Trawler owners fined for fishing spawning grounds A total of £ 9,000 in fines were imposed by Chichester Magistrates on Wednesday 30th November on two vessel skippers operating trawlers inside the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee District 3 mile limit. Each fisherman pleaded guilty to three offences relating to local fisheries legislation which protect inshore fish stocks of black bream and sea bass. Mr. David Waldron and Mr. Michael Michieli skippers and owners of the fishing boats Catherine Annie LT 45 and L'Ecume II J158 respectively pleaded guilty to the offences of fishing inside the Committee's 3 mile limits with a vessel over 14 metres in length on the 14th and 20th of April and the 10th May this year. Both defendants were fined £4,500 and ordered to individually pay £2,250 towards the prosecutions costs. During inspections in the spring both vessels were found to have substantial quantities of bream on board. In convicting these fishermen today the Magistrate sent a clear message that illegal fishing will not be tolerated. The court proceedings were the latest in a series of prosecutions undertaken by the Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee against the skippers of the pair trawlers L'Ecume II J158 Jersey registered and the Catherine Annie LT 45 UK registered. In 2001 and 2002 prosecutions by the authority involving the same vessels and owners resulted in successful prosecutions and significant fines amounting to several thousand pounds. The Black Bream the vessels were targeting are particularly susceptible to over exploitation and exhibit some very interesting reproductive behaviour. In the spring many thousands of fish migrate to the shallow waters off the Sussex shores to spawn. Adult male Bream excavate 'nests', depressions in the gravel, in an attempt to attract awaiting shoals of females: a female will then lay her eggs in the most 'attractive' nest. Certain areas off the coast are covered in bream nests, so much so that the seabed can be likened to the craters seen on the moon! The male bream, with a nest of eggs, will spend weeks tending to the clutch until they finally hatch. Interestingly for the first few years of their life young black bream are neither male nor female, but at around 20cm (2-3 years) they become male then and years later they become female! Given the vulnerability of this species during spawning it is important harmful fishing practices are restricted by fisheries regulations which are vigorously upheld. Following the court proceedings the Committee's Chief Fishery Officer commented that: "It is regrettable when fisheries management results in the prosecution of individuals however it is clear that in this instance both individuals have shown a complete disregard for inshore regulations for financial gain, these were repeat offences and would have caused significant disturbance to spawning grounds. The Sea Fisheries Committee's are committed to managing sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries and the protection of inshore stocks during critical periods such as spawning and the impacts of certain trawling. Clearly some elements of the commercial industry need to act far more responsibly if they want the support of the public. We have local fisheries at Hastings which have recently obtained accreditation for their environmental sustainability which shows what can be achieved. The local authorities understand the value of the inshore marine environment and the need to protect it whilst allowing sustainable commercial fisheries to develop. The inshore management regulations for fisheries mean that much of the inshore region off Sussex could be regarded a Marine Protected Area and the Committee's efforts to control certain fishing activities are extremely important. I'm sure everyone locally values a healthy marine environment and I hope this demonstrates the efforts made to protect our inshore marine life. I am pleased that the time and effort made by our fishery officers to secure evidence at sea have resulted in this outcome. The Sea Fisheries Committee invested in a new fisheries patrol vessel in 2004 and 'Watchful's' role was central to obtaining the evidence and therefore securing the convictions" Tim Dapling
The local Sea Fisheries Committee has statutory role in the protection of fish stocks and the marine environment inshore and restricts the size of vessels and the fishing gears that can be worked in areas were the species breed. The Committee is funded through the local authorities and employs a team of fisheries officers and enforcement craft that regulate the inshore commercial fishing fleet and recreational anglers with measures including closed areas, seasonal restrictions and technical measures such as mesh sizes.
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