Fishing vessel - meaning and illustration

‘fishing vessel’ means any vessel of any size used or intended for use for the purposes of commercial exploitation of fishery resources, including support ships, fish processing vessels, vessels engaged in transhipment and carrier vessels equipped for the transportation of fishery products, except container vessels;

✏️ Source -- Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008, Chapter 1, Article 2, Paragraph 5 ( Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008 )

'fishing vessel' means any vessel equipped for commercial exploitation of marine biological resources or a blue fin tuna trap;

✏️ Source -- Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013, Part 1, Article 4, Paragraph 4 ( Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 )

(d) “fishing vessel of the United States” or “vessel” means any boat, ship or other craft which is used for, equipped to be used for, or of a type normally used for commercial fishing, which is documented under the laws of the United States;

✏️ Source -- Treaty on Fisheries between the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America, Article 1, Paragraph 1 ( Treaty on Fisheries between the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America )

fishing vessel means any vessel used, outfitted or designed for the purpose of catching, processing or transporting fish; (bateau de pêche)

✏️ Source -- Canada Fisheries Act, Section 2 ( Canada Fisheries Act )

Canadian fishing vessel means a fishing vessel

• (a) that is registered or licensed under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 , or

• (b) that is not registered or licensed under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 or under the laws of another state but is owned by one or more persons each of whom is

  • (i) a Canadian citizen,

  • (ii) in the case of a vessel that is not required to be registered or licensed under that Act, a person resident and domiciled in Canada, or

  • (iii) a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada or a province, having its principal place of business in Canada; (bateau de pêche canadien)

✏️ Source -- Coastal Fisheries Protection Act, Section 2 ( Coastal Fisheries Protection Act )

• fishing vessel means any of the following:

  • (a) a ship, boat or any other description of vessel that is used in or equipped for

    • (i) fishing, processing fish or transporting fish from fishing grounds,

    • (ii) taking, processing or transporting marine plants, or

    • (iii) provisioning, servicing, repairing or maintaining any vessels of a foreign fishing fleet while at sea,

  • (b) a ship, boat or any other description of vessel that is used in transhipping fish, or marine plants, that have not been previously landed; (bateau de pêche)

✏️ Source -- Coastal Fisheries Protection Act, Section 2 ( Coastal Fisheries Protection Act )

"fishing vessels’ includes a vessel, boat, ship or any other craft which is used for, equipped to be used for, or of a type that is normally used for
(a) fishing,
(b) the processing or storage of fish or fish products,
(c) the supply or support of vessels used for purposes described in paragraphs (a) or (b),
(d) the transportation of fish or fish products from the fishing grounds

or related activities, a canoe, motor fishing vessel and ancillary vessel, but does not
include a vessel used for the transportation of fish or fish products to or from a port of the
Republic as a part of its general cargo; 

✏️ Source -- Ghana Fisheries Act, 2002, Part VI, Section 140 ( Ghana Fisheries Act, 2002 )

"fishing craft" includes a canoes, semi-industrial and industrial vessels;

✏️ Source -- Ghana Fisheries Regulation, 2010, Section 79 ( Ghana Fisheries Regulation, 2010 )

“fishing vessel” means any vessel used for, equipped to be used for, or of a type that is normally used for, fishing or fishing related activities;

✏️ Source -- Kenya Fisheries Management and Development Act, 2016, Part I, Section 2 ( Kenya Fisheries Management and Development Act, 2016 )

“fishing vessel” means a vessel for the time being used or, intended to be used, for or in connection with fishing other than a vessel used or intended to be used for fishing otherwise than for profit or a vessel for the time being used or intended to be used wholly for the purpose of conveying persons wishing to fish for pleasure;

✏️ Source -- Kenya Merchant Shipping Act, 2009, Part I, Section 2 ( Kenya Merchant Shipping Act, 2009 )

"craft" means a fishing craft required to be licensed under this Act;

✏️ Source -- Nigeria Inland Fisheries Act, Section 16 ( Nigeria Inland Fisheries Act )

“fishing vessel” means any vessel or water going craft used for, intended to be used for, equipped to be used or intended to be equipped to be used for or of a type that is normally used for fishing or related activities and includes a local vessel, a joint venture vessel, a Seychelles vessel, a Seychelles registered vessel or a foreign vessel;

✏️ Source -- SEYCHELLES FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE ACT, 2025, Part 1, Section 2, Sub-section 1 ( SEYCHELLES FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE ACT, 2025 )

‘‘fishing vessel’’ means any vessel, boat, ship or other craft which is used for, equipped to be used for or of a type that is normally used for fishing or related activities, and includes all gear, equipment, stores, cargo and fuel on board the vessel;

✏️ Source -- South Africa Marine Living Resources Act, 1998, Section 1, Paragraph xx ( South Africa Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 )

“fishing boat” means any ship engaged in sea fishing for financial gain or reward, but does not include any sealing boat or whaling boat;

✏️ Source -- South Africa Merchant Shipping Act, 1951, Section 2, Sub-section i ( South Africa Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 )