Two men fined by Isle of Man for illegal whelk fishing
- Published
Isle of Man fisheries protection vessel Barrule detained the Fleetwood-based Anne Mary B fishing for whelks without a licence
Two British men have been fined by the Isle of Man government for fishing without a licence in Manx waters.
Andrew Bynam and Adrian Handscombe admitted the offence at Douglas Court House on Friday.
Bynam, owner of the Fleetwood, Lancashire-based Anne Mary B, was fined £10,000 while skipper Handscombe was fined £7,000 for illegal whelk fishing.
The government said the boat was detained off the east coast of the Isle of Man on 15 October.
A spokesman said the court ordered the forfeiture of the vessel's catch, worth £1,728.
Manx Environment Minister Richard Ronan said: "The fishing industry is worth millions of pounds to the island's economy and it's important fishing takes place in a regulated way to ensure stocks are sustained.
"Our fisheries protection vessel polices these regulations and has the right to board and detain any boat it finds breaching them."