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Belgian Trawler Caught Inside Limits
The skipper and owner of the Belgian  trawler Artevelde B65 were prosecuted in the Bodmin Magistrates Court on Tuesday 19 June following the detection of the vessel inside fishery limits off Pembrokeshire.

The Court heard that in the early hours of 15 June 2007 the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’ tracked the vessel as it entered the 6 mile fishery limit off Milford Haven to a position 1 mile inside the boundary. These positions were verified by a satellite tracking system operated in the UK by the Marine and Fisheries Agency.

Non UK vessels are excluded by both European and Local Byelaws from entering the coastal zone in order to protect the interests of smaller vessels and the fragile marine environment found there. Recent changes to fishing practices have allowed more foreign vessels to fish up to the 6 mile limit, whereas they were previously confined outside of 12 miles.

Having observed the trawler turn away from the coast, the patrol vessel intercepted it outside the fishery limit where it’s fishing gear was seen to be hauled.

On the following day, Officers from the Marine and Fisheries Agency based in Cornwall detained the Artvelde in the north-Cornish port of Padstow when the vessel entered to land its fish. The skipper Erwin Vandewalle’ when interviewed initially claimed not to have been fishing but then conceded the observations of the patrol vessel. He said he had been incapacitated due to ill health at the time and had been unable to oversee the operations of the trawler.

Mr Vandewalle was fined £215 and ordered to pay £307.50 in costs. The trawler’s owners, Artevelde NV Rederij who also had liability were fined £515 and ordered to pay £1000 in costs.

Notes to Editors:

The Marine and Fisheries Agency is an executive agency of government which is tasked with service delivery, inspection and enforcement provided by the government to the fishing industry and other marine users in England and Wales.

The MFA has overall responsibility for the enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and its associated regulations within the 60,000 square miles of English and Welsh waters.

MFA’s key objectives are:

1. to be a key partner in the management of marine fisheries
2. to enforce fisheries regulations professionally, consistently and fairly
3. to contribute to the sustainable use of the marine environment
4. to provide advice which informs effective policy and helps customers abide by it

The South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee is the joint Committee of 7 coastal local authorities in South Wales between Cardiff and Pembrokeshire which has responsibility to regulate inshore sea fisheries within its District.

In 2006 it completed a major refurbishment of its Patrol Vessel ‘Cranogwen’ which included the high tech electronics used in the detection of this offence. The vessel represents the Committee’s commitment to protecting the marine fisheries and environment in its District.