What’s the Plan? FRAP 2020, 2021 or 2022?

The lines of communication between the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and the commercial fishing industry are scrambled over the FRAP. On the one hand there is an exemption until 31 December 2021. But there is also a huge amount of work that has to be completed before then. Is it possible? Whichever way the industry would like to know so it can plan the way forward. Legal fisheries expert, PETER EDWARDS, has the following to say…

Due to departmental delays (in reality not COVID related) – and with the re-allocation of commercial fishing rights which expired on 31 December 2020 as expected – DEFF had to in September 2020 issue a blanket exemption to all existing right holders so that they can continue fishing for another full year, until 31 December 2021.

This exemption was motivated on the basis that DEFF has a calculated timeframe to complete the allocation of rights prior to 1 January 2022.

As per a previous column last year, the timelines set in a June 2020 notice have long since come and gone.