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Owner and master fined for using forbidden fishing gear

The owner and master of the fishing vessel 'Felir', which was brought into Cattedown harbour after being boarded by British fishing watchdogs, has been left tens of thousands out of pocket after a Plymouth court hearing. The vessel was inspected by officers from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on Sep 12, 2020. The 'Felir' was intercepted by the patrol boat 'Ocean Osprey' at around 4 p.m. on that day, and it was accompanied into Plymouth's waters. Appearing at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on March 20, 2023, the vessel’s owner Felir SAS and master Ludovic Fourgault admitted using fishing gear in British waters to which was attached a device, namely a piece of diamond shaped mesh placed over the square mesh panel, that obstructed or otherwise diminished the mesh size of part of the towed gear. The MMO's prosecutor told the court that the the diamond shape mesh was non-compliant as it was other than a device prescribed by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3440/84, contrary to s.30(1) Fisheries Act 1981 as read with article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Prosecutors told the court that the vessel was detained to Plymouth's Cattedown harbour and an investigation at the quayside uncovered a second net with a similar illegal device on its square mesh panel. This discovery demonstrated that the complete catch aboard the vessel had been caught illegally, the court was told. The defendants' lawyer said this was a first offence and that the company and master had taken steps to ensure there was no repeat of the non-compliance. The owner and master were hit with a total fine of £8,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 court costs, plus a further £390 in victim surcharges. The court was told that the vessel's detention in Plymouth had cost the company £100,000 in lost fishing time. In addition to the penalties imposed by the court, the defendant’s faced a cost of £45,000 in legal fees plus several thousand pounds for dock fees in Plymouth.

Trawler took disabled fishing vessel in tow

On Mar 9, 2015, around 11 a.m. the 25-m-fishing vessel "Caïman" from Porcher in Paimpol suffered an engine failure while sailing 70 nautical north of Ushant. It was taken in tow by the "Felir", and both ships headed to the port of Légué, where they arrived in the morning of Mar 10, accompanied by the pilot boat from Saint-Brieuc (Côtes d'Armor) and an SNSM boat. French report with photo: http://www.ouest-france.fr/saint-brieuc-le-caiman-en-panne-arrive-au-port-du-legue-3242536