Lincoln fisherman fined £25,000 over illegal whelk catch

Mr Lugans pleaded guilty to landing whelk under the minimum size

The master of an English fishing trawler has been fined £25,000 for illegal fishing in Manx waters.

Dinars Lugans, from Lincoln, pleaded guilty to retaining whelk under the minimum landing size at Douglas courthouse on Tuesday.

Whelk is the common name given to a type of edible sea snail that lives in hard shell.

Mr Lugans has also had his Isle of Man fishing licence suspended and had to forfeit his catch valued at £3,500.

His vessel Prosperity was boarded in Manx waters by government fishery officers on 11 December.

The court heard 93 bags of whelk were found and, in a selected sample, almost two-thirds were under the legal landing size of 75mm or three inches.

'Zero tolerance'

Environment minister Geoffrey Boot said: "The prosecution reinforces our zero tolerance approach to illegal fishing."

He added: "Undersized whelk, like other commercially caught fish in our waters, must be returned to the sea immediately until of a legal size to be landed to ensure the sustainability of the stock."

The minimum landing size is intended to ensure whelk are able to breed successfully, said a Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) spokesperson.

Under the Fisheries Act 2012, a fisherman found to have breached the regulations is liable to a fine of up to £100,000, forfeiture of catch, boat and or gear.

Mr Lugans has also had his Isle of Man sea fishing licence suspended which means he cannot fish in Manx waters for three months.