A FATHER and his two sons have been fined for fishing offences related to shellfish caught in Poole Harbour.

Reginald John Skinner, Andrew Skinner and Christopher Skinner were taken to court by Southern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (Southern IFCA).

Poole Magistrates' Court heard how on December 12, 2019, brothers Andrew Skinner, aged 30, and Christopher Skinner, aged 31, were fishing from two different vessels in Poole Harbour.

Christopher Skinner was aboard vessel Sky PE1232. He returned from a day’s fishing to the area of his mooring, where he jettisoned numerous bags of shellfish close by and out of view in shallow water.

As the tide receded, different bags of shellfish, situated further up the foreshore, came into view.

Warranted officers from the Southern IFCA saw Reginald Skinner and Andrew Skinner at the location in two vehicles.

The bags furthest up the foreshore were lifted into the back of the Reginald Skinner's vehicle before the 59-year-old returned to the driver’s seat.

The officers were in the area to carry out an inspection of Andrew Skinner’s catch and the vehicle he was driving for compliance with the regulations.

Both Reginald Skinner and Andrew Skinner drove off despite being instructed to stop.

Several efforts to stop the two men were made, using hand signals and verbal commands, but they repeatedly failed to comply with officer instructions.

The officers reportedly had to take evasive action to avoid being struck by the fast moving vehicles being driven by Reginald Skinner and Andrew Skinner.

Officers remained in the area and came across the shellfish previously discarded by Christopher Skinner.

In total nine bags of clams, weighing 332.3kg with an estimated first sale value of between £1,329.20 and £1,827.65, were recovered by Southern IFCA officers.

The catch was inspected for compliance with the minimum size regulations and an average of 75.9 per cent of the clams were below the minimum conservation reference size of 35 millimetres.

Officers returned the seized catch to the harbour alive. Minimum conservation reference sizes are established to ensure the protection of juvenile marine species. They allow individuals to reproduce at least once before they are removed from a fishery.

The three Skinners are all part owners of vessel Sky PE1232.

They all pleaded guilty to retaining a quantity of undersized clams on their vessel, while Reginald Skinner and Andrew Skinner also admitted obstructing enforcement officers.

The trio, of Middlebere Crescent, Turlin Moor, were each fined £400, ordered to pay £400 prosecution costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

The brothers were sentenced back on May 12 when they entered their pleas, while Reginald Skinner was sentenced on October 18 when he pleaded guilty.

Sam Dell, Southern IFCA acting deputy chief officer, said: “Obstruction of the Authority’s officers will not be tolerated.

"The Marine and Coastal Access Act gives officers common enforcement powers to carry out inspections and provides robust legislation to assist officers in regard to this type of misconduct.

"Southern IFCA is committed to protecting the fishery to ensure healthy seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry. By taking offenders to court we aim to support a sustainable local fishery."

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