Louth man ordered to pay out €30,000 for overfishing high-value prawns

A Louth man must pay a total of €30,000 after pleading guilty to fishing 200 per cent more high-value prawns than quotas allowed and under-reporting the catch. Gerald Sharkey, from Clogherhead, pleaded guilty to the sea-fisheries offences in an area where prawn stocks are vulnerable at Dundalk Circuit Court this week.

The Court heard how the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) inspected the activity of the boat, Saint Catherine Laboure, in May and June 2017 in regulated fishing grounds (FU16).

SFPA say they found evidence Sharkey recorded large quantities of catch outside the regulated area with lower volumes recorded in FU16 despite evidence the boat spent more time fishing in that area.

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Nephrops (prawns) from FU16 off Ireland’s west coast are subject to stricter quotas and worth more money.

It was outlined in court how catch limits are necessary for the “protection of fishery stocks so that there is sustainability for fishing to continue for fishing stocks and for generations to come”.

Sharkey’s breach was described as a “serious offence” in court amid “stringent controls and penalties for breaches of the regulations so that people cannot make an economic benefit from ignoring important ecological regulations”.

He was fined €20,000 for the offences and ordered to forfeit €10,000 from the value of catch.

An SFPA spokesperson said: “Compliance with the requirements for accurate logbook recording and fishing within applicable catch limits are key to the sustainability of fishing for fishing communities.

“Accurate reporting of catches is essential in order to assess the extent of catches on an ongoing basis, ensuring catch limits are managed to allow for the sustainability of species and fishing for such stocks.

“The effectiveness of regulatory requirements of the prawn/nephrops fishery in FU16, including catch limits and reporting, is particularly important having regard to the vulnerability of prawn stocks in that area and conservation measures to avoid serious stock depletion which occurred previously.

“The SFPA commends the Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers involved for this thorough investigation.”

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