In this Act, unless the context otherwtse requires,- ( a) c'adjudtcatlng officer'' means any officer of the FisheriesDepar tment, not below the rank of an Assisrant Director of Fisheries, authorised hy the Government, by notification in the Gazette, to exercise the powers conferred on, and discharge the duties imposed upon, the adjudicatjng officer by this Act for such area as may be spectfied in the notification;
(b) ''Appellate Board" means an Appellate Board constituted under section 18;
(c) "authorised officer" means such officer as the Government may, by notification in the Gazette, authorise in respect of the matter to which reference is m1dc in the provi~ion of this Act in which the exp• ession o~un; • •
(d) ''fishing vessel" meaTls a ship or boat, wh,~ther or not fitted with mechanical means of propulsion, whtch is engaged 1n sea .. fishutg for profit and "ncludcs-
(t) a catamaran,
(ii) a country craft, ann
(iii) a canoe, :n gaged 1n sea fishing ;
0 Received the assent of the President on the 17th day of January, 1981 and published in the Kera1a Gazette Extraordinary No. 54 dated the 20th january, 1981.
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(e) uport'' tneans the space vvithin sucf} limits as tnay from time to tiine be defined by the Governtnent, by notification in the Galette, for the purposes of this Act ;
(f) "prescribed, mectns prescribed by rule~ made under this Act;
(g) "registered fishing vessel" means- 0 ( i) a fishing vessel registered undc1· section II of the Marine Products Export Development .t\uthortty Act, 1972 (Central Act 13 of 1972) ; or • Q
(ii) a fishing vessel rcgtstered under section 9 ;
(h) "specified area" means ~uch .tr~a 1n the sea along the entire coast line of the State, but not beyond territot1al wat,"rs, d.s may be specified by tlae Government, by notification in the Gazette ;
(i) ''State, mea.ns the St<ttc of Kerala and 1nclude'i the territorial waters along the entire coast line of that St,ltr.
3. Authorisation of officers {o1 the purposes of any provision of this Act. The Government may, by notification in the Gazette> authorise-
(a) any officer of the Government, not being an officer below the rank of a Gazetted officer; or
(b) any offic~r of the Central Government, not being an officer below the rank of a Gazetted officer or a commissioned officer in the anned A.
force> of the Union, with the consent of that Governnent, 'f;J to eXf!rcise the powers conferred on, and dtscharge the duties imposed upon, an authorised officer under this Act in such area a<; n1ay be specified in the ~ not ificat1on.
CHAPTER II Regulation of fishiug