A Cork fisherman has been found guilty of three breaches of fisheries legislation for illegal netting.
Paul O’Connell of Youghal, Co Cork had fixed a 336m net close to the mouth of the Munster Blackwater which was detected by a fisheries officer in the early hours of 4 July 2022.
O’Connell was convicted at Youghal District Court on Wednesday 12 April this year.
An operation involving local fisheries officers and a Delta RIB craft crewed by fisheries officers from the South Eastern River Basin District recovered the net.
The court heard that O’Connell contacted Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to enquire if officers had seized the net and to request its return. He then met Fisheries Inspector Michael Fanning the following day to identify the net as his property while under caution.
O’Connell pleaded guilty to three breaches of the 1959 Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 and Bye Law No. 857 of 2009 and three other charges were withdrawn.
The court imposed fines totalling €4,000 and the net was forfeited.
O’Connell, who had a previous conviction for illegal netting in the same area in 2013, also received a two-month custodial sentence and was ordered to pay costs of €500 for the offence of placing a fixed engine at the mouth of any river. He was granted leave to appeal the penalty.
Welcoming the conviction, Sean Long, director of the South-Western River Basin District at IFI said: “I would like to acknowledge the vigilance and swift efforts of our fisheries Officers in recovering the net and preventing it from doing further damage to salmon, sea trout, and sea bass stocks.
“It is one less barrier to migration on the Munster Blackwater and is significant for conservation-minded anglers and the communities the length of the Blackwater relying on angling generated income.
“Members of the public can report instances of such illegal fishing, water pollution, or fish kills by calling Inland Fisheries Ireland’s confidential hotline number on 0818 34 74 24.”
