The owner and skipper of Wilhelmina LT-60 have been fined a total of £28,610 at Norwich Magistrates Court in in a prosecution brought by the MMO.
The UK-registered, 35 metre beam trawler is operated by a Dutch company and skipper. The court heard that enforcement checks of the vessel’s statutory documentation showed that it had exceeded the permitted 10% margin of tolerance in its fishing logbook on 41 occasions.
Six charges were brought before the court and the defendants asked for the other 35 offences to be taken into consideration. Fishing company Wilhelmina Beheer BV and Wilhelmina’s skipper pleaded guilty to all charges and offences.
Wilhelmina Beheer BV was fined £3000 for each offence (£18,000 in total), £2,000 in costs and a victim surcharge of £170. The skipper was fined £1295 for each offence, (£7770 in total), £500 in costs and a victim surcharge of £170.
‘The outcome of this enforcement action shows that non-compliance with the requirement to submit an accurate electronic logbook will be detected and dealt with appropriately, with the offending company facing fines in appropriate circumstances,’ an MMO spokesman commented.
