The owners and master of a scallop dredging vessel must pay out more than £15,000 after admitting breaking strict bylaws.

The prosecution was brought by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) over the use of the Pamela Jill, which has the designation BM28, for dredging an estimated £6,000 worth of scallops off the Cornish coast on two occasions in May and June last year.

The master, Arthur Dewhirst, aged 60, of Northgate, Lowestoft and Pamela Jill Ltd, her owners, entered guilty pleas to the vessel being more than maximum 16.46 metres in overall length allowed in the IFCA district.

A further eight related charges involving curfew hours and the amount of dredges operated were withdrawn, but they were read to Bodmin Magistrates Court as aggravating features. The magistrates handed down fines and costs totalling £15,411.

The vessel was dredging for scallops, which the IFCA described as “an important and high value species for many fishermen.” As a result, Cornwall IFCA has various byelaws and regulations, such as the maximum vessel size, to limit fishing effort and to try to ensure a sustainable fishery.

When larger vessels such as Pamela Jill fish illegally within the Cornwall IFCA district, they reduce fishing opportunities for smaller, more locally based inshore boats, added the authority.

Cornwall IFCA used the satellite vessel monitoring system, which all fishing vessels over 12 metres must have fitted by European law, to determine that the Pamela Jill was operating illegally inside the district, along with analysis of the electronic log books and sales notes from the vessel.

Fishing vessels targeting scallops in the district are restricted to a maximum overall length of 16.46 metres, but the Pamela Jill was significantly larger than that, being 26.15 metres. It was estimated that the value of the catch illegally removed from the district was approximately £6,000.

The court heard that the Pamela Jill had an automatic identification system (AIS) fitted - another mandatory remote monitoring system that can be viewed by the general public. However, it was not transmitting during times when the vessel was within the Cornwall IFCA district and this was not explained by Mr Dewhirst.

Cornwall IFCA principal enforcement officer Simon Cadman said: “Since 2016, Cornwall IFCA has used data from remote electronic monitoring systems in seven of its investigations to establish illegal fishing activity within the district.

“The strength of evidence it provided was essential to prove illegal fishing incidents had taken place out of plain sight from fishery authorities.

“Data produced by various monitoring systems has proven to be a vital tool for Cornwall IFCA to provide an effective enforcement regime in its district, together with the sea-going and land-based patrols carried out by its officers.“