Admiral Gordon Skipper – Anthony Donaldson – Newlyn – Illegal Fishing

UK Beam Trawler to Pay £13,700 for Mis-recording and Retaining Megrim

The owners and master of the Cornish beam trawler Admiral Gordon pleaded guilty on February 26 to two fishing offences in a case brought by the Marine and Fisheries Agency.

Cambourne Magistrates heard the Admiral Gordon retained megrim – a fish it was not licensed to catch – and then attempted to disguise where it was caught.

Admiral Gordon’s master, Anthony Donaldson, 54, of Newlyn, Cornwall and the owners I.F. Ltd of Plymouth pleaded guilty to four counts of mis-recording the area of capture and a further charge of retaining a species (megrim) in ICES zone VIII, for which they were not licensed.

Magistrates fined the company £10,646 and Donaldson £265. In addition the company was ordered to pay costs of £2,776 and Donaldson £100.

Magistrates were told that in July last year the Admiral Gordon had fished four days in ICES zone VIII in July last year. The master had inaccurately recorded in his logbook that he was fishing in area VIIh, and on each day he had retained megrim.

The United Kingdom does not hold any quota for Megrim in area VIII and this resulted in the MFA having to do an international quota swop, to cover this fish.

After the case an MFA spokesman said: “It is important that vessel masters complete their logbooks accurately and read their fishing licence restrictions carefully.”