Beamer breaks rules

The Plymouth-registered beam trawler Admiral Blake (PH440) flouted fishing rules and fished  in a closed area under cover of darkness – the owners and master plead guilty at Truro Magistrates court to a range of fisheries offences; fines and costs imposed  on them totalled £40,224.

The Admiral Blake, used the cover of darkness to fish off the North Cornish coast in an area which, at the behest of the commercial sector, has been closed to protect breeding fish stocks during February and March each year.

A detailed examination of the vessel’s EU logbook and diary found that the skipper had misreported the area of capture of plaice and Dover sole on two separate voyages and had submitted an inaccurate notification of catch onboard before landing at Penzance.

Category: Commercial