The drama unfolded early in the morning on February 6 in the southern North Sea, 13 miles off Ramsgate, in a joint deployment exercise involving the Marine and Fisheries Agency, the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron, and the Dutch, Belgian, and French fishery protection authorities.

Harwich Magistrates, sitting on February 8, were told that a British Fishery Officer from HMS Tyne was operating with Dutch and French colleagues from the Dutch protection vessel the Barend Biesheuvel.

They launched a boarding party in a rubber rigid inflateable to inspect the Zilvermeeuw, which was fishing for sole.

But instead of replying to radio calls and lowering a ladder to allow officers to board the trawler safely, which the master is obliged to do by law, the court heard that the Zilvermeeuw stayed silent, hauled its gear and increased speed as the boarding party approached.

Magistrates heard that the officers managed to jump aboard the back of the vessel as it speeded up. On inspection, they found blinders attached to both trawls net which were still stashed to the side of the vessel. The Zilvermeeuw was then escorted into Harwich by the Barend Biesheuvel.

The owners and skipper of the Belgian beam trawler, Zilvermeeuw, were ordered to pay a total of £24,350 after pleading guilty to two offences of using blinders, or false liners, in their nets, and a charge of failing to facilitate a boarding for inspection at sea.

In the case brought by the Marine and Fisheries Agency, owners Zeearend BVBA, of Knokke Heist, Belgium were fined the maximum £5,000 for each of the three offences and ordered to pay £3,500 towards the value of the catch, and costs of £2,050. A total of £20,550.

They were also ordered to forfeit the blinders.

Skipper Patrick Martony, 46, also of Knokke Hesit was fined a total of £3,000 for the same offences and ordered to pay £800 towards the value of the catch. The court was told he was asleep at the time his vessel was boarded by the team of fishery officers.

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