The cost of a licence for commercial fishermen has risen.

Applications are now being accepted for a licence to fish commercially within the Isle of Man’s territorial waters between August 1 and March 31 next year.

It will cost £313 for a licence, an increase of 4% in line, which th government says is inline with the retail prices index (RPI), although for many matters now the government prefers inflation measured by the consumer prices index (CPI), which is usually much lower.

Indeed that’s the figure it uses in its monthly inflation report.

The fees for a replacement licence will increase by the same amount from £39 to £40 and there is a new fee of £25 for duplicate licences.

Renewal forms will be sent to all current licence holders offering them the opportunity to renew.

For the time being, the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has decided not to make any changes to commercial sea fishing licences, following a public consultation earlier this year.

However the department says it remains committed to the implementation of the proposals in due course, subject to further investigation.

The Sea Fishing Licensing Regulations 2018 detailing the revised licence fees will be laid before Tynwald this week.

For further information about licensing contact the Fisheries Directorate on 01624 685857 or [email protected].