Truro fishing vessel skipper fined

 

A skipper has been fined £200 with £1,000 costs for operating an unregistered fishing vessel. Trevor Bailey, 64, pleaded guilty to the offences at Truro Magistrates Court. 

It follows an investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team after it became clear that Mr Bailey was fishing despite not having renewed his registration with the Agency.

His vessel Scath Du was first inspected in February 2019 and a number of deficiencies including safety and registration certificates expired. The MCA became aware that he continued to fish despite the fact he had not renewed his registration. Furthermore, he continued to use his Port Location Number, implying his vessel was still registered when it was not.

Despite ongoing work by the Agency to work with Mr Bailey so his vessel complied with the law, he continued to fish without the required authorisation to do so. The MCA’s Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team then began its work leading to the court case in Truro. 

He was also made to pay a victim surcharge cost of £30.

Lead investigator for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Mark Cam said: “This is a clear message to those who don’t comply with the rules: we will investigate and we will prosecute.”