The Danish fisheries authorities have referred an investigation concerning a Dutch beam trawler to the police, and are seeking fines and confiscations totalling more than half a million Danish kroner.
The Danish Fisheries Agency reports having identified a series of violations of fisheries legislation, including illegal fishing in a prohibited area, use of illegal gear, no AIS signal and errors in the vessel’s fishing logbook.
These infringements are reported to have taken place in Plaice Box, and this police investigation follows a case last month when a foreign beam trawler was caught red-handed with lined codends, among other infringements, for which fines and confiscations could add up to DKK375,000.
The Danish Fisheries Agency has substantially ramped up monitoring of fishing vessels Danish waters, clamping down on offences such as switching off AIS and logbook misreporting. This is done both through electronic monitoring via the Danish Agency’s Fisheries Monitoring Centre and boardings at sea.
‘It is completely unacceptable that Dutch beam trawlers operate in Danish waters and fish illegally. Therefore, I am very pleased that the Danish Fisheries Agency, after a long period of hard work, has once again caught another Dutch beam trawler and reported it to the police for serious violations of fisheries legislation,’ said Minister of Fisheries Rasmus Prehn.
‘The case could end with a fine of over half a million kroner, and I can understand that there are already more cases on the way. That’s why it is crucial that we now maintain the pressure and continue with these extensive controls – by sea and air – in order to put a definitive stop to illegal activities.’
