Important update – April 21 2023
As England’s marine regulator, MMO have been preparing to support industry, through grant funding to secure a Type Approved I-VMS device, so that every fisher has the opportunity to be compliant ahead of the statutory instrument being implemented.
Feedback received last year suggested that some devices may not be compliant with the MMO’s Type Approval specification. In response, MMO have been undertaking an independent testing process to provide additional assurance to fishers ahead of the wider rollout of the I-VMS programme.
Suppliers were advised not to market, sell or install any devices pending the outcome of the independent testing assurance process.
On 21 April 2023, MMO took action to suspend the Type Approval status of Maritime System’s MS44 device after receiving evidence the supplier has disregarded this instruction. Whilst this suspension is in place fishers are advised not to purchase this device if they intend to seek MMO grant funding.
MMO will shortly advise suppliers and fishers of the outcome of the independent testing process and the Type Approved status of all devices.
What is I-VMS?
Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) devices are similar to the VMS tracking devices used by fishing vessels 12 metres and greater. I-VMS devices monitor inshore fishing activity to help improve the management and sustainability of our marine environment, ensure proper fishing practices and prevent illegal fishing to help protect and enhance the livelihoods of fishers.
Using GPRS mobile phone signals, I-VMS devices provide positional information (such as latitude and longitude, course, speed and date and time of each positional report) which is sent to MMO’s UK VMS Hub. When a device is located outside GPRS range, the device will continue to store the positional information and submit the data once GPRS coverage next becomes available. This is different to the VMS devices used by larger vessels, which transmit data via satellite and can become expensive.
Combined with data on catch volumes, scientific evidence of stock levels and a range of other significant data, I-VMS will enable more efficient decisions on local and national management measures and policies. It will also enable the MMO to continually improve its targeted assurance activities as the clearer picture of fishing activity will help highlight which vessels are consistently complying with regulations on where and what they can fish, and those that may introduce risk to sustainable sea fisheries.
I-VMS legislation
Legislation in the form of a Statutory Instrument is due to come into force in 2023. This will make it a legal requirement for all vessels under 12 metres in length to have an inshore vessel monitoring system (I-VMS) installed and transmitting data to the MMO, when they are at sea in English waters. This is part of the government’s strategy to improve data collection to support development of more responsive fisheries management measures and practices that will enable industry to benefit from leaving the Common Fisheries Policy.
When the legislation comes into force it will be every fisher’s responsibility to ensure that they have a device fitted and that it is transmitting - if a device is not fitted to the vessel and transmitting, they will not be able to fish lawfully.
Roll-out of I-VMS devices
The MMO is not responsible for ensuring that fishers are ready for when the new legislation comes into force. As a responsible regulator, MMO is facilitating preparations to support the industry, through type approval, grant funding and a staged roll-out, so that every fisher has the opportunity to be compliant.
The roll-out of I-VMS devices to the English inshore fishing fleet continues at pace with more than 1000 devices successfully purchased and installed to date.
Fishers who have already purchased their I-VMS device and had it installed can claim financial support of up to £650 of the costs of the new devices through the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF), supported through the I-VMS grant payments system. To date, MMO has successfully paid out nearly £400,000 in grants to eligible fishers once devices have successfully connected to the MMO hub.
The approved I-VMS devices currently available were subject to a robust type approval process, where suppliers were required to demonstrate that devices met a set of technical standards.
To offer further additional assurance to fishers, additional independent testing of devices is now underway. We will continue to engage and update suppliers and fishers on the outcome of the additional testing.
Approved devices & companies
Devices
We have a list of devices that meet the I-VMS specification of requirements set out in the MMO’s type approval process. These approved I-VMS devices will deliver the required level of data to the MMO, through the UK VMS Hub. All products are designed for the marine field.
The MMO invited potential suppliers to participate in the type approval process to identify devices that met the minimum I-VMS technical specification, ensuring such products are suitable within the marine environment, provide a high level of positional accuracy (to within ten metres) and deliver reliable frequency of data transmission using GPRS (e.g. mobile phone signal) to the MMO.
You can find the list of I-VMS type approved devices on the official I-VMS approval list website
Companies
You can find the official list of companies who have supplied I-VMS approved devices here. This includes images of the devices, dimension, contact information and a service support pack.
How to apply
When considering the device and supplier, fishers need to determine:
- where to locate and secure the device to their vessel. All devices have the capability to be attached onto the structure of a vessel, including on bar frames. Speak to suppliers.
- whether the device will be connected to the vessel’s onboard electrics or whether it is to be operated using the device alternative power options independent from the vessel.
- what service, support and warranty packages are attached with the device?
- how the supplier intends to resolve matters if a fault arise on their device. Also, the availability and distance of their engineers for installs.
- note that I-VMS funding can be claimed (up to £650 per vessel). See ‘claiming I-VMS funding’ section
We advise fishers to have these discussions with suppliers. The suppliers can then understand what is important to you and what considerations are required to enable a device to be fitted on to your vessel.
Contract
It is important to understand that fishers will be signing a contract with their chosen device supplier. Therefore, fishers need to negotiate and understand what service and support package best suits them.
To note the frequency of I-VMS data will be set at a rate of every three minutes when in English waters. This will be laid out within the legislation. The annual airtime for fishers is around £120 to £180 per year. In addition, English fishers will continue to report data at this rate when outside English waters. As the devices use mobile phone technology, fishers should ensure their chosen device can report at 4G.
Arranging fitting
Once fishers have determined which device and supplier they have chosen and have agreed contracts, then both parties (fisher and supplier) will agree a suitable I-VMS device installation date.
Claiming I-VMS funding
Once fishers have their I-VMS device installed and confirmed operational either by the engineer or supplier fishers can commence the grant claim process. The grant claim process is expected to open from February 2022 at the start of tranche 1 (see rollout timeline).
Fishers will be able to claim up to £650 per vessel through the MMO grant reclaim process that goes towards purchasing a device and the initial installation costs. Evidence of purchase and payment will be required to complete this process. Part of the general funding terms and conditions attached to the grant payments, is that the device must meet a five-year durability of operation. This means when claiming, the device should then be operational on the claimant’s vessel for at least five years, otherwise a percentage of the funding may need to be returned.
Timescale
MMO has developed a timetable for device installations to balance demand from fishers with supply of devices and availability of engineers to fit them. This is not the schedule fishers must meet to comply with the legal requirement for I-VMS but a framework to help manage demand from fishers with supply of devices and availability of engineers to install them. MMO’s objective is to ensure all fishers with under-12m vessels can get a device and have it fitted before it becomes a legal requirement in late 2023.
You can find the full timetable on our funding page.
Support
VAT consideration when purchasing and applying for funding.
Fishers who are not VAT-registered will be able to claim the cost of the product and VAT up to a limit of £650. Fishers who are VAT-registered will be able to claim just the cost of the product, not the VAT, subject to the limit for the grant of £650
Further information regarding on how to claim, including the grant terms and conditions will be communicated on our I-VMS webpages, as well as in commercial fisheries funding pages, after the device testing is complete.
Claims and associated paperwork should be submitted within 30 days after installation in order assist with the funding reimbursement process. If a fisher has purchased and installed a device ahead of their tranche dates, reimbursement payment to the fishers may be prioritised to fishers in the current tranche and therefore potentially subject to a delay in issuing.
Breakdowns or faults
The MMO will continue to support fishers to meet their obligations and to engage on general issues of concern. However, the MMO is not involved in or responsible for sourcing and/or arranging installation of equipment, nor rectifying individual faults and has no direct relationship with the suppliers of the devices. This is between fishers and their I-VMS device supplier.
If an I-VMS device develops a fault or needs to be replaced, fishers themselves will have to engage with the company that supplied their device to rectify the problem. The MMO is aware of fishers’ concerns about not being able to fish if their I-VMS stops working and has developed a process to enable them to go to sea for a limited period while the fault is put right.
Fishers need to check that their device is operational prior to leaving for fishing. All fishers will have the ability to check whether their device is functioning correctly through their chosen supplier. e.g., via an app or similar.
Where a fisher identifies their device is not operational and requires an engineer or supplier remedial work, they must first contact the supplier to log the issue and get an understanding of timescales for a fix. They then need to contact the MMO via ivms@marinemanagement.org.uk to request permission to fish via a defined ‘grace period’. The offering of these grace periods is at the discretion of the MMO, regularly reviewed and may be withdrawn at any time should MMO deem it appropriate to do so. At present this offering only applies when in English waters.
Compliance
I-VMS will become a legal requirement on all under-12m fishing vessels that operate in English waters. This is now expected to come into force in 2023. The MMO will adopt a proportionate approach in line with its Compliance and Enforcement strategy.
Please note: I-VMS devices must not be removed from vessels unless faulty. In these instances, only a supplier approved engineer is permitted to remove the device to rectify the fault (costs may apply depending on what the support and service arrangements fishers have purchased through their supplier). The exception is where connectable power components are used to operate and power a device on the vessel. The fisher is permitted to detach these components when the vessel is no longer in use in order for them to be recharged away from the vessel, if needed, but must not remove the remainder of the device. This mirrors similar rules stipulated on the over 12metre VMS vessels.
For the attention of fishers that intend to operate within Welsh Waters from 2022
The MMO strongly encourages any English under 12m fishers who intend to operate in Welsh waters (at any stage of their operation), to purchase an MMO approved I-VMS device as an upmost priority, in order not to be impacted by the introduction of the Welsh I-VMS Statutory Instrument (SI).
Welsh I-VMS measures are set to be introduced early 2022, meaning that if a fisher on an under 12metre vessel does not operate an I-VMS device when in Welsh waters, they will be in breach of their regulation.
If you feel that you might be affected and you are unsure what to do please contact us via the I-VMS mailbox IVMS@marinemanagement.org.uk and we will help guide you.
Please note the I-VMS grant funding payment will be processed in alignment with the wider national I-VMS rollout timetable, where claims can be processed from February onwards.
MMO support
The MMO will support fishers in the under 12m fleet through the introduction of I-VMS and so will continue to provide information online and via email. Questions about approved devices and service and warranty offerings must be directed to the companies supplying them but the MMO and IFCA can assist fishers with information on:
- Policy, including the rationale for introducing I-VMS
- The timetable for having a device installed
- Legal requirements and timescales
- Assurance and compliance
- Processes for reporting a faulty device and continuing to fish
If you require further information regarding funding, you can find more guidance on our Funding page
Frequently Asked Questions
You can a list of our frequently asked questions here
since 2005. At first, their interest in EM related to the flexibility and safety that comes with having one less human aboard a small boat (35-40’) and the cost savings of using a camera instead of an observer. The ensuing 15-plus years have seen increasing discrepancies between what fishermen see on the water (in terms of fish populations) and what scientists say is available to catch. These discrepancies have led to chronic frustration with fisheries managers and also to an understanding among fishermen that EM isn’t just about cost-savings and bunk space, it also has an important role to play in improving the fisheries data and “best available science” that informs stock assessments. Increasingly, New 
England fishermen believe that accountability, unbiased data (the camera never sleeps!), and a modernized data infrastructure can result in more-timely assessments and much-improved alignment between current fish populations and annual catch limits.
