Fishing Vessel Owner and Crew Fined for Obstruction

On 23th January 2019 Mr Stacey Yarnall and Mr Stephen Yarnall appeared at King’s Lynn Magistrates Court in a case brought by Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (Eastern IFCA).

Both Mr Stacey Yarnall and Mr Stephen Yarnall, pleaded guilty and were ordered to pay financial penalties totalling £2,560 including legal and enforcement costs for prosecution.

Both were individually fined £250 and were ordered to pay legal/enforcement costs of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £30.

The court heard how the MFV Katherine had been used to undertake cockle fishing within an area legislated by The Wash Fishery Order 1992. The vessel landed into the port of Boston, Lincolnshire. When Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Officers commenced their inspection of the landed catch of cockle the skipper and crew obstructed officers by way of preventing them from weighing the full catch landed.

Following the hearing the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern IFCA, Julian Gregory, said ‘The regulations and the work of our officers to ensure compliance are important elements of managing a sustainable fishery in a heavily designated Marine Protected Area. In this case there was clear disregard for entirely reasonable and lawful requests from officers’ who simply wanted to inspect the catch to ensure it did not exceed the daily quota. Such behaviour is unacceptable, particularly to the majority of the fishing industry who fish responsibly.’

 

Notes for Editors

Eastern IFCA manage inshore fishing activity from the coast to six nautical miles out to sea, from Hail Sand Fort in Lincolnshire to Harwich in Suffolk.  Our remit includes ensuring long-term, sustainable fisheries which do not negatively impact Marine Protected Areas.

The shellfish fisheries in The Wash are managed by Eastern IFCA under the Wash Fishery Order 1992. The management regime is important, not least because The Wash is a heavily designated Marine Protected Area, being a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area, and a Ramsar site.

More information on Eastern IFCA can be found on the Eastern IFCA

Website: www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk

Contact: Julian Gregory (CEO Eastern IFCA) – 01553 775321 / 07771 594987

Address: Unit 6 North Lynn Business Village, Bergen Way, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2JG

 

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