Successful start to 2018 as prosecution of vessels and individuals in Welsh waters result in fines and costs in excess of £136,000 being awarded
During the last financial year, 21 investigations were successfully taken through to prosecutions with fines and costs in excess of £136k being awarded by the magistrates. These prosecutions were dominated by 9 offences relating to illegal cockle gathering in the Three Rivers area during 2017
The over-arching aim of the Operations teams within the Marine and Fisheries division is for firm and fair regulation of matters for which we have responsibility. To achieve this we need to ensure that we are proportionate, consistent and transparent in our actions.
Enforcement action is prioritised on an information led, risk based approach to tackle the areas where non-compliance is at its greatest, and our current process provides a series of outcomes where an infringement has been detected.
The following table features information on the offences that were recently heard at court and what their outcomes were.
| Name of Vessel or Defendant | Offence Committed | Total for case |
|---|---|---|
| Providing Star | Scallop fishing in a prohibited area | £20,643.5 |
| Providing Star | Scallop fishing in a prohibited area | £27,243.5 |
| Michael Hough | Gathering cockles from a closed bed | £4,670 |
| Brian Arthur | Retention of lobsters below minimum size | £2,080 |
| Anne Marie B | Illegal fishing within the six mile limit | £12,630 |
| Searcher | Byelaw 30 – excess lobsters plus undersized crabs | £320 |
| Terry Butchers, Ryan Butchers, Joshua Harry, Luke Dark, Stefan Swistun | Gathering cockles from a closed bed | £6,766 |
| Our Heritage | Illegal scallop fishing within Welsh 6 mile limit | £11,740 |
| Bonnie Lass III | Illegal scallop fishing within Welsh 6 mile limit | £10,740 |
| Celtic | Landing undersized whelk | £1,824 |
| Karima | Celtic Sea offences | £7,328 |
| Mathew Dean | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,029 |
| Steffan Gibbon | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,229 |
| Simon Harding | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,029 |
| Chad White | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,029 |
| James Davies | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,029 |
| David Thomas | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,029 |
| Ryan Butchers | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,466 |
| Steven Melbourne | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £4,190 |
| Marcus Scott Morgan | Removal of cockles from a closed bed and obstruction |
£3,151 |
| Stewart John Preece | Removal of cockles from a closed bed | £2,180 |
| Traeth Melynog (Anthony Griffiths, Leslie Williams, Abel David Whitehead, Callum Griffiths) | Removal of cockle below minimum conservation reference size | £6,272 |