FISHING MASTER CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL DISCARDING OF SEA-FISH

Fishing master convicted for illegal discarding of sea-fish. A Spanish fishing master of the French registered fishing vessel ‘Puenteareas Uno’ was represented at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on the 25^thNovember 2025, where his guilty plea was confirmed to charges for failing to retain catches of sea-fish subject to quotas onboard the vessel which is in contravention of the Landing Obligation rules.  The Court convicted the fishing master of the offence and imposed a fine of €10,000 for the charge and ordered forfeiture of €35,000 from the value of the catch and gear onboard.

The charges arose from an inspection by officers attached to the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) patrol vessel ‘Ocean Guardian’ in the waters of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone on the 15^th of October 2025, which led to the detention of the vessel at Castletownbere port. The detention was coordinated by officers onboard the ‘Ocean Guardian’, Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and An Garda Síochána.

The Court heard that during the course of an inspection onboard the vessel, officers witnessed crew members discarding fish species back into the sea via a discards belt. In giving its decision, the Court remarked that operators and masters must comply with the sea-fishing regulations.

Paschal Hayes, Executive Chairperson of the SFPA commented:

“I note the important decision of the Court, and the seriousness attached to the contravention of the Landing Obligation rules. The Landing Obligation rules are key to supporting the sustainability of stocks of quota species and future sea-fishing activity. Failure to comply with the Landing Obligation rules, by engaging in illegal discarding, undermines the sustainability of sea-fisheries. I commend the officers involved in this investigation and the cooperation between the EFCA Union Inspectors, Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers and An Garda Síochána.”

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