Skipper loses catch and fined

THE skipper of a Spanish fishing vessel who failed to record his proper catch of monkfish when he landed at Dingle lost the whole of his 25 days’ catch, worth €43,000 and his gear worth €12,000.

He must pay a fine of €5,000 before his vessel will be released, Tralee Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.

37-year-old Carlos Javier Pereira Diaz, from Galicia in northern Spain pleaded guilty to failing to keep the log book of his operation correctly by failing to record the correct quantities of monkfish on May 20.