THE skipper of a Devon scallop fishing boat has been ordered to pay over £2,000 after he admitted fishing in a prohibited area.
The case against Garry Coley of the Shelley Marine, which normally operates out of Brixham, was heard at Torquay Magistrates Court this week in the latest of a series of prosecutions brought against fishermen and fish traders by the Marine and Fisheries Agency in recent months.
The MFA said in a statement that Mr Coley had admitted to scallop dredging in an area normally reserved for crabbing vessels. He was fined £2,000, ordered to pay £100 costs and a £15 ''victim surcharge"
The statement added that the prosecution was brought by the MFA following work by the Devon Fisheries Committee and the court accepted the prosecution's evidence that Mr Coley had been fishing in a prohibited area.
Robert Newman, prosecuting on behalf of Devon fisheries and Defra, said it was doubtful that the skipper drifted into the exclusion zone by mistake, as there was evidence the tidal stream was not pushing the vessel in that direction.
Through his defence, Mr Coley told the court that he did not deliberately set out to break the law, but had winch problems that day which caused him to get into the wrong position. He added that his catch of scallops was very small and of low value.
Four months ago another Brixham skipper pleaded guilty to a similar offence, but he was ordered to pay well over £5,000 for dredging in an area reserved for crabs and lobsters even though he insisted the offence was the result of a genuine mistake by a crew member. The case was also brought by the MFA
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