Last week two trawlermen from Cherbourg, who repeatedly dredged for scallops in Island waters after sailing in under the cover of darkness, were fined a total of £26,000 by the Royal Court.
Arnaud Delalonde (46) and Tony Mesnage (43) tried to cover up their acts by doctoring location declaration forms, but were snared by fisheries authorities after their position was tracked using satellite technology and officers boarded Delalonde’s boat and caught him red-handed.
Now, Dave Yettram, senior marine and fisheries officer for the Environment Department, said that last week’s sentencing sent a message to other fishermen that they face prosecution and big fines if they were caught operating in restricted zones.
