Fishing

Fishing Vessel Registration

Overview

A fishing vessel is a boat used to catch sea fish for profit, even if it is only used occasionally.

Every British sea fishing vessel that fishes for profit must be registered by law unless the vessel:

is a salmon coble
has an overall length of 10 metres and under and is not propelled by an engine (for example the vessel only has oars or a sail)
has an overall length of 10 metres and under and will only be used to fish for common eels

All fishing vessels that catch sea fish for profit must also have a licence issued by the appropriate Fisheries Department.

You should contact your Local Fisheries Office about licensing at the same time as applying for registration.

You will need to complete a vessel registration application and have the vessel inspected before a UK Certificate of Registry is issued. Guidance on fishing vessel requirement and inspections can be found here

There are two types of registration for fishing vessels; Full Registration and Simple Registration.

Full Registration

Full registration requires the owner of the vessel(s) to prove ownership by submitting title evidence covering the previous three years or, if the vessel is less than 3 years old, a title chain from the builders certificate.

Simple Registration

Simple registration information and application process. Mortgages cannot be recorded against a vessel with simple registration.