On 23 June 2017 Robert Nye, master of the Scottish registered fishing vessel Rebecca KY982 pleaded guilty to an offence under the Fisheries Act 1981 at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that on 25 October 2017 the vessel was offloading its catch at North Shields when it was inspected by MMO Officers. During the inspection 47% of the contents of the 7 boxes of nephrops inspected were found to contain catch below the minimum conservation reference size. A Fixed Administrative Penalty was issued to the master and owner at the time but this was not paid within the required 28 days.
The vessel master, Robert Nye, was fined £375 with an additional £479.40 representing the value of the illegal catch, £910.50 costs and a victim surcharge of £37.50.
The court also heard how the vessel’s owner Russel Ritchie, who was not on board the vessel at the time of the offence, was on 9 June 2017 fined £125, with £410 costs and a victim surcharge of £30.
A spokesman for the MMO said:
“Regulations governing the minimum sizes for landings of fish are in place to protect juvenile fish in order that there is a sustainable fishery for this and future generations of fishermen. The MMO will take appropriate and proportionate enforcement action including pursuing and bringing prosecutions to court to protect the long term viability of the marine environment for future generations.”
In this case the owner and master were initially given the opportunity by the MMO to pay a £500 Fixed Administrative Penalty (FAP) in lieu of prosecution. The failure to make the payment within the required 28 days has resulted in them being prosecuted. The court considered the offences to be serious and collectively imposed financial penalties of over four times the amount of the FAP at a total cost of £2,367.40. This demonstrates both the consequences of not adhering to fisheries regulations and the importance of paying penalties within the required timescales.”
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