Charter of Survey Vessel, Skipper and Crew 2025- 2026

Loughs Agency is an agency of the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (FCILC), established as one of the North South Implementation Bodies under the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, constituted under the North South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and the British Irish Agreement Acts 1999 and 2002. The Agency's mission is to Sustainably manage, promote, and develop the fisheries and resources of the Foyle and Carlingford Areas. Under Section 11 (6) of the Foyle Fisheries Act (Northern Ireland) 1952 and the Foyle Fisheries Act 1952 (Ireland) the Foyle Fisheries Commission was given the responsibility for “the conservation, protection and improvement of the Fisheries of the Foyle Area generally”. The North/South Co-Operation (Implementation Bodies) Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and the British Irish Agreement Act 1999 extended these functions to include the Carlingford Area, and the Foyle Fisheries Commission transferred its functions to Loughs Agency. The Agency requires a suitable survey vessel with a qualified skipper and crew, equipped with an efficient and safe mechanical winching system to deploy and retrieve a dredge with enough safe working deck space and internal space to provide adequate welfare standards to those working on-board. This vessel will be required for 15–20-day periods in spring 2025, autumn 2025, spring 2026 and autumn 2026 to conduct a pre and post fishery assessment of the native oyster beds in Lough Foyle. There will also be a need to conduct weekly sampling of the oyster population from June to September.