A JERSEY fisherman has been fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs of about £1,500 by English magistrates for illegal fishing off the Sussex coast.
It was the second time that Michael Michieli (48) has been fined by Chichester Magistrates, having also broken the law three years ago. And calls have now been made for new powers to allow the fishing gear of repeat offenders to be confiscated.
Michieli, who owns the vessel L’Ecume II, pleaded guilty earlier this month to breaking fisheries legislation designed to protect inshore fish stocks of black bream and sea bass. Michieli and David Waldron (60), of Lowestoft, pleaded guilty to fishing within three miles of the coast of Littlehampton on 28 May this year with vessels over 14 metres long. The two offenders were ordered to pay over £9,000 in fines and costs.
Pictured: L’Ecume II
