Fish buyer pleads guilty to fisheries offences in Ireland

A Director of Ocean Dragon, a fish buyer from Clogherhead in Ireland's County Louth, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company at Drogheda District Court on Wednesday, March 18, to charges of failing to weigh catches of razor clams offloaded by licensed fishing vessels at Balbriggan port, County Dublin, on February 7, 2024.

Following a surveillance operation conducted by sea-fisheries protection officers of Ireland's Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), a transport vehicle was inspected and a catch of razor clams to the monetary value of approximately €7,800 (US$8,500) was found.

The SFPA said the buyer did not have a permit to weigh catch after transport from the place of landing. The driver with the company did not have a transport document, which is required to accompany the fishery products that are transported away from the point of landing.

The court convicted the company and imposed a fine of €1,000 (US$1,100) for failure to have a transport document and a further fine of €1,000 for failing to weigh fishery products at the point of landing.

The court also ordered the payment of €2,000 (US$2,200) by means of charitable donation. The matter was adjourned to allow the payment of the charitable donation.

"The data on weight of catches at landing is key to the accurate assessment of quota uptake, which ensures stocks are not overfished and fishing is sustainable into the future," Paschal Hayes, Executive Chairperson of the SFPA, commented.

"The requirement to weigh and record catch at landing in these circumstances, in addition to the completion and possession of a transport document, are key tools to ensure the traceability of fish products, which is important from a consumer health perspective and for combatting unreported fish products entering the consumer market."