SFPA welcomes tough stance on alleged illegal catch in Greencastle

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has welcomed the decision at Letterkenny District Court to impose a monetary bond on the operators of a fishing boat over an alleged illegal catch landed at Greencaste.
The bond of €136,878 was imposed on the operators of the fishing vessel Saltees Quest, owned by the O’Flaherty Brothers of Kilmore Quay.
The court sitting was an initial consideration of the charges around a landing into Greencastle on Friday 13 December, and the bond ordered is a security pending the criminal trial of the skipper for the offences alleged.
The charges deal with alleged illegal fishing in the area off the NE coast using beam trawls and nets of 80mm dimension and alleged attempted obstruction of Sea Fisheries protection officers at the subsequent landing inspection on that date.
Susan Steele Chair of SPFA welcomed this initial outcome stating that Whilst there has not been a trial nor conviction, the SFPA is satisfied that the courts have recognised the seriousness of the matters put before it.
Obstructing or impeding a Sea Fishery Protection Officer is a very serious matter which rightly can attract a custodial sentence in Irish law, and SFPA says it will not tolerate any such intimidation.