises, and finding out which is the work above.
No cases have been recorded in this closure. That is not a finding that nothing happens here — it means our sweeps have not flagged anything inside these boundaries, and coverage depends on satellite passes and on vessels being tracked at all.
What a case here means. A CAUGHT case is a reason to look, not a verdict. Each one is judged on three independent factors — was it fishing, here and then; what gear does the vessel actually use; and what was prohibited there at that time — and the weakest of the three decides. Most cases are resolved.
Boundaries and rule summaries come from the published datasets named at the foot of this page and can contain errors; the legislation is the authority. If you believe this closure is described wrongly, tell us at contact@caught.org.uk.
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