Case centres on whether man had two or three fish

A keen south Kerry fisherman, a member of an angling club for 20 years, is being prosecuted for landing and killing three sea bass on the shores of Derrynane Bay.

Stephen Bradshaw, aged 49, of Seaview, Sneem, was before Cahersiveen District Court yesterday on foot of being summonsed by Inland Fisheries Ireland. He is accused of taking and killing “more than two bass” on October 21, 2014, at The Beach, Derrynane Beag, Derrynane, in the South Western River Basin District.

However his solicitor Padraig O’Connell said it was a joint enterprise, as there were two men fishing and four fish. “The question is whether they each had two fish each,” he said.

He was applying for disclosure and all documents relating to the allegation and the matter was adjourned to July to allow this.

It is an offence to kill or have more than two bass, other than imported bass, in any 24-hour period.