Sussex Sea Fisheries District Committee News Release

Fines and costs totaling over £ 9,000 were imposed by Chichester Magistrates on the 8th of October when two trawler owners were again convicted of breaking fisheries legislation which is designed to protect inshore fish stocks of black bream and sea bass.

Mr. David Waldron, 60, of Lowestoft and Mr. Michael Michieli, 48, of Jersey, skippers and owners of the fishing boats Catherine Annie LT 45 and L’Ecume II J158 pleaded guilty to the offences of fishing within 3 miles of the shore with vessels over 14 metres in length. Both defendants were fined £3,000 and ordered to pay towards the prosecutions costs.

The Black Bream the skippers were targeting are particularly susceptible to over exploitation by these large craft as the fish exhibit some very interesting reproductive behavior. In the spring many thousands of fish migrate to the shallow waters off the Sussex shores to spawn. Adult male bream excavate ‘nests’, depressions in the gravel, in an attempt to attract awaiting shoals of females: a female will then lay her eggs in the most ‘attractive’ nest. Certain areas off the coast are covered in bream nests, so much so that the seabed can be likened to the craters seen on the moon! The male bream, with a nest of eggs, will spend weeks tending to the clutch until they finally hatch. Given the vulnerability of this species during spawning it is important harmful fishing practices are restricted by fisheries regulations which are vigorously upheld.

On the 28th May 2008 Sea Fisheries Committee Fishery Officers who patrol the inshore waters off the Sussex coast intercepted the fishing vessels pair trawling c. 1.5 nm off Littlehampton, and ordered them to stop fishing on the sensitive inshore habitats within the Committee’s 3 mile limit. Senior Fishery Officer Robert Clark commented “Committee officers undertake boardings and inspections of fishing vessels in often very challenging conditions and they spend a considerable amount of time enforcing regulations to try and ensure the sustainable exploitation of the bream fishery. I commend the actions of the officers in this case for securing the evidence against these illegal fishermen. I know they have the support of the local fishing fleet and anglers by bringing these criminals to justice”

The proceedings were the latest in a long series of prosecutions undertaken by the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee against the skippers of these trawlers. In November 2005 in the same court both individuals received fines and costs exceeding £10,000 which related to three similar offences. It is increasingly clear that such fines are not a deterrent to fishermen and the Sea Fisheries Committee wishes to see powers to take more affective action in cases where perpetual offending takes place these could include confiscation of fishing gear or loss of fishing rights.

Commenting on the case, Tim Dapling, Chief Fishery Officer of the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee said “This illegal activity threatens this important fishery which occupies such a sensitive ecological niche and whilst I am pleased that the magistrates recognised the severity of these fishermen’s activity by imposing these fines the case demonstrates that there is a need for tougher sentencing powers to act as a more definitive deterrent where repeat offenders flout laws designed to protect the long-term health of the fish stocks. We look to the draft Marine Bill to provide for the legislative power to stop habitual offenders and ensure fines in such cases sufficiently high so as to end continued illegal activity”

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