Fisherman not allowed to land tails and claws Sitting on Wednesday 17 October, the court heard that catches made by Abraham Prescott of 16 Pen y Fford, North Cornelly, Bridgend had been inspected by Fishery Officers on 21 June 2007 when Prescott returned to Porthcawl harbour following a fishing trip. Detached tails and claws of both lobsters and edible crab were discovered. The court was informed by the Prosecution that the minimum size regulations for both species were expressed as a body width dimension and so if claws or tails were detached it became impossible to tell precisely what size the animals were originally. It had been the Officers view that the detached parts had come from small individuals. Furthermore, the lobster tails landed had been mutilated by removal of some or all of the tail flaps. This meant it was impossible to tell if they had been marked with a V notch as part of the Committee’s lobster stock enhancement scheme in South Wales whereby some lobsters are marked and protected by byelaw in order to maintain a standing stock of breeding individuals. In a final charge the court heard that Prescott had not been the holder of a crustacean permit needed to land more that one lobster per day and that he came ashore with eight. Prescott was fined £500, ordered to pay £375 costs plus £15 victim surcharge. A spokesman for the Committee welcomed the level of support from the court for the promotion of sustainable fishing practices and particularly for the V notching of lobsters scheme. “Considerable time and expense has been invested in lobster stock enhancement with which the fishing industry has cooperated and supported in good measure. Whilst currently a small fishery in South Glamorgan, we want to see stocks grow which is why we felt this prosecution to be absolutely necessary.” |
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