F/V Illustris B119 at trawler berths Royal Quays Marina, North Shields. (Photo: trawlerphotos.co.uk)
Fishing firm and trawler master to pay GBP 35,240 for fisheries offences
UNITED KINGDOM
Wednesday, November 21, 2018, 02:50 (GMT + 9)
Sagittarius Fishing Company and skipper master pleaded guilty to all charges at North Shields Magistrates Court in a prosecution brought by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
►Official announcement from the government of the United Kingdom
According the MMO, the Illustris, a trawler targeting nephrops, was towing two nets in an area of the North Sea known as the Farne Deeps when it was boarded by MMO Marine Officers for a routine inspection and several conservation measure infringements were discovered.
During such inspection, performed on January 26, seven charges were brought before the court, including excess meshes for the declared mesh size on both nets and logbook discrepancies in the recorded weight of cod, anglerfish and dab.
The company was fined GBP 25,931.72, ordered to pay GBP 2,003.10 in costs and a victim surcharge of GBP 170. James Thompson, the trawler captain, was fined GBP 6,966 and a GBP 170 victim surcharge.
“The fines imposed in this case should send a strong message on the importance of protecting fish stocks. The offending took place in the Farne Deeps, an area subject to recovery measures due to the precarious nature of stocks,” pointed out a spokesperson for the MMO.
“In cases like this the MMO will always take proportionate and appropriate action, including prosecution, to ensure offenders do not benefit from illegal activity and to protect fish stocks for the wider fishing industry and future generations,” this MMO representative concluded.
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