Penalty points system for fishermen halted by High Court

A penalty points system for fishermen who engage in illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing has been halted by the High Court.

Mr Justice Tony O’Connor said the penalty points system introduced by the minister of the marine does not require that established systems for independent adjudication and recourse to the courts can be ignored.

The penalty points system, introduced in 2014, provides for eventual suspension of fishing licences and ultimately for complete withdrawal of the licence depending on how many points a vessel incurs for illegal fishing.