Fish firm at centre of illegal landings inquiry

Published on Monday 30 August 2010 15:03

ONE of Scotland's largest fish firms is at the centre of a multi-million pound investigation over allegations of illegal fish landings.

Prosecutors are currently examining a file on landings at fish processing firm Fresh Catch in Peterhead over a three-year period.

Dozens of officers from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Grampian Police raided Fresh Catch's north-east headquarters in September 2005.

During the operation, which lasted several days, officers removed a large number of folders containing information on fish landings at the firm's offices at Peterhead's quayside.

A spokesman for the Crown Office yesterday confirmed they were considering a report from Grampian Police in connection with the firm - one of Europe's leading pelagic fish processors.

He said: "We can confirm that landings made at the Fresh Catch factory in Peterhead, between 2002 and 2005, are the subject of an ongoing investigation.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

No-one at Fresh Catch was available for comment yesterday.