Minimum legal sizes
ALL FISH BELOW THESE SIZES MUST BE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY TO THE SEA
MINIMUM SIZES BYELAW – click here for a copy of the Byelaw
The measurement of the size of a marine organism is specified within Schedule 2 of the Byelaw.
| Finfish |
Minimum Landing Size | |
| BASS (Dicentrarchus labrax) | 42 cm | |
| COD (Gadus morhua) | 35 cm | |
| HADDOCK (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) | 30 cm | |
| HERRING (Clupea harengus) | 20 cm | |
| HORSE MACKEREL (Trachurus trachurus) | 15 cm | |
| MACKEREL (North Sea) (Scomber scomber) | 30 cm | |
| MACKEREL (Other Areas)(Scomber scomber) | 20 cm | |
| SOLE (Solea spp.) | 24 cm | |
| PLAICE (Pleuronectes platessa) | 27 cm | |
| WHITING (Merlangius merlangius) | 27 cm | |
| HAKE (Merluccius merluccius) | 27 cm | |
| LING (Molva molva) | 63 cm | |
| POLLACK (Pollachius pollachius) | 30 cm | |
| SARDINE Sardina pilchardus) | 11 cm | |
| Crustacea | ||
| EUROPEAN LOBSTER (Homarus gammarus) | 87 mm | |
| EDIBLE CRAB (Cancer pagurus) | ICES sub area IVc 130 mmICS sub area VIId 140mm | |
| VELVET SWIMMING CRAB (Necora puber) | 65 mm | |
| SPIDER CRAB (Maja squinado) | 120 mm | |
| Mollusc | ||
| QUEEN SCALLOP (Chlamys spp) | 40 mm | |
| SCALLOP (Pecten maximus) | 110 mm | |
| CARPETSHELL (Venerupis pullastra) | 38 mm | |
| WHELK (Buccinum undatum) | 45 mm | |
| RAZOR CLAM (Ensis spp) | 100 mm | |
| DONAX CLAMS (Donax spp.) | 25 mm | |
| HARD CLAM (Callista chione) | 60 mm | |
| SHORT-NECKED CLAM (Ruditapes phillipinnarum) | 35 mm | |
| GROOVED CARPETSHELL (Ruditapes decussatus) | 40 mm | |
| OCTOPUS (Octopus vulgaris) | 750g |