Guernsey Press

Scottish scallop dredger skipper fished illegally

AN experienced Scottish fisherman was fined £3,500 for illegal fishing in Guernsey waters yesterday.

Published
Gary Robson, left, from Dumfries on his way to the Magistrate’s Court where he admitted fishing illegally by using more scallop dredges than his licence allowed. He is accompanied by sea fishers officer Michael Phillips.(Picture by Adrian Miller, 20093394)

Gary Robson, 36, from Dumfries, admitted using fishing equipment for which he was not licensed when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court.

But he was allowed to keep the vessel’s catch, worth many thousands of pounds, as there was no way of knowing how much, if any, had been caught in local waters.

Prosecuting advocate Rory Calderwood said that the sea fisheries protection vessel, Leopardess, was on routine patrol on Tuesday when it saw the fishing boat Emulate, skippered by Robson.

A fisheries officer used the Leopardess’s inflatable to board the other boat, and as he approached he saw six scallop dredges being winched aboard.

On boarding, he discovered that six dredges had been used on each side of the fishing boat, 12 in all.

Robson had a licence to fish in local waters, but this allowed him to use only a maximum of eight dredges.

Full story in today's Guernsey Press