2 fishermen caught by a drone illegally dredging for scallops in protected waters off the Isle of Wight have been ordered to pay a combined £4,720 in fines and costs.
Peter Marshall, 60, and Benjamin Lewis, 40, both from Warsash, pleaded guilty to breaching the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority’s (IFCA) Bottom Towed Fishing Gear Byelaw at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (7th October).
The court heard that officers spotted the pair dredging for scallops aboard the fishing vessel Benjamin Guy SU177 within the South Wight prohibited area on Thursday (5th March).
Using a drone equipped with a powerful camera, laser range finder and GPS, officers were able to track the vessel and monitor the fishermen’s movements.
Marshall was the master of the vessel, while Lewis, a permit holder and co-owner of the boat, was acting as a crewman.
Analysis of the data collected by the drone revealed that the vessel had been dredging within the prohibited area for approximately 2 hours and 21 minutes, reaching as far as 1,249.15 metres inside the restricted waters.
An inspection of the vessel later that day uncovered a catch of 645kg of scallops, with an estimated first-sale value of £1,161.
The area is protected under Southern IFCA regulations designed to safeguard sensitive marine habitats within the South Wight Maritime Special Area of Conservation and the Bembridge Marine Conservation Zone.
These protected habitats include reefs, seagrass beds, sea-pens, burrowing marine animals and subtidal mud.
The District Judge ruled that the fishermen’s actions were significantly reckless and posed a real risk of localised harm to the marine environment.
Marshall was fined £1,600 and ordered to pay a £640 victim surcharge, while Lewis was fined £1,200 with a £480 victim surcharge.
Both men were also ordered to pay £400 each towards prosecution costs, bringing the total financial penalty to £4,720.
Gordon Chittenden, Head of Compliance and Enforcement at Southern IFCA, has said:
“The Southern IFCA Bottom Towed Fishing Byelaw is in place to protect the designated features of Marine Protected Areas in the district.
“The actions of these fishermen have undermined the efforts of the overwhelming majority of fishers in the district who actively comply with the regulations and respect the importance of these protected areas when fishing.
“Southern IFCA remains committed to working constructively with all stakeholders to support understanding and compliance. However, where individuals choose to disregard the regulations, we will continue to take firm and proportionate enforcement action.
“I would also like to thank our officers and prosecution team for their professionalism and diligence in bringing this case before the court.”
Commercial dredging for scallops and clams remains an important fishery in the Solent, but operators must hold a Southern IFCA Solent Dredge Permit and comply with regulations protecting designated marine areas.
