Bass fishing authorisations offered to 65 small boats through an MMO ballot

Small commercial fishing boats in England that do not currently hold a bass authorisation can now apply for one of 65 authorisations, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) said on Monday. The window runs for six weeks and closes at midnight on Monday 21 December 2026.

The authorisations are ones that have fallen out of use, usually because the vessel they were attached to has been retired. Each one issued in this round will cover hooks and lines only. Anyone who already holds a bass authorisation keeps it on the same terms.

Eligibility

The applicant must own an English-licensed commercial fishing vessel administered by the MMO, which excludes the Crown dependencies. The vessel must be a monohull of 8 metres or less in overall length and must not already hold a bass authorisation. Only one application per vessel is accepted, and an owner or part-owner of several licensed boats can hold no more than one authorisation.

Recent compliance also counts. The MMO can turn down an application where the owner or master received an official written warning for an offence committed in the 12 months before the checks are made, or a financial administrative penalty or a court conviction for an offence committed in the previous three years.

Conditions

• The authorisation cannot go with the vessel if it is sold within three years. An owner who wants to sell in that time has to hand it back to the MMO first, although it can be moved between boats the same person owns under the normal rules.
• Regular bass fishing has to be shown, and use is reviewed every year. An authorisation that goes unfished may be recalled and given to someone else.
• Applicants must say they are willing to take part in voluntary remote electronic monitoring trials. The MMO's question and answer document says this is not an obligation to fit cameras or other equipment.

The ballot

Every complete application that meets the criteria goes into a ballot overseen by an MMO panel, so there is no scoring and no right of appeal against the result. Complaints about how the process was run go through the MMO's usual complaints procedure. Late or incomplete applications will be rejected.

Eligible applicants who miss out are kept on a reserve list for authorisations that become free later, but because of the number of applications expected the MMO will not tell people their place on it. Successful vessels must not start fishing for bass before the date and time shown on the authorisation.

The online form is the preferred route. Paper and email applications can be requested from bassapplications@marinemanagement.org.uk, and the regional fisheries group managers listed in the guidance can help by phone. The MMO plans events around the coast, with dates going on its fisheries management plan blog from Thursday 12 November.

Background

Bass catches have been restricted since 2015, after warnings that the stock was declining, through size limits, seasonal closures, landing limits and the authorisation system itself. A review led by the MMO in 2025, carried out with industry, regulators, scientists and non-governmental organisations, found the number of authorised vessels had been drifting down as authorisations became detached from boats, and recommended bringing unused ones back into the fishery.

The MMO describes this round as a trial and a first phase only. It will look at fishing activity and stock indicators before deciding whether to release more, and says it may not go further if the trial shows harmful effects. It limited this round to hooks and lines because that is the only gear that targets bass, and it is more selective, which keeps discards down.