Summary and Background Part 8: Enforcement Marine Enforcement Officers
619.These sections enable the MMO and the Welsh Ministers to appoint enforcement officers for the purpose of enforcing marine licensing, nature conservation and sea fisheries legislation. Such officers are called marine enforcement officers, or MEOs. On appointment, an MEO is automatically a British sea-fishery officer (see section 239). Any commissioned officer of the Royal Navy, and any person in charge of an aircraft or hovercraft of the Armed Services, are also MEOs.
620.The sections also enable the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland to appoint officers with the common enforcement powers to enforce licensing and the Scottish Ministers to appoint officers with the common enforcement powers to enforce licensing and nature conservation legislation. For areas where the new enforcement officer powers do not apply, existing enforcement powers will remain in place.
621.Enforcement of sea fisheries, licensing and nature conservation in the marine area is currently performed by: British sea-fishery officers, under legislation such as the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1967, the Sea Fisheries Act 1968, the Fishery Limits Act 1976 and the Fisheries Act 1981; officers appointed under the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966; officers appointed under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985; and officers appointed under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007. Enforcement powers in these Acts and Regulations are consolidated here.
622.Where the MMO takes on responsibility for enforcement of regulations which are not otherwise covered by the Act, the regulations will be amended to enable enforcement officers to exercise Chapter 2 powers (common powers) and Chapter 3 powers (other powers). Examples of such regulations include the Environmental Impact Assessment and Natural Habitats (Extraction of Minerals by Marine Dredging) (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2007, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Structures (Grants) (England) Regulations 2001 and the Grants for Fishing and Aquaculture Industries Regulations 2007.