Scottish fishing vessel owner, skipper fined

Thu, 22 Mar 2018

The skipper and owner of a fishing vessel caught illegally fishing for king scallops off the coast of the Isle of Man have been fined a total of £19,000.

The Kingfisher BA810 from Kirkcudbright in Scotland was found to be fishing within three nautical miles of the Island, despite having no permit and being larger than vessels permitted to fish so close to the Island's shores.

Skipper Anthony John True and John Wilson King on behalf of West Coast Sea Products, the company that owns the vessel, were fined £5,000 and £12,000 respectively following an appearance before the Deputy High Bailiff.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has suspended the vessel's sea fishing licence for three months.

The Department says rules will be rigorously enforced and a zero tolerance approach will be taken to violations.